Abundance Permaculture's topics - tribe.net

busy busy busy

2008-08-19T21:01:34Z

Been that, so busy. Have an intern, and hes great. We've been really making headway on construction and garden building. Had the help of local friend and feral farmer from Twisted Hazel Orchards as well.

And I got a good contract teaching permaculture at the Old Poor Farm in Clark County:

http://www.abundancepermaculture.com/78th.html

Will be building a cider press in September and october, and making cider, hard cider, wine.

Planting more trees.

shining on.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 0 replies

website skeleton

2008-03-19T21:04:09Z

working on a website.

lots of strange glitches, trying to understand why things are where they are, or arent where I want them... still very blank, many layers to go...

but one can see the skeleton (only the resume page has anything on it yet, the rest is just navlinks)

www.abundancepermaculture.com

if you know any html or ftp2 ( i dont know nuthin', but im figuring it out as I go) and you want to look at the source and answer some simple questions, Id be really appreciative. :)

bought seeds today, spent time with some horse folks, talked barn repair, planted daffodil bulbs, moved some cows around, drank raw milk, played with chooks. good day!

best

D

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 3 replies

going up the country

2008-02-26T02:47:23Z

IM moving back up the mountain in March. Lost of projects to get done; while the garden is sheetmulched and ready to plant, the fruit trees all need pruning, the pigbarn-come-cottage will be getting SCADS of attention (I have most of the siding gathered, and the materials to finish the foundation are stockpiled) and then there is the issue of the road...

during the december deluge a hole about 6' diameter and 8 feet deep appeared in the road on the first creek crossing. the culvert was undercut and the road above it collapsed. So I need to either finagle a backhoe or Ill spend two weeks with a pickaxe and a spade rebuilding it. a mess. cant even drive in!

still, nice to be returning home, despite the heartbreak of the clearcut behind me- I keep looking up there and seeing orchards.

so what ive learned is that despite adversity, and loss of what I had for 15 years thought was my vision, I remain an optimist with a vision :)

Ill be posting work party dates for April soon. you know the drill- i dont charge admission or for teaching. You bring food, we work, I share what i know of permaculture and ecology and natural building, maybe throw some aikido, and rather than that old consumer oriented corporate model we re-create and cultivate something more substantial: relationship with each other and place.

Hey, ill have a website up soon! perhaps with two weeks!

lots of work to do!

more sooner,

agape,

D.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 3 replies

news updates and primal screams

2007-12-02T08:55:35Z

I was convinced that i should sell it.

my father is a pain in the ass (yes, I love him, and so: Rilke suggests a person must be stretched between two poles in order to give God room for growth), and as a neighbor dad's nothing but sorrow.

and asides from that I haven't been there for more than a week or had money to work on it in almost a year. grad school, no work, need a income....and more than that-

I need community, practice and play with people I love.

and then this last weekend my friends, some new, some midlin, came up and busted out some duck pond digging, some construction clay harvesting and a genuine appreciation for fine homemade from scratch pizza, cob oven squash, gardening and hottubs with beer. and I must say, those Finnish sisters really did a great job with the kitchen!

and now I dont want to sell. SO GET YOU ASSES UP HERE!

I know its winter, but ill say this: that logged over hill next door can be replanted with the most luscious food forest you would ever want. we can make a garden paradise! I have 2 year round streams, and with less than 250k investor money we could buy the adjacent parcel and start an ecovillage that - well, we could call it home.

just as long as you don't mind having me as a neighbor. I know I get a little testy at times. been a rough few years- a review of my blogs (and absence thereof) will show what I'm wrastling with... but I suddenly, after months of thinking otherwise, see a reason to hold on to the place.

cause its true: they're not making anymore land, and land with running water, good soil, suitable slopes for orchards and good neighbors (all of us) is hard to come by. honestly, my dads just a pain in >MY ASS< everyone else loves him!)

so start the talking, drop me a line, and let me know what you dream of. I bet those dreams can come true.

There's enough room to realize your highest calling in Abundance.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 7 replies

has anybody been to abundance lately?

2007-11-01T01:01:44Z

I have.. sorry to say the neighbor got his way.. but as I had never been there before the rape of the land, I saw not destruction, but an opportunity for creation... and I damned well think that there is great beauty to be found there. Each one of us has more power in one hand than all the chainsaws of the world combined.

Thou art god.

don't believe me? read this. if you have a heart in your chest, it will quicken.
http://www.ftpf.org/themanwhoplanted.htm

thanks, 'yall.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 2 replies

New Freegan Tribe forming

2007-09-02T13:52:47Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/ef0f2448-2f81-4704-a66a-fda79c08384f?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5Bef0f2448-2f81-4704-a66a-fda79c08384f%5D

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 0 replies

Permaculture Ethics and Principles

2006-12-22T06:14:53Z

Permaculture Ethics and Principles

Permaculture is embedded with an agreed upon ethical framework. This makes it radically different from subjects such as organic gardening, alternative technology or agroforestry where the ethos is implicit rather than explicit. The ethics were originally presented in Mollison’s “Permaculture: A Designers Manual”. While maintaining the basis of the ethics, the following segment elaborates on them with respect to others who have explored and refined the basics into deeper expressions. Therefore, while the basis is retained, the individual expression is unique.

Ethics of Permaculture
Permaculture Ethics guide us towards good decisions by providing a systemic checklist. The goal of this checklist is to be useful without creating damage. However, these ethics are not unique to Permaculture, and can be found, albeit stated in different terms, throughout many of the world’s wisdom traditions.

1. CARE OF THE EARTH-Permaculture Systems must ensure that all life continues and prospers.

Permaculture systems do not harm the functional basis of existing natural systems. Permaculture systems regenerate and balance negatively impacted systems.

2. CARE OF THE PEOPLE- Provision for people to access those resources necessary to their existence.

Permaculture systems encourage humans to access and share those resources needed for their balanced ecological presence.

3. SETTING LIMITS TO POPULATION AND CONSUMPTION- By governing our needs, we can set resources aside to further the above principles.

Permaculture systems do not exploit, over-use or otherwise damage the natural systems & elements which benefit the whole of creation. Furthermore, Permaculture designers understand limits and capacities of functional systems and do not indulge in designs that exceed them.

4. BASIC LIFE ETHIC- We recognise the intrinsic worth of every living thing.

Permaculture systems reflect the basic life ethic by assuming value is inherent in existence, and that elements of systems (ie., species, landforms, and other phenomena) may function for the benefit of the biosphere without human knowledge of their function or benefit.

1) Elements of the CARE FOR THE EARTH ethic include:

Protecting and purifying Land, Air and Waters: to not pollute, or introduce disruptive elements into systems. To balance those systems which have been disrupted.

Conservation of Biodiversity: To respect the right to life and existence of all natural creation. To refrain from impeding the right to life of all beings.

Restoration and conservation of ecosystems, habitats and soils: To reinstate natural ecosystems which have been eliminated, damaged, or marginalized. To blend the need of people with the need of other living beings so that no beings are extirpated, damaged, or marginalized.

Recycling and pollution reduction: To view ‘waste’ as a valuable resource for further balanced industry. To create no waste. To mine abandoned resources and re-assert their value.

Conservation of energy and natural resources: To be mindful and aware that ability to use resources is not a license to use resources. To use resources prudently. To minimize consumption. To encourage fecundity. To value others lives before ones own.

Appropriate Technology: To use local and low embodied energy material and methods. To use technology to resolve imbalances and restore dynamic balances and complexity in the biosphere.

Prudent and Necessary use: To leave any natural system alone until we are, of strict necessity, found dependant on engaging with its energy and materials. To adapt and implement Permaculture ethics and principles.

2) Elements of the CARE FOR THE PEOPLE ethic include:

Health and Well-Being: To provide for the physical nourishment and longevity of all people. To allow for self determination and autonomy of all people.

Nourishment from Good Food: To assure that all people have access to viable land, seed stocks, cultivation practices and technology which are suited to their landscape, physical needs and cultural sustainability. To collectively and communally own food production and distribution. To eat locally grown, fresh and in season foods.

Lifelong learning: to value learning as a goal unto itself. This includes academic, spiritual and social education for so long as a an individual or culture persists. To involve knowledgeable people and rely on experienced elders.

Right Livelihood and Meaningful Work: To honor self determination among disparate cultures. To identify and practice whatever methods of livelihood bring fulfillment and integrity to oneself while not impinging on another’s right to practice the same..

Embracing Culture and Community: To acknowledge and celebrate differences amongst peoples, nations and cultures. To enliven individuals with passions for other elements of the Care for the People ethic. To recognize we are all together, though we are not all the same.

Open Communication: to support and endow the ability to freely and peacefully discuss, dialogue and communicate about experiences and feelings. To make place for and practice deep listening and speaking of personal truths in a way that engenders peace and harmony among all concerned.

Trust and Respect: To believe and be believed when one hears or speaks from personal experience or feelings. To allow for, acknowledge, and honor differences of opinion and expression. To strive for consensus and harmony with others.

Co-operation and Networking: To honor and support cooperative efforts aimed at manifesting these elements. To seek connections which increase the viability and integrity of these efforts. To share knowledge, materials and methods which exemplify Permaculture ethics.

3) Elements of the LIMITING POPULATION AND CONSUMPTION ethic include:

Personal Responsibility: To recognize that acting in a beneficial manner provides a clearer statement in favor of mutuality than telling others to behave in a beneficial way. To make contributions wherever one can for the benefit of the whole. Not to seek recognition, but to strive for good deeds.

Footprint Minimization: To understand energy and materials pathways which we engage, and consciously minimize consumption patterns. To deeply investigate all assumptions about what is necessary for humanity to flourish. To engage and make stable our spiritual and cultural expressions of humanity. To allow this stability to inform our choices regarding materials and energy use.

Population Limits: To understand that the earths capacity to sustain living things is directly influenced by the collective actions of humanity. To understand the global basis of limiting factors and to create populations which do not harm, damage, marginalize or extirpate other biological populations. To refrain from exceeding or denigrating the material basis of life which is found in the bio-geo-chemical systems that support the biosphere and thus humanity.

Principles of Permaculture

Permaculture principles are a globally adaptable set of considerations which guide the development of holistic design. They are largely interdependent on one another, meaning that when one principle is realized others begin to become evident, and, conversely, when one is rejected others are diminished. Some of them were mentioned in the Introduction to the Stewardship covenant. A more complete, but by no means exhaustive list is located below. These principles are an evolving and living observation of ways in which nature’s fecundity reinforces itself, maintaining integrity even amidst apparently chaotic dynamism. Beyond that, many of these principles are useful for the design of non-biotic systems, such as machines and economies. A thoughtful and protracted observation of the principles as enacted in and by nature will often lead to profound insights about system patterns that can be applied universally. Therefore, it is often said that the first three principles are observe, observe, and Observe. However, we will list that only once on the following list. After the list are points of clarification for each item.

1. Protract your thoughtful and intuitive observation process.
2. Utilize relative locations and access/association by proximity.
3. Each element performs multiple functions.
4. Each function is supported by many elements.
5. Practice energy efficient planning.
6. Use biological resources and functions.
7. Systemic energy cycles should be looped.
8. Plan Small-scale intensive systems and link them.
9. Understand and practice native plant succession and stacking.
10. Polyculture, the diversity of species, is the basis for productivity,
stability and integrity.
11. Whenever appropriate, maximize "edge" within a system.
12. Observe and replicate natural patterns.
13. Pay attention to relative scale and scalar distortions.
14. Attitude is everything.
15. A system is limited only by the energy, time investment and imagination of the designer.

1. Protract your thoughtful and intuitive observation process.
Protraction means to expand. When designing a system one will benefit both themselves and the system by spending time in contemplative observation. By familiarizing oneself with various approaches to understanding (ie., cognitive, logical, analytical, rhetorical, poetic, meditative, etc.) the ability to exact comprehensive systemic design is vastly increased. However, this is but the first step. Observing the relative placement and associations which the planned system will be proximal to, and imagining and exploring potential allocthonous affects of the surrounding systems on the planned system is also important. Next, energy and material streams that will be produced by the system, and their effects on nearby systems, as well as ripple effects on those farther away must be considered. Finally, with all these considerations, one should still “sleep on it” for in the silence that follows such discussions with nature many secrets are told.

2. Utilize relative location and access/association by proximity.
Relative locations simply means planning desirable material and energy exchanges. For instance, gardens, because of the relatively high disturbance level of the soils and the needs of vegetation growing therein, often require nutrient inputs. Compost is a rich nutrient source; therefore it makes sense to keep composting systems near garden areas. If one uses composted manures, it follows that animals with desirable manures should also be kept near the gardens.
Access/association by proximity means to place and use elements and functions in associations which minimize labor needs. The animals mentioned above may be ‘tractor’ animals; ie., pigs, chickens, and other animals which make a habit of digging, scratching or otherwise turning soils. These animals are therefore useful to the garden between crop rotations as they turn, aerate, and fertilize the soils during the progress of their daily activity. In nature we see this in plant associations, such as mychorizal associations on conifers which both increase the conifers nutrient uptake, but also provide a home for the fungus reliant on the sugar production of the tree’s photosynthesis. This kind of mutualism is a model for relative location and access/association by proximity.

3. Each element performs multiple functions.
As outlined in the previous section, a single element, such as the chickens, perform multiple functions. Fertilizing, aerating, and to some degree acting as pest control by nature of their dietary habit, chickens tend to a variety of tasks that may otherwise be left up to chance or industrial processes that clearly denigrate and harm natural systems. Choosing another element, a kiwi tree for instance, we can identify shade, soil stabilization, animal fodder and human nutriment, windbreak, insectaria and cover for beneficial predacious birds as potential functions. Therefore, placing this kiwi near our garden- probably to the north side (assuming we’re in the northern hemisphere), where the shade will not inhibit vegetable growth in the garden, we now have a place where we can comfortably view the efforts of our days work over cold pint of beer. Meanwhile, beneficial insects buzz around us, and kiwis ripen- kiwis which we and the chickens will happily nibble.

4. Each function is supported by many elements.
The desirable function of controlling undesirable insects is performed by many elements. The voracious birds who watch the garden from the cover of the kiwi are one element who perform this function; the chickens are another. Around the perimeter of the garden are a number of logs and piles of loose stones; here lizards and snakes take shelter. These feast on the slugs, seed eating mice and other creatures who may otherwise decrease the productivity of our little plot. Furthermore we have planted association of plants which act as biological deterrents. Chives arm our borders against leaf cutting invaders, while daffodils and allium species, particularly garlic, are of some use in deterring moles- as are snakes. Borage deters potato worms and attracts honey bees. Marigolds deter most undesirable insects, but like daffodils, attract slugs. Those rock piles full of snakes can put a dent in slug populations, but a surefire method of preventing horrible slug disasters is silicate- fine ground sand- mixed deeply into the soils around the most targeted plants. This mineralizes the soil while deterring slugs by creating an abrasive surface. Another fine option is the spray bottle of ammonium. Not only does it kill slugs, but mixed right (not to hot, lest it burn) it delivers nitrogen straight into the plants which it is sprayed on. The function of ‘garden pest’ control is best managed by many elements, only a small portion of which are mentioned above.

5. Practice energy efficient planning.
Redundancy has certain benefits. Utilizing relative location and access/association by proximity is energy efficient. So is designing for elements which support multiple functions, and for functions that are supported by multiple elements. In all of the above situations, the energy needed to arrange the system is primarily capital, or startup energy. After this the needed input, both in terms of materials and time, is minimized by the associative powers of the elements and functions. The practice of energy efficient planning is a beneficial redundancy. By re-viewing the integrity of interdependent principles in this manner we may begin to see how bolstering one means all are benefited, and that when one is decreased, all are diminished. Ultimately the principles do not stand alone, but are integrally united. From this perspective we can glimpse holistic design, while our system of chickens and pigs and companion planting is a small system, it is endlessly complex. The conditioning of the soils, the relationships of the animals to the plants across seasons, the role of the garden in the context of the larger farm activity… it all points to another principle just a bit down the road…

6. Use biological resources and functions.
The above outline offers many examples of biological resources and functions and how they can be incorporated into a garden system, but anyone who has gardened or observed ecosystems for any length of time knows that the above offers only a notion of the complexity that occurs in functional systems. However, the above is adequate for displaying the point. Biological resources and functions are, in the long run, more efficient- that is, contain lower embodied energy while having a much lower potential for distressing ecosystems than conventional systems such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Biological resources are as productive (and often more productive) than industrial or synthetic resources when observed from the perspective of lifetime energy cost comparisons. In short, it takes slugs to perpetuate snakes and carriage beetles, but it takes money to perpetuate slug bait. And, as I once heard Sam Bullock quip, “You haven’t got too many slugs. You’ve got too few ducks!”

7. Systemic energy cycles should be looped.
This is another way to say that “waste=resource”. In ecosystems we can follow an energy stream and observe the number of times one elements waste becomes energy for another. Even in our simplified garden we see the discrete circuit of “ manure compost kiwi chicken fodder manure…” the result of the chickens waste is a vital fecundity. Though this particular example is logistically possible, ultimately we face two challenges in grounding this energy loop. The first is ensuring that the energy does not stagnate (ie., compost that is not distributed) and second, building complexity so that multiple feedback loops are created- elements supporting multiple functions, and multiple elements for each function. Each time we add complexity we must return to the first principle of observation, and particularly note where looping occurs or can be encouraged. In this way the system does not loose energy and face immanent collapse, but loops it, creating an efficient, self cycling energy stream. An example of this type of collapse can be observed in modern oil agriculture, which uses vast amounts of oil for every pound of food produced- a lb of beef may involve as much as 300 gallons of oil!. Because the oil is neither an internalized or renewable element, it is inherent in the system that it will collapse. Looping energy cycles allows systems to generate endurance by effectively eliminating waste.

8. Plan small-scale intensive systems and link them.
At this point the nature of this exercise may begin to be clear. The above garden plan outlines a few simple elements of a small scale yet intensive system. Embedded in this system are multiple balancing mechanisms for any reasonable eventuality. By stacking small scale systems like this adjacent to one another- for instance, the addition of pond system next to the garden, and a orchard system near those, the systems become elements of a system which function at a larger scale. This mimics niche ecologies and scalar ecologies in nature, where even in vast plains small depressions or knolls have just enough of a difference in climatic variance to become habitat for species not common in adjacent areas. By planning in this small scale fashion, and by planning linkages, we reinforce natural patterns in the landscape and build resilience into our design.

9. Understand and practice native plant succession and guilds.
Plants native to an area are evolved to forebear and prosper in the climatic conditions that persist in that area. While global climate change will doubtlessly have some effect on this we cannot discredit the millennia and eons of genetic memory and habit of the plants that have evolved in our locale. By comprehending the successional stages of the native landscape we are able to use natives to manipulate- either expanding, pausing or contracting- the successional cycle. This means we can either create viable shade quickly and with little or no negative impact, or we can create open spaces in the same manner. By understanding the native guilds we can accelerate or pause a succession where it will be of most use to the larger design goals. Using natives as cornerstone species for these functions of compression, acceleration and pause will ensure that should we, as designers, be removed from the picture that the result will be a return to the native ecosystem succession.

10. Polyculture and diversity of species is the basis for productivity, stability and integrity.

A polyculture is a designed association of mutualist or synergistic plants. Companion planting , such as the “three sisters” –maize, legumes and curcubids- is a microcosm of poly culture. Guild planting begins to address issues of polyculture, as it seeks to align multiple companion sets in synergistic arrangements. Polyculture goes a step further: recognizing the mutually beneficial effects of companion planting and guilding, polyculture is a system that synergizes guilds. For instance, we may have an apple-allium-comfrey guild set in close proximity to a willow-watercress-arrowroot guild. By guild, we mean that these three are the predominant species of the guild, but that many other species are planted along with them. The proximity of these guilds may be several meters distance, but that is not a concern to the bee who happily moves back and forth pollinating and feeding from each of the flowering plants, nor is it an issue to the water which the willow drafts from the ground store to feed the pond used to water the apple-allium-comfrey guild during the dry seasons. Development of this kind of complexity begins to truly mimic nature in its vitality, stability and fecundity.

11. Whenever appropriate, maximize "edges" within a system.
It is often, though not always, useful to maximize edge in the systems we design. Edge creates an interplay between two areas where inhabitants of either area may mix and exchange energy. We can think of edges as natures market place, where energy and material are exchanged in the dance of growth and decay, life and death. Remember the Kiwi? Think of it as an edge. Bordered to the rear by a forest and the fore by a garden, it provides a place for the hungry birds to observe the open space where the forage- and to do it without exposing themselves to predators who might be waiting for them to be exposed. Other edges include the rock piles where the snakes live around the perimeter of the gardens, and the ‘shores’ of our pond where animals come to sip water. Maximizing edge means to create convolutions- a circular pond 30 feet across has about 95 feet of ‘edge’. However, if we build several 10 square foot chinampas (a pile of brush loaded with soil) intruding into the pond about 3 feet, so that there are maybe 8 of these convolutions, we will actually increase the edge by nearly 50 feet. Going much further than this will eliminate the pond and there will be no edge, so it behooves one to discern where the systems edges are. The amount of change a system can withstand before loosing its stability is a critical part of understanding limitations of the ‘maximize edges’ principle, and worth extra attention so as to prevent destabilizations.

12. Observe and replicate natural patterns.
Yet another way to insure success of the message by means of redundancy! This time lets look at it from a different perspective. Global climate change is going to affect us all. Here in the Pacific Northwest we are likely to see a general warming trend, as with much of the globe, but owing to the nature of the pacific oceans influence on weather patterns we are likely to see a change in the rain regime as well. This wont be an instant change, but a slow one which toggles between higher volume and more intensive rain fall through the winter and spring months, and longer, if not quite so dry summer and fall drought period. While I am not a climatologist, several years of contemplating weather trends has led me to settle- for the present at least- on this eventuality. So I find my self asking what changes this will make on the constitution for the forest diversity in the region. Douglas fir will doubtless remain ubiquitous, as will alder. Western red cedar will continue to thrive. The real change in forest composition related to global climate change will, in my estimation, be one of what else will thrive here and how will the change resulting from introductions of new species cause forest composition to evolve. While the western Hemlocks may not like the change much, I suspect they will do alright in niches; moving into their place in a slow march north we are likely to find redwood, sequoia, madrona and oaks wherever soils permit. The natural patter of plant distribution responds to climate. Owing to this observation, I’ve planted several redwoods and sequoia around the property. The oldest, a sequoia, is 17 years old and well over 40 feet in height. The tree simply loves it here. Again, once we understand succession, we may either pause, accelerate or compress it. In this case I have chosen to accelerate it. By copying the diversity of a region with the weather patterns and climate that I suspect will be developing here over the next three decades, I seek to ensure that the biotic force so well endowed in this landscape is not diminished. While I suspect the Douglas fir will be fine, I have concerns, and I feel valid ones, over the future of hemlock. Suited to colder and rain that is more ‘drizzly’ than ‘downpouring’, I suspect it will seek a different niche in which to thrive as the global climates move to a new stable state. Anticipating that, I have observed and replicated a natural pattern of colonial succession.

13. Pay attention to relative scale and scalar distortions.
Referencing global climate change again we’ll examine relative scale and scalar distortions. While the overall global trend will be one of warming, that is one scale. To assert that every place will experience a temperature rise of exactly 4-8 degrees Fahrenheit is simply ludicrous. Locales are affected by a multiplicity of influences ranging from landforms to oceanic currents to solar exposure to coastal proximity, etc. for instance, if the gulf stream shuts down, as some oceanographers have suggested, Iceland, Greenland and northern coastal Europe may remain stable or even cool down based on average annual temperature, while New York City, affected simultaneously by a halted stream and global temperature increase, may warm up by an average of 8 or 10 degrees. One scale of expressing the change in the climate falls apart in two completely different ways at regional scales. The variety of contributing factors at these scales is different than the factors acting out at a global scale. The same holds true with our garden example. The annual vegetable garden will need to receive vast amounts of water compared to the orchards. If we judge relative water use for the property based on the annual vegetable garden we will end up calculating figures that would likely drain the site aquifers in the scramble to irrigate. Yet if we only consider the forests hydrology needs, we may determine not to water anything at all. Relative scale and scalar distortions should always be considered when developing, designing and observing ecosystem interactions. Forgetting to make adjustments for the effects of these distortions can lead to misinterpretation of interactions and functions which lead to time and energy lost- and that is not a coherent looping of systemic energy flows.

14. Attitude is everything.
Identify where surpluses are, even if they seem insignificant. Having an idea of where a resource is that you don’t need is better than no idea about where one is that you do. Keep your goodwill handy. Being able to keep a frame of positive reference has often been the sole source of strength for those in dire situations. Practice this positivity daily, and it becomes a second nature. Always look for the benefit of a circumstance, and always look to offer benefit from your circumstance. Other attitude adjustments: Waste=Resource. Problem=Solution. Disadvantages=Opportunities. Weeds=Dynamic Accumulators. Remember to check in with yourself and others, and keep it in mind that Gratitude is the Attitude.

15. A system is limited only by the energy, time investment and
imagination of the designer.

Malthus theorized that food supplies would run short of population demands by the mid 19th century. His static formula for determining this rightly noted that he geometrics of population growth would outstrip the arithmetic of food production. For a combination of reasons that Malthus could not have foreseen, this theory proved false. This is not to say that food supply won’t be outstripped by population, but that, within certain parameters, humans can radically affect the systems they rely on for this food. Since the advent of the industrial age, perhaps 200 years, the energy, time and imagination that has kept agricultural productivity abreast of population growth has focused on means of increasing produce with the mind of feeding people. However, more production capacity has resulted in more people have been born. Though this does not play out in a direct food-birth equation, it does result in having once again reached a systemic limit. The food ‘bubble’ went up before the population ‘bubble’, and the population bubble went up highest not where food was grown (North America), but where it was distributed to- Africa, SE Asia, and South America. We are now facing a global denigration of the very agricultural systems which were artificially propped up using oil, irrigation, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and GE crops.
The same imagination that allowed us to expand the production capacity of landscapes by altering their nutrient loading cycles, irrigation, and so on will allow us the opportunity to work with the effects we have solicited. Use of swales, layered plantings, and fungus have already proven effective in re-cultivating land that has been salted by irrigation in Gaza. In closing this section, I will simply point to a web page which may be the best example I can offer of the synergistic effects of these methods. While a complete breakdown of the science and academics is not available, the tangible results of turning a salt crusted desert into an oasis with little more than a bulldozer to trace keylines, and a few well place colonial trees should offer even the most skeptical hearts and minds a bit of hope for those who employ the above principles.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 0 replies

Intro #5, residency, site management, landtrust and conservation easements

2006-12-21T22:59:15Z

4) Residents and Guests
5)Site Management
6)Landtrust and Conservation Easements

_________________________________________________

4) Residents and Guests
There will be a variety of ways that people will come to and spend time at CWAPI. Definihing these different relationships will be, in part, a job of the stewardship covenant. For instance, it might be that the following designations are considered:
Residents: Steward, Staff Members living onsite, Interns who have lived onsite for longer than 6 months, any person who may hold a long term lease on a retreat cabin, and any person who has lived onsite for a year in any combination of visits.
Guests: Any person who will stay any length shorter than 6 months, and those who are performing internship terms less than six month duration.
CWAPI articles of incorporation and the Leuwit Partnership Agreement will spell out specific relationships of these groups regarding voting rights, committee work and so on. For the purposes of the Stewardship Covenant it is important that the role of these people in labor scheduling, as necessitated by daily chores, cyclic chores and maintenance. Certain committees, developed by the staff (which may be residents and non residents alike) will outline cyclical chores such as are required for gardens and forestry upkeep, building maintenance, etc. Furthermore, considerations about the difference in roles allotted to guests who stay less than a week in duration vs. long term residents, might explore where experience with systems and general labor mingle and separate. Residents may have tasks assigned to them which ease the sharing of space- kitchen duties, latrine duties, etc. Some areas of responsibility may be specifically assigned to one or more persons based on volunteerism or proclivity. Responsibility for personal space, standards of upkeep and so on, must be outlined, Furthermore, addressing the use of materials, specifically chemical cleansers, and the methods by which they may be used and disposed of is an important consideration in order to preserve soils and water.
The Stewardship covenant’s main objective is to propose and develop site based strategies for realizing a healthy, vibrant ecovillage. Interpersonal strategies such as facilitation, consensus at meetings, and other governance issues will be found elsewhere. The Stewardship Covenant will address those item which are directly related to the health and welfare of the soil, the ecology and the people living at abundance. please see Appendiuxes XXXXXX for governance issues.

5) Site & Time Management

Site management priorities will be primarily based on zone of use and cyclic schedules reflecting the ebb and flow of season changes. The articles & bylaws of incorporation will outline methods of selecting committees for the purpose of defining management goals, and in tern the committees will define the labor & time needed to attain the goals. While some management priorities are arbitrarily annual, such as cyclic garden and orchard maintenance, others will be more ephemeral, such as capital expenses and startup projects. Infrastructure and Zone One management of will require capitol expenditures, , such as a building new domiciles or facilities, and ongoing budgeting for cyclic maintenance issues, such as re-plastering cottages, etc. However, most maintenance in Zone One will include personal space responsibilities where infrastructure management will not face that particular issue. Zone Two and Zone Three will require management more communal in nature, possibly with a rotating oversight committee. Zone Four and Zone Five will require less direct management than zones 2 &3, but may require as much or more observation and study for determination of management priorities. Committees designated by the board will set up management goals for the site based on recommendation by the steward, staff, and residents of Abundance. These goals shall be parallel to the ethics and principals of Permaculture as defined in the Stewardship Covenant. The Steward shall be the chief executor of the strategies which are aimed at realizing these goals. Management will be adaptive in nature, meaning that as goals are accomplished, priorities and strategies will change to reflect arising needs. For instance, if a new staff member were to move onto the sight an area designated as Zone 2 may be redesignated as Zone 1 for the express intent of building new cottage- given of course that the site limiting factors (outlined above) are not exceeded. This change would bear the review of a committee and approval according to the CWAPI bylaws and in accord with the stewardship covenant- from assurance the project is needed in pursuit of the mission of the organization to determining that it is built on soils of appropriate bearing strength, and proof that finances are arranged and available for completion of the project are some aspects which must be considered.

6) Land trusts & Conservation Easements

Conservation Easements are typically undertaken for financial and/or environmental reasons. Because Abundance has an existing tax status of “small forest land/open space” undertaking a conservation easement will be largely an environmental initiative. The current tax designation is based on harvest volumes rather than estimated value of standing timber. Typical taxes for the last decade have been about $3.75 per acre per year. Last year’s tax was lower than ever before, about $3.40 per acre. Because our plan will have no large harvest goals, and indeed discourage if not prohibit such actions, we will do well to maintain current tax zoning status until research of state and county legislation shows opportunity for development of a conservation easement that increases the benefits appreciated with the current tax zoning status. CWAPI will also do well to research land trusts, both community land trust models and conservation land trust models. Land Trusts are a legal framework through which a stewardship covenant or conservation easement may be applied. However, Community and Conservation land trusts are two fairly different frameworks, the former intended to house people, the later to preserve natural settings, wilderness & scenic areas and so on. Very little work has been done to bridge the gap between these two types of trusts. The primary reason for this appears to be a perception that land where people live is not conservable, and that conservation is possible only where people are not living. This polarized view of peoples place in nature is a common, if poorly developed perception. Research as to the applicability of either or both as needed for the project should be undertaken. For instance, if it is possible that the Community land trust can be limited to the areas of the property zoned 1-3, and the conservation land trust can be applied to zones 4&5 without a tax status rezoning or a legal division of the lots, it would may be in the best interest of CWAPI to pursue this course.
Community land trust issues will likely focus on the same general issues as are found in the CWAPI Bylaws, the Leuwit Partnership Agreement, and in the Residents and guests section of the Stewardship Covenant. Items already mentioned, such as the qualifiers & prescriptions for construction as found in the Zone one outline & materials and methodology appendix will certainly apply to any community land trust writ deemed necessary by the development committee. Conservation issues will be addressed in the Stewardship agreement and the woodlot management plan (appendix E, section #2) already approved of by Cowlitz County. These will include standards for commissioning of permanent and temporary roads, riparian easements, tree stocking and damage control, sustainable harvest standards, and recreational activities among others. One of the primary issues that may arise as this develops is a real or perceived conflict between legislative requirements for easements and Permacultural ethics and principles. If this kind of conflict arises it may require steadfast investigation and observation of the legal landscape and perceptual biases of the participants in order to find a working solution. In the event that this kind of conflict arises, the template of Permacultural principals and ethics should provide a means to shift weight on decisions towards the end goals at which the process is aimed. It will also be of utmost importance at this time to remember our advocates and allies, and know many of them have been through similar situations as they developed their permaculture and ecovillage projects.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 0 replies

Intro #4 Zones Definitions

2006-12-21T22:27:06Z

Zone Definitions:
Zones are areas which we identify as having particular designations for management. The following table outlines in brief the 5 basic Permacultural zones we will refer to:

1) Domiciles – the homes and attendant buildings of industry for use by residents
2) Herbal and kitchen gardens –outdoor areas for resident food production & recreation
3) Animals and produce –areas for animal husbandry and food trade/production
4) Animal browse/woodlot –areas producing animal fodder and fuel wood
5) Conservation zones –those areas largely unmanaged, for conservation and recreation

The boundaries between these zones are not always distinct; in fact each zone has edge and that edge may overlap with other zones. Furthermore, these are also not concentric rings or discreet units; patches of one zone may exist within another. Zone 5, for instance, borders with zone 2 & 1 in several places at Abundance. Please see Appendix A for visual diagrams of zones and proximities at Abundance.

Major considerations for zone use and activities:

Zone One is where houses and industry exist. Presently, the construction of buildings at Abundance is proposed to meet three criteria:
1) The building is necessary for residential or educational goals of API.
2) The construction shall make primary in its materials those materials which are available onsite. Furthermore, materials brought from offsite will be low in embodied energy, recycled or recyclable, non toxic, and approved by the resident council. (a clear formula by volume, expense, material, etc., may make the realization of this guideline more easily quantifiable)
3) Construction process should be inclusive of residents and, when possible, construction should be used as an opportunity to pursue the goal of providing ecological education to neighboring communities.
For detailed discussion of these considerations, please see Appendix D: Methods & Materials, Section #3, Concerning Construction.

Zone Two is the herbal and kitchen garden areas. Owing to permaculture design, these areas will rarely exist more than 50 feet from the front door of any domicile. These areas are intensely stocked with annual and perennial multipurpose polyculture. Here native and non native food crops, often perennial shrubs or dwarf trees, perform the functions of cornerstone species. The functional endurance of this zone relies on a variety of factors which must be attended to with particular attention. Soils are the keystone of this zone, as they are for all zones (even zone one requires appropriate soils for loading and bearing domiciles and other buildings). Monitoring and culturing soil health using the best and most natural applications of knowledge and organic nutrients (compost, compost tea, effective microorganisms, native mulches, etc.) is essential to the longevity and productivity of this zone. Equally important is water handling; water should be encouraged, in the words of Permaculture designer and teacher Penny Livingston, to “walk rather than run”. Extensive use of swales, aggressive mulching, native edible plantings, appropriate use of keylines for roads, catchments for rooftops, and, below all else, in ground storage of water is to be practiced. Additionally, native insectaries must be encouraged for the purpose of providing pollinator habitat and food. Wasps, spiders, bats and other insect predators should be tolerated if not encouraged. Therefore, it is suggested that any use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides be highly discouraged, with use contingent on approval by a resident council. Onsite production of 70% of residential food needs is possible. For more information, Please see Appendix F: A Case Study in Food Security.

Zone Three is home to animals and trade foods production.
Due to the early phase in development of the CWAPI at the date of this draft, very little will be said about animal husbandry. From personal experience I would submit that the following bear consideration:
1) All animal rearing must be planned according to Permacultural principals and assessments.
2) Any rearing of animals must surpass state and federal free range & organic production standards;
3) No offensive odors or sounds, whether to residents or guests, may be regularly or consistently produced,
4) All animals must have a resident handler with a proven capacity to care for and maintain the health and vitality of said animals.
Stakeholders must determine if these guidelines, and others, should be implemented, and the ramifications of failure to fulfill the guidelines as stated in the ratified covenant.
Food production for trade is already becoming an important aspect of Abundance. At the time of this draft over 20 orchard trees are established, and approximately half an acre of land is designated for annual gardens. The orchard trees are presently being transitioned into an ‘edible forest garden’; this kind of planting has also been called a “perennial multipurpose polyculture” and “permanent agricultural forestry”. The total area devoted to this end is about 3 acres in lot #2. The purpose of this kind of planting is ‘multipurpose’: food for residents and trade is but one purpose. Fiber production, architectural woods, medicines, mulch/fertilizer production, and recreation are all provided for in the cultivation of this zone. While it will be decades before the architectural woods (walnut, apple, and pear) are ready for harvest, the other products of this lot are already streaming forth.
This zone also counts the soil as its primary benefactor, and otherwise adheres to the items noted for Zone Two regarding water, pollinators, and synthetic control of flora and fauna.

Zone Four is the woodlot and range land for animals. This composes the majority of the property, some 12+ acres. There is already a County approved Management Plan which places this stand in Open Land/ Small Forest Land taxation. As such, many decisions are already made for the future of this resource. Currently no animals are being reared at the site. The forest is being managed for the production of fuel woods, wild crafted foods, architectural woods and other resources. Primary to all of this activity, however, is conservation of existing biological diversity and populations, and re-establishment of historic species and guilds when possible. As with other zones, this begins with soil health. Thus, the same considerations for water use, etc., must be considered here as elsewhere. While application of compost is not typical or practical, mulching using remnants of processed trees is currently practiced. Other basic considerations include management goals, such as harvest of timber for onsite use, secondary production of wild-crafted understory crops, and successional ascension. About 12 acres of Zone Four across Lots #A, #1, and #2 are currently primarily stocked with 20 year old alder. These trees are rebuilding soils that were exposed after the forest was clear-cut in 1984/85. These soils, impacted by rain and sun, eroded and collapsed.
The alder, a native colonizer, reconditions this soil. The roots loft the soil, reducing compaction and encourage aeration. Furthermore, Alder hosts beneficial bacteria in its root rhizomes. The bacteria accumulate gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the atmosphere and soil, turning it into fertilizing ammonia. This is available to Alder as well as other plants, and is an overall boon to soil health near the alder. Along the edges of the alder stands, and in the younger patches, Salmon berries (Rubus spectabilis var. spectabilis) and Thimble berries (Rubus parviflorus var. parviflorus) thrive, and draw bees and birds to their forage and shelter. These natural insectaries provide the service of attracting pollinators to other plants who are not as common, but nonetheless need the service. The shaded and relatively cool understory provides cover for everyone from arthropods to elk.
The alder growth is but a stage in a succession of trees, and will in time be displaced by douglas fir and finally hemlock, the primary tree of the late successional canopy. Managing this successional ascension means our use also provides for the other species which call it home, even as the forest transitions through its successional dynamic. We must remember as we do this that we are one of those species that call it home, but only one. This means leaving intact the systems which allow other denizens to flourish.
In order to assure that other inhabitants of this site flourish, sustainable (as opposed to sustained) harvests will be our primary method of lumber extraction. Sustainable harvest is more akin to a conversation than a plan. It means adaptability to stand dynamics, watching what the trees do in response to human and other influences, ranging from their mychorizal associations with synergistic funguses, to invasion by biological vectors. In real terms, our sustainable harvest will be highly fluctuating- presently, about 1 in 3 Alder trees is marked for removal, leaving room for remnants to grow upright and increase in breadth. This phase of thinning will go on for 2-4 years. Current density of trees is 200 to 300 trees per acre. This also includes an abundance of wild cherries, which are a sister species to the alder, providing excellent bird forage, attracting migrating rock doves, grosbeaks, and various thrushes who come for the fruits and to browse insects which live in the canopy and intermediate canopy. Removing thin, overlong and windy stemmed trees encourages denser growth of berries and other foliage on the forest floor while allowing the remaining trees to thicken and become good saw logs. The removed trees are can be used for many onsite & export purposes, including firewood, architecture, furniture, and art. Their foliage is left to mulch in the understory, returning nutrients to the cycle. These trees, all of which are 10” diameter or less, are removed by hand, then cut and delivered to existing roads by way of human power rather than machine. Many logs are left for mushroom inoculation with both edible species and those that benefit the balance and health of the forests dynamic expressions. Some trees are left standing dead for habitat such as woodpecker browse. Wild berries appear in the gaps, where they are joined by fir and cedar trees which are planted so as to encourage the succession. Hemlock will arrive on its own.
Many species, floral and faunal, transient and entrenched, utilize this area for some or all aspects of their habitat needs. Several of these species activities provide key functions in the landscape, including pollination, seed and spore dispersion, decomposition, soil enrichment, erosion control, and fire suppression. While the alder is being removed rapidly at present, in three to five years the cull rate will drop to less than half the current rate. In 10 years the stand density will be about 120 Alder trees per acre. Wild cherry and cascara will balance the existing canopy, and under it will rise the Douglas fir and cedar. Alder and wild cherry grow to about 70 years of age. This means they have 50 years left; however, few will make it that far. In 30-40 years the fir that has been planted in the last few years will begin to compete with and crowd the alder out. At that time I will harvest much of the alder for saw logs, radically changing in the composition of lot #1. If Lot #B is acquired, portions-largely the mature alder- will be harvested and replanted with alder and other appropriate species, while other areas of Lot #B- primarily growing Douglas fir- will be allowed to continue mostly untouched. Basic considerations for this zone include preservation of the native soil food web, prevention of runoff, and conservation of biological diversity and integrity which allows for continuation of healthy & diverse populations of native species.
A full description of the woodlot management plan can be found in Appendix F: Woodlot Management.

Zone Five is the “conservation zone”. In this zone no removal of timber resources will be practiced excepting those trees which are disease vector threats- (eg, trees infected with an aggressive beetle infestation or pernicious fungus) , though non-infectious trees which threaten safety may be cut and left as habitat. Slopes which are in excess of 30% and all areas within 50’ of any stream are already considered to be in conservation according to our timber management plans, going 25’ beyond state laws requirements. In addition, 3 acres of Lot B, should it be acquired, will be placed in a no –touch conservation plan that allows for visitation for the purpose of education, but not extraction. There are many animal species which include or consider this stand their territory. Included among these are elk, deer, coyote, black bear, civet cat, porcupine, raccoon, bat, squirrel, chipmunk, pileated woodpecker, raven, grouse, great blue heron, owl, and various passerine birds, green tree frogs, red bellied newts, and a plethora of invertebrates. Some of these use the aged stand of trees in Lot #B as a stopover on their wanderings, as shelter in extremely inclement weather, etc. Others live their entire life in a few hundred square feet of this mature forest fragment, never wandering outside. The ultimate value of this zone is both long term and immediate: in the long term it acts a as a biological cache, a living museum of forest relations which have been all but lost elsewhere due to exploitation. This stand contains the oldest and largest trees for a mile in any direction. It exists on a high bluff from which the Columbia River lowlands, 1200 feet below and 10 miles distant, can be viewed. It is only 30 miles from brackish water, making it ideal marbled murrelet habitat, though none are documented here. However, it is certainly instances like this which, though valued for their future potential as restoration and preservation seed sites, are actually most valuable in the moment. Watching and listening to the Pileated woodpeckers drumbeat their lunch from a snag, or joining in with the howling coyotes are the types of experiences many who have visited Abundance will recall and cherish for years to come. This is why we leave zone 5 almost completely alone.
The exceptions to this hands off management are simple and few- non invasive scientific studies, eradication of vector and disease concerns, ecological education activities, and the construction and presence of tree sits and viewing platforms are the entirety of the recreational and educational activities currently under consideration for this zone. Use of these would be highly restricted, assuring that there will always be a place, even in our own home, where we remember that we are the guests.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 0 replies

INTRO #3, Sectors & Zone analysis

2006-12-21T20:23:17Z

1Sector Analysis
2 Infrastructure
3 site limiting factors
4 Non-native species
5 Soils

The energy & resources allocated to projects will vary depending on how much impact they will have on people and/or local ecology. Dependant on the impact, various considerations for planning, implamentation, and maintenance will come into play. So far as the covenant is concerned, we will discuss Sector Analysis (understanding our relationship to energy pathways such as solar, wind, fire regime, hydrology and others), Infrastructure (the ‘improvements’ to the property such as well maintenance and water distribution, electrical power, and roads), native and non native flora and fauna, and a special section on soils will begin our basic outline of Abundance. This will be followed by a discussion of Permaculture ‘Zones’, or areas of activity.

Sector Analysis:
Sector analysis is a tool used to determine where site energies flow, conflict, synchronize and otherwise create a specific local. One can think of a site as the center of a circular graph which layers various energy in a graphic analysis. One input is the solar energy. We can determine the potential for solar power, for instance, by knowing our latitude (46.008N) and the ‘average solar days annually’; this is easily calculable, and may even be determinable form online resources, though many sites, including the Western Regional Climate Center (http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/clilcd.pl?or24229) do not provide this specific information. More research is pending.. Prevailing winds are also easily determined, in our case, our general conditions in the fall, winter and spring is an easterly, while summer often gives us an westerly. Microclimatic conditions prevailing on the ground, however, can generate a reversal of this, especially in the fall. This is likely due to Von Karman vortices created by the local topography. Annual rainfall averages are also conveniently found online (http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/clilcd.pl?or24229) we get about 68 inches. Most of this comes with easterly winds, blown up the Columbia river lowlands and into the Kalama River valley. Soils are hygrophoric (meaning they absorb atmospheric humidity well), and drain well. Slopes and range from 5% to 50%; plant ‘competition’ is cited as severe by the USGS survey of the county.

Now, imagine all of these factors plotted together to predict a energy flow- fire regime for instance. These factors combine to make a landscape which has a moderate to high fire regime resilliance; furthermore, aerial photos and visual observation tell us where fire breaks are (roads, perennial stream beds) as well as where approach vectors are- in our case, the west south west is our biggest avenue of wild fire threat. This approach features Weyerhaeuser’s uniform monocrop of Douglas fir, an understory often filled with dry, dead branches of these trees, desiccated soils supporting no understory foliage, and prevailing winds assailing an uphill slope. It is here that fire breaks, including dense foliage, water storage both in ground and in the form of ponds should be implemented. Fortunately, because of the regions annual rainfall and the sites hydric capacity, even here the chance of fire approaching is still relatively low. Using sector analysis to determine how any one sector- solar, wind, fire, etc., will play out with others will be one of the first priorities of the stakeholder group as they begin the process of developing a stewardship covenant. See Appendix D, Section #2, Sector and Zone Analysis.

Infrastructure:
Development and maintenance of various amenities on site which provide for power, access and egress (roads), and water, will greatly improve the ease of living which residents and guests enjoy. However, keeping in accord with Permacultural Principals and Ethics, it is critical that these improvements do not cause decline of the environmental and ecological quality, either on or off site. Analytical inquiry into each proposed infrastructure amenity will allow us to turn off-site data and materials into onsite services. By identifying site limiting factors, and working within them, we move to create an enduring container for the relationships and work we seek to experience.
For instance, Abundance currently has a well which produces 90 gallons of water a minute at 50 lbs. of pressure. The off site data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the per person daily domestic use of an average American is 380 gallons (source: http://www.epa.gov/OW/you/chap1.html). The logistics leading to this are highly disputable in terms of household use. For instance, the site states that 41% of water use is for flushing toilets. This comes to about 155 gallons per person daily, or 30+ flushes in even a high volume (5.0 gallon) toilet. By looking at various sources we can come to accurate estimates of what onsite water use may look like. However, the data posed by the EPA isn’t wrong, its simply poorly framed. When one considers all the external water uses relied on by Americans in their daily activities (industrial uses, such as water for cooling plants at aluminum facilities which produce soda and beer cans for instance), the overall estimate is likely accurate. That parcel of knowledge can be saved for later considerations.
Therefore, even based on the highly disputable EPA estimate, in one hour we can conceivably produce enough water for 14 residents. After consideration of the effects of flush toilets and laundry on the site water cycle, uses which requires extensive and expensive treatment prior to landscape application, we may choose to standardize low and no water options, such as composting privies, low volume washing machines, and other technologies that minimize water use. By designing to minimize resource use, we maximize its potential for future use.
Conscientious Stewardship demands that we critically examine the consumption assumptions which we adapt as standard, and that the construction of site infrastructure recognize site limits and balances, remaining within them. Many infrastructure issues will require research and deep consideration. This will include the construction & repair of roads such that they are not easily deteriorated, nor prone to create erosive runoff in times of heavy rain. Another consideration that will call for research is power generation; micro-hydroelectric and solar power may be generated through the development of hybrid system combining the potential of the onsite annual stream, the topography, and the solar potential, which in summer months is quite high- a nice balance to the low flow on the stream during the months of july-October. In any case, determination of capital expenses, lifecycle value engineering and ecological assessment prior to investment in infrastructures will allow for the creation of systems which are holistically designed, thus assuring the systems viability as the site evolves.

Site Limiting Factors:
There are two major kinds of limiting factors at play in this project.
The first is the physical reality of the site- limits to access and egress owing to topography and ecological balances, limits to resources based on biotic production, soil constitution, hydrology and other factors, Limits to the amount of onsite energy production based on annual rain, in stream holding capacity and head, or drop of water from hold to generator, for the production of electricity, and limits to the amount of space and the balance which can be met in terms of food production and maintenance of ecological balance.
The second limiting factor is law of the land, in this case primarily Washington State Legislation and Cowlitz County Code. Cowlitz county has Zoned this area as 1 residence per 5 acres (r/5). A residence is a home for a group of related individuals. We have 16.44 acres technically, and according to the according to the matrix could place four residences on the site. Without going into the effects on landscape and ecology in conventional building protocol, I simply submit that the results would be disastrous. However, the Cowlitz Code has a Planned Unit Development (PUD) which allows for interesting possibilities. By sharing a road and clustering the houses, another single unit is allowed per four r/5 units. In addition, the integration of passive solar design, and other ‘green’ technologies also qualify for an additional until per four r/5 units. Finally, the development of a conservation easement which protects the remainder of the property allows another unit per four r/5 units. This means 6, potentially 7 units can be developed on the existing 16.44 acres. The addition of Lot #B, adjoining but kept as a conservation
block, would increase the potential units to 10 or 12.
This is not to say that the property should have this many residences. It does, however, set a legal limit to the project scope in terms of the size of the ecovillage. Assessment of micro-hydro and solar power generation, a more complete look at the potential site industries, an evaluation of water resources and needs, etc., will allow the stakeholders to fully declare a path to setting site limits within the covenant.

Non natives, Colonizers, Invasives & Noxious Plants…and other “questionable” presences…
For the purpose of this discussion, species will be considered Non native species if they have been introduced to the bioregion in the period since the first European colonialists arrived, about 175 years . By this definition, the current composition of Abundance is rich in both native and non-native diversity, with over 100 species represented in the non native, and perhaps 200 in the native category. Th non native plants includes species of agricultural, ecological, and ornamental value as well as species typified as aggressive invasives, weeds, and noxious invasives. A simple declaration of tolerance or intolerance for non-native species of flora will not likely result in favorable development of stewardship goals. For a list of many of the species as of the fall 2006 survey, please refer to appendix E, table 2. Management of these species will be tailored to each individual species. Typical management goals may include options such as ‘annual cultivation’, ‘feral allowance’, ‘casual eradication’ and ‘active eradication’. The choice of any given goal will be dependant on the species interaction with the overall ecology, and which zone the non native is present in, i.e., apples and other tree fruits will receive annual cultivation in zones 2-3, Foxglove (Digitalis pupurea) will be allowed to grow feral in all zones so long as they present no substantial obstruction to other management priorities, Himalayan Blackberries (Rubus discolor) will be casually eradicated in zones 1-3, meaning that as time permits any established throng will be eliminated, and species such as Tansy ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and English ivy (Hedera helix) will in all instances be eliminated on sight and with extreme prejudice. For a complete discussion on non native species at Abundance please see Appendix E.

SOILS-
Soils are an impact prone resource and respond directly to management. The process by which we manage and maintain the site will directly impact the soils we live above and rely upon. Because the soils are the basis of the sites biotic productivity, we should do all in our power to conserve, cultivate and otherwise benefit the soils of the site. Different zones and activities will require different soil management and maintenance considerations- for instance, goals for our garden soil include a high CEC (cation exchange coefficient), maintenance of a specific minimum percent of organic matter, a diversified Ph according to cultivar preferences, and appropriate hydric capacity so as to benefit plant growth and health. However, the soils under a construction project do not require such conditioning. They will however, need to be firm and have adequate stability for bearing loads. They must drain well and not be prone to slide or shift. Forest soils will tend to resemble the garden soils, but will become unsuitable for many native species if composted, or if changes in Ph occur. Level of disturbance in the forest should remain primarily autochthonous (originating internally), thus benefiting the herbaceous layer and reducing the chance of vector pathogens, such as harmful nematodes and funguses to infect the stand. The type of soil we, as stewards, will cultivate for is highly dependant on the use, and the use we aim for is dependant on its assumed affect upon the balance of the overall system we inhabit and design. Therefore soil management is specific to given areas of development and activity, and effort should be made to understand how soil health means different things in different places even in a small area of reference such as the 10 yards of edge between the gardens and the orchards. For more considerations regarding soils, review Appendix XXX, (food soil web& woodlot management).

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 0 replies

busy bean

2006-12-21T07:14:47Z

Ive been working on the cottage, true, but for the last month Ive mostly been focuing on my masters. In a seperate threads titled "Introduction to the Stewardship Covenant #1", "#2," etc., I will post, the introduction to the stewardship covenant, a document that is intended offer ideas that will help determine how to go about developing such a document. I'd appreciate any feedback you may have.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 1 reply

Introduction to the Stewardship Covenant #2

2006-12-21T07:13:16Z

Contents:

1 What is a Permaculture Ecovillage?
2 Why a Stewardship Covenant?
3 What Does Covenant Consist Of?

What is a Permaculture Ecovillage?
Permaculture is a contraction of two words, Permanent and Agriculture. According to popular legend the term was coined by an Australian/Tasmanian forester named Bill Mollison. It is probably contracted from the title of J. Russell Smith’s 1929 volume “Tree crops: a Permanent Agriculture”. This work advocated for multistory and multipurpose production units which kept perennials as the living core of the system and placed annuals in the interstices, much as natural forest systems do. Observing the decline of world agriculture systems in the 1930’s a as a child, the disastrous effects of the so called green revolution when it nose dived in the 1970’s and the global catastrophe that is modern forestry, Mollison and Holmgren became determined to develop a system of landscape management that actually maintained itself using the basis of biotic interactions found in a undisturbed ecosystem.
As foresters Mollison and Holmgren were undoubtedly familiar with J.S. Russell’s work. Defining the concepts of Permaculture according to larger meta-systems than Smith had originally outlined, Mollison and Holmgren observed underlying principles at work which allowed undisturbed forests to stabilize at a small but steady state of production across large geographical scales. Realizing that biological and genetic diversity of life are bound in interaction matrixes, and that the principles driving these interactions were the basis of that constant productivity, they set out to understand the meta-patterns which allowed for feral fecundity. What they developed over the next 20 years had far more implications than either had originally intended.
The Grecian word ‘oikos’ means ‘home’. We’ve pared that down to eco for our two common words ‘ecology’ and ‘economy’. Thus, ecology is the study or our home, and economy is the management of the home. Most of our economic wealth today comes from the earth, whether it is plants for agriculture, minerals mined from the soils, or synthetics made from raw ingredients pulled from and modeled after chemicals found in rain forests flora or the microbiology of the deep seas. We know now that our global ecology is in danger of a catastrophic collapse- already we’ve seen a steep increase in extinction rates, desertification, and air and water quality problems. Agriculture systems, arguably the first source of economic wealth on the planet, are facing a failure far greater than the five branched disaster of erosion, salinification, pollution, disease and vector evolution engendered by the green revolution. We are now witnessing the deleterious effects of these at a global scale. In addition we humans face water shortages and wars, increases in disease viability coupled with decreases in immunity, and increasing malnutrition and hunger.
Permanent Agricultural Forestry Ecological Villages (Permaculture Ecovillages) offer alternatives to the juggernaut of industrialized modernity. By encouraging healthy, diverse, productive forests- called permanent multipurpose polycultures by David Jacke in his book “Edible Forest Gardens”-we ensure the production of food, fiber, fuel, and recreation while balancing ecosystem needs, from root structures that hold and cultivate soil, to the foliage that makes breathable air while it feeds and shelters wildlife. We can plan synergistic plant associations that supply us with food while providing habitat for species which form the web of life around us. We can bolster biodiversity while we create a deeper sense of place, which is the psychic axis of our germinal identity. As our homes become enlivened with natures tendency towards abundance we also grow healthier in spirit, mind and body. By doing this as a community, we form a village. Thus, Permaculture Ecovillage.

Why a Stewardship Covenant?
A Stewardship Covenant is a written agreement in which the landowner makes a legal commitment to protect and manage the land in specified ways. The covenant lasts in perpetuity and binds the current and future owners of the land. It is an effective tool for creating consistency and integrity in land use decisions. CWAPI will practice the ethics and principles it advocates. More than proposals, greater than ideals, residents of CWAPI will live daily in a demonstration of practical choices for living a sustainable life.
The Stewardship Covenant will outline general procedures and considerations for persons and parties who wish to engage in activities or develop relationships at CWAPI. The Stewardship Covenant will place the principles, practices, and ethics of Permaculture high amongst the standards guiding actions on any given initiative (see Appendix D, Methods and Materials, Section #1: Ethics and Principles). Residents, guests and their visitors will be bound to the agreements outlined in the Stewardship Covenant
Any act which modifies the landscape (whether engaging in a physical project or enduring as a resident or guest), whether for educational, recreational, or other purpose, is therefore potentially subject to the outlines of the Stewardship Covenant. It is suggested that the Stewardship Covenant address the handling of disparity or failure to comply with its directive. Consideration for internal punitive or legal action dependant on resident and/or peer review is encouraged.
Members of the Abundance community will likely assume a variety of highly individualized relationships with the physical location and the CWAPI organization. Those involved in the development of the Stewardship Covenant will assume differing levels of unique responsibilities and benefits; the exercise and development of stakeholders personal communication, facilitation and listening skills will be essential. Please see Appendix C, ‘API Articles of Incorporation’ for more information.

What does the Covenant consist of?
The covenant consists of a series of legally binding agreements. Intended to facilitate community decisions about land use, the Covenant should be both broad, so as to allow for flexibility, and clear, so that misinterpretation of its aims and goals is not an issue. The covenant will include agreements of how residents and guests will engage with each other and the landscape which begins with their personal space and extends outward to the entire biosphere. The covenant will specifically regard all activities which take place on the physical property (Abundance) where CWAPI resides. The Stewardship Covenant will set definitions and guidelines about how construction projects should be managed, where they can be executed, and various parties/councils responsibility for design approval, maintenance and other relevant issues. The stewardship covenant will define how stakeholders, residents and guest are organized. It will also be an expression to the county, state, and other entities of the commitment to conserve, preserve and cultivate certain characteristics of the site which are valuable to the larger communities general welfare. It will outline how staff may continue progress made regarding site specific projects such as development of a sustainable ecovillage, and offsite initiatives aimed at positively affecting the local watershed and region.
Despite the limited size of the mature forest fragment at Abundance, the complex matrix of relations in this fragment is vital and diverse. This web of relations, highly complex, and barely understood, should not be acted upon rashly. Rash decisions all too often lead to cascade effects which result in lost resources and creation of conflict. This can be a model for understanding our natural world not only as a home, bt a teacher. By establishing clear processes for coming to consensus on a wide scope of personal and ecological relationships and activities, the Stewardship Covenant will ultimately allow residents and guests of CWAPI to spend more time being in and enjoying nature and less time in stewardship related processes.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 0 replies

Introduction to the Stewardship Covenant #1

2006-12-21T06:49:17Z

Current Contents Listing:

1) Introduction
Location
Organization

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 1 reply

fundraising ideas

2006-11-15T03:01:17Z

DD and I have been discussing fundraising for the stand of trees next to Abundance for some time and I am opening a brainstorm thread to discuss ideas for raising the money to buy the lot.

Basically the lot is 14 acres (correct me if I'm wrong DD), and has 150K of logged-value timber on it. We think we can get it for 100K, including the price of setting up a non-profit to manage a trust.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 4 replies

investment opportunity

2006-11-13T19:36:49Z

I own and manage 16 acres in SW Washington called Abundance.

for ne folks, welcome the tribe!

Right now there are 14 acres next to mine that are in danger of being cut. This stand of trees is on private land, and the only thing stopping the owner from cutting are access and egress issues. Any of you who have seen 200' foot tall trees, walked in a forest over 150 years old, you know what is at stake. Any of you who have been here know the living heart that beats in this place and will know my fear and pain as this unfolds. But we are not helpless.

IN my last blog I asked if you were here yet. I cant ask anymore. Today I turned bulldozers away based on a legal technicallity. I don’t know how long I can play that game before we- you, me, and especially the forest- loose.

I am about to begin grad school. I will be earning my Master's of Science degree in agriculture, with an emphasis in Agroforesty and a minor in ecovillage development. This will give me great of raw material to work into the plan; Still, it wont happen without your work as well.

I have a full business plan detailing partnership agreements, the financial modeling, and the role a business plays in managing this space- which would be leased to a non proffit whose focus is in permaculture education (from biodynamic gardening to food forestry to natural building) and bioregional habitat conservation and restoration. I am a certified Permaculture Teacher.

Imagine Permaculture courses in a forest that is more pristine than many state parks and national forests can boast of, where elk and raven visits are daily occurances- I can hear the elk bugling the rut right now! Imagine 20 people climbing 100' feet up a huge tree for a classroom on zone 4 and 5. You dont have to imagine- you can make it happen!

In order to stop the travesty of cutting these trees I need allies, and I need them now. We have 18 months to get our plan and $80,000 grand together- this will not only prevent the trees from being cut, but create the foundation for an ecovillage and permaculture institute.

I am close to being able to legitamately offer shares in this business, and need people to come to the table NOW. The final negotiations and changes needed to implement the plan successfully depend on YOU.

Below is information for investors. However, we need to put together a non profit as well, and while that information isn’t listed below, if you don’t have money but have skills in permaculture, natural building, or organizational development, or the ability to work in consensus and with vision, you can play a part.

Here's the business basics.

It requires a $17,500 minimum purchase of a shares, which is 5% of the projects startup value.

The design, conceptually, is easy: a limited partnership (LP) holds the property as a leasable trust; the lease is held by a 501-c3 non profit on a 3 year lease with options, being 4 renewable terms at 25 year each, with a 4 term limit. The non profit will hold first purchase rights to any shares offered by members.

This allows the non profit time to purchase the holding. The LP members will agree to hold the land, save for 5 developable acres, in conservation forestry trust, and the 5 acres in a residential land trust.

The non profit is staffed; those staff members have the option of living onsite or building on site and subleasing; they will own the home, leasing the ground it is on (as members of the non-profit).

The non profit business will focus on permaculture and natural building education & consultation, with a specialization in agroforestry, ecovillage design and bioregional conservation/restoration work.

Investors will have the opportunity to be staff members. That means that as a staffer and an owner, the investment of 17.5 k will put one in a position to guide the non-profit in its work, have access to timber and cob as building resources, and the experience of several builders to support their building vision and build their cottage in a workshop, all of which mitigate cost drastically.

The workshops and education aspects of the non profit bring in money to the staffer as an employee, and to the non-profit, who must pay lease. The lease, of course, provides dividends to owners.

so thats the basic mechanism of the business.

Please contact me directly if you have specific questions. Post general questions here, to the "Investment Opportunity" thread. (it is moderated, you will have to join, but that just tells me your interested enough to take 5 seconds of effort...)

thanks!

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 12 replies

pear and cherry guild

2006-10-31T21:48:00Z

you'll find some new pics in the album . below will give you a sense of what they are about....

Today I planted a couple of pears – a Bartlet and an Anjou- and a Van cherry tree. I started them over a medium of humanure compost, aged between 8 months and 18 months, and applied about 2/3 lb of bone meal to the ground above each. Planting comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) around them begins the guild. In a few weeks I will com back in and plant garlic around the base.

Comfrey is a soil conditioner and a beneficial insectary, drawing bees and beneficial predators to the area of the trees. Flowering early, it orients pollinators to the area of the orchard trees. Also, as its leaves break down the dynamic accumulation properties of the comfrey pay off in cycling through potassium and nitrogen, which can be located over the tree roots by simply cutting the leaves and piling them around the tree stem. Comfrey propagates by root division, so after two years I will go in and break up the roots, increasing the coverage. Another benefit of the comfrey is that it really likes to move the soil around, homogenizing clay and topsoil strata in just a few seasons. Since my soil is clay rich I have added a bulk of organic raw ingredients- the comfrey should make quick work of this and in a few years I will have a very rich topsoil surrounding the trees.

On top of the bone meal I applied a slightly composted green manure of grass clippings some 2” deep, and then sheet mulched all over the slope to reduce grass seed and milkweed seed propagation and provide a covered, highly mulched soil for the comfrey to move into.

Later, in November, in the areas right around the trees I will plant garlic, which helps reduce approach by root damaging vectors ranging from grubs to moles. Moles don’t actually eat roots but will cut through them as the burrow about for worms & grubs. The garlic repels them. Next spring I will set out daffodils and chives around the trees, and plant raspberries in the interstices. This will fill out the guild. The daffodils really keep a border against moles, but attract slugs, which chives repel. Using the complimentary powers of these plants, nature’s synergies are maximized while the need for chemical and physical controls is reduced.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 7 replies

reboot...

2006-10-11T06:51:15Z

HI all, I am starting this up again, hoping to get a post in a week, and load up lots of new pics, etc. Ive been traveling for the last several months, away at a monastery, then off to SF and Hawaii for aikido seminars. As soon as I got back i started remodeling aone of teh old barns. I'll keep pictures coming of the progress. I am also buying fruit trees for an orchard expansion- we have 8 apple trees and two pears and two cherries... I bought more pears and cherries, and a male and female kiwi vine. I am also going to start some plumbs.

the grape and apple are really going off, I cant keep up with them! I had an intern up for the last month, julliete (see my blog) and she rocked the pear butter & pear canning tip. She took off a few days ago, but promises to be back. she was great! I just made apple butter today. I have about 4 more bushels of apples to harvest... three trees...

of course, once the remodel is done (or at least really livable) I will be focusing on grad school and will start posting papers here. Lots of stuff on permaculture realted topics, from mycological restoration to biodynamic orcharding, natty building, all of it...

I will also be having a house warming early november. I'll keep you posted- consider it a preemptive invitation :)

and thinning alder.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 1 reply

i'll bet abundance will be beautiful this summer

2006-06-06T14:31:10Z

any plans for campfires, or pizza partying? kids would love to camp or something.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 2 replies

Full Moon, April Ascention

2006-04-15T23:10:33Z

Well,

It has been awhile since I've been at the farm. I did drop in once about a month ago, maybe a bit longer, and it was a certain disaster- Some folks had wanted to come up so we all made a day trip together- After sitting feral for 4 months, especially after my brother had savaged his way through the demolition of a trailer or two that were left there by the old farm hand (dont get me started, but he's gone and his trailers are gone now as well. amen)- so the visit a month back was a bit of a disaster. No planning, no pizza, no campfire, no hottubs. I learned that if I am gone for a few weeks, months, etc. I need to be back for a few days to get things in order.

and this time I did. I came early and got things right.

Portland friends from peep's coop and the T.F., etc. made the visit, six in all, and we had a wall eyed ball.

Pizzas were made, garden plans discussed, wetness had-it rained the whole time. nobody cared though, we were all having too much fun. Hottubs were fired up, but we never actually got in because we kept making pizza after pizza, and then S. opened a bottle of home made cherry wonderful, and we took turns at it making toasts, and then sat for a session in the kiva- by the time all this had happened it was 11 and I had forgotten to recharge the fire under the tubs for about 3 hours- and it went out, and it was raining- we skipped the tubs and instead all of us retured to the barn loft for a night of sleepy dreams under the rain pounded roof.

The next morning weather was a bit easier, so breakfast of farm fresh eggs with saute'd onion eggplant, pepper, olive and everything else nummers was made, served with flat bread, leftovers from the pizza dough the night before- after breaky a group of us walked to the upper meadow- a 6 acre parcel that used to be cow feilds but now stands poised to become a primo CSA spot. That got some conversation a-goin' and we all chatted about food production, spirit and science until the crew had to leave in the early afternoon. It was a great trip, the full moon April ascention at Abundance.

And My heart goes out to the cleaners- thanks for wasing our dishes while we took our walk. It was so wonderful to come back to a clean camp kitchen!

So, Thanks to the Folks from the T.F., and friends, G. M. "P". "SP" and K> - I'll skip names cause I cant spell any of them- and S.

and to E.O. & M., who couldnt make it, but who'se intent to find a garden in the woods made it all happen.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 0 replies

farm log#2

2005-11-27T02:38:38Z

HI everyone. I have been home for a few days, eating squash soup and green from the garden, turning that compost, getting my allium beds figured out, stacking wood.

and stopping a bulldozer.

the neighbor wants to punch a road to his property- the stand of big trees on the backside of Abundance- and he does want to cut them if he can figure out how to negotiate the legal obstacles- namely that I own the access and egress rights across my property.

So please take a look at the investment opportunity thread.

spread the word. Lets restore Eden.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 2 replies

LUNACY

2005-09-20T17:37:13Z

First, Thanks to all of you who came up last moOn for Lunacy. I had a great time, and hope everyone else did as well.

Over the last weeks I have had many great new connections made and interesting ideas floated by me. Some ideas about the next party include intentional work in themes we touched last time around. If you all have any ideas on where you'd like to take this stuff, I'd love to hear. Below are some of my thoughts.

First, several people showed intrest in finishing the sauna, so I have that as my primary objective- getting the space ready for a suana finishing party. I believe we can make good progress on that. I'll have to do some roof work, so I think we can make a go of cobbing up the front wall, and maybe getting the interior developed some.

that will be a focus. COB...

We did some breath work last time, and I sensed that is something folks were into (martial artists and zen artists and artists all: breathing, breathed be.) So I would like to suggest an intentional breathwork sharing time, maybe one on saturday morning, before breakfast, and one in the evening coyote time.Space and I talked about this- any other input? It will be done under the big tree in the training and commons area, of course!

Food worked pretty well last time, but if it gets any bigger we will have to train a bunch of folks on cob oven cooking to keep things even!

a late afternoon saturday river trip could be in the works, weather dependant- this is the full moon weekend, and the weather is almost ready to turn.

I would like to talk about the formation of a nonproffit oragnization to manage and steward Abundance. If you come to lunacy and are interested in either staff or board work with a permaculture nonproffit, let me know. Staff positions could have onsite living potentials. We can talk more on that at Lunacy.

Also, I have many friends involved in this project that arent Tribe.net folks, though they are definitely Tribe. some of us have talked about doing some work around intentional and sacred sexuality, both in terms of events and going as far as discussion of building a birthing dome as a workshop, etc. I know many folks who are involved in healing and birthing work, as do many of you; I sense that many of you who are interested in developing these ideas should start talking with each other and myself soon- plans for a intentional soul-touching event (next summer) and drawings of the birthing dome are already under way.

I look forward to seeing your thoughts!
peace
SB

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 1 reply

farm log

2005-09-16T03:29:23Z

or something like it.

today a deer wandered in and boldly walked right up to me- after taking a cherry or two off one of the trees. She actually eskimo kissed me- I stood there and she pranced right up and there it was. She hung out for hours. I came in and posted on budobabes- I think- magic moment thread- and went outside, did more chores and she was still there, so I ended up curling up with her in the driveway for about five minutes and then she got up and wandered off.

'chores'- i transplanted several squash and herbs into the garden, and have been collecting clutter. I am on a big clean up sweep. Its almost done, just a few loads of metal salvage to go and the clutter will be gone- all of it 'inherited' from the previous 'owners'. bUt I can salvage it for $, so its not all bad. so far its ended up paying a fair hourly wage (for a dirt farmer) just loading it up and hauling it to the scrap metal recycler. up to $250 a load, which takes about 4 hours to load, and deliver.

and then a serious stocking and inventory of building materials begins. Though I havent got it all in one place yet, I think there is enough here to build the better part of a cottage and get a fair piece into the barn remodel. Still, stack and inventory before any conclusions...

of course, I have nearly endless clay. COB!

time to go light up the hottubs!

so, thats whats on today, just the same ol'.

MAGIC. live at abundance...

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 18 replies

Dates for LUNACY REVISITED...?

2005-08-30T05:23:47Z

I am looking at either september 16-18 or 23-25 for a follow up- it often clouds up after the full moon, but the extra week of prep is nice- what works for folks.

I am thinking a cob day and a river day. we may cob fri. and sat., and get to the river before dark on saturday afternoon to make a camp (pre cooking pizzas, etc., to take) and then raft swim and play on sunday?

let me know what you think, all you coyotes!

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 4 replies

INTRODUCTIONS!

2005-08-10T04:51:10Z

INTRODUCTIONS!
HI all, if you are here you probably already have a sense about what I am up to and many of you know me in person (thanks for your love and support!).

I have been wondering how to stir dialogue here- it has seemed a bit tough as it's really a fishtank of sorts right now, me swimming about and ya'll watching from posts around the states and globe (HI GHOSTCAT!). I hope that you can take a few moments and say hi to the others who are in this tribe, let them know about yourself a bit, bring up your interests, why you are coming along, what you might like to see/how you might like to participate, all of that.

If I am anything less than obvious, ask questions! I do intend for Abundance to become a community in time, though I recognize the truth that Diane Leaf Christian adresses in her seminal book "Creating a Life Together"- a book about how to start intentional communities- she spends nearly half a chapter adressing the obstacles of a single owner who wants to open his/her space to others, and says it can be the most difficult of all scenarios. But she also inspires me to work through it. SO welcome aboard, and thank you for joining my process- and making it yours!

finally, thanks *B* and douglas o for the interactions that helped me see how to start opening a dialogue!

With that said, shout out! Let us know who ya are and your inspiration in being here!

best,

Deston

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 6 replies

startup

2005-08-09T19:04:56Z

This tribe specifically is oriented to planning, events, invites, and other items related to the Abundance Permaculture Site. Whether you are looking to escape the city for a quiet weekend, a retreat for your group, or want to have an old timey (or new-timey) campfire ho-down, this place is ready for your spirit, soul and love-work. The site is able to accommodate 30 people (campers). There is a cob oven, two cannibal cookers (claw foot hot tubs), an arts loft filled with art supplies and plenty of room to get lost in the forest. e even have running water...
Upcoming projects include finishing the sauna, putting a grill in the outdoor kitchen, and leveling the barn floor (so it can be a nice dance/stretch/indoor movement space). The river (clean and cold) is a 10 minute drive down the hill. Over the summer I hope to see the outdoor kitchen filled in - a grill, improvement to the prep area and a sink/greywater systemfor the herb garden added-and able to handle cooking for 50!- and in the next 3 years seeing the barn remodeled and able to have room for 50 folks to dance or stretch, room for a small ensemble... By the end of teh summer the sauna should be operable, and the hottubs, hich work, ill be beautified. the comlpetion of the bathhouse will see the shower completed and a cold dunk tank added to the mix. I am also currently planning and starting to clear a space for a small (600sf)cottage, hopefully the first of half a dozen, which will accommodate interns and staff, or function as lease units for more focused retreats.
Ultimately we are looking for 4-7 partners to develop the site into some of the following directions: Permaculture & Agroforestry Education/Demonstration site, hostel/spa/retreat space, functional cottage industries, and a quiet place to listen to rain and ravens or sleep in the sun. Direction the project takes depends on the energy and input of new partners. Whether you are interested in taking a weekend retreat from concrete and cars, or becoming a partner involved in restoring Eden (and possibly befriending Lilith in the process) I look forward to greeting you in Abundance.

Consider this an invite. We are looking for partners who are capable of making magic happen. Ill be posting events over the course of the summer, and hoping for discussion about what YOU want to kno and how YOU want to see it grow.

July is coming, and its all cob action. more soon, and I look forward to seeing you come dance along side us, among the trees and stars.

posted in Abundance Permaculture - 7 replies