The Energy of Life
Last month I shared an experience with you that reminded me of the importance of striving to find something each day that confirms why I love life. This month I thought I’d share one of those things.
For me farming is a labor of love. It’s about the work we do to nurture an environment where land, animals and people thrive together. At the core of this endeavor is water. Water is quite literally the energy of life and the work we are doing here in partnership with Zach Weiss is one of my greatest joys.
Zach is the owner of Elemental Ecosystems and a visionary in permaculture water retention landscaping, also known as decentralized water retention. Zach and his team are here now working with us on the next phase of a project we’ve lovingly dubbed Shangri-La. Shangri-La was the mystical utopian valley in James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon. Frank Capra directed the movie. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a classic.
The project began last fall with the construction of four interconnected ponds, terraces, and water gardens on a secluded hillside. The system is designed to capture surface runoff from rain, re-hydrate the water table and control destructive erosion. The ponds are now filled with winter rain and with spring approaching we are planting.
Our goal is create a naturally productive edible landscape, a food forest if you will.
As you can see from the photos here, planting was a farm family affair and a muddy one at that. Fruit trees, nut trees, trees for habitat and a bunch of berry shrubs and perennial foods. Several generations working together on a shared trajectory to build a lush micro biome. In time, it will grow itself as forests do but with selected species that hopefully will provide sustenance for humans, farm animals and wildlife for many generations to come.
The key to it all is water. As I have learned more about science of water I am consistently amazed and awed at the ripple effect it has through the whole web of life, from powering photosynthesis, to enhancing the richness and character of the soil, to creating the ecosystems where life thrives.
Think about it. Humans, animals and plants all have an innate attraction to water. We’re just drawn to it and I can’t think of anything more important to the planet than nurturing this lifeblood of the earth.
As Zach says, “The farm is where we can provide a living demonstration of what is possible through water stewardship. The interconnected ecosystems we create here not only benefit the people, but also the livestock, the wildlife, the plant life – even the people that come through here to visit, that we hope leave having discovered some steps they can take to make an actual difference. The best thing humans can do for our environment and for life on earth is to restore the water landscapes we have lost.”
The best thing about our own little Shangri-La in Carlton is visualizing the possibility that two hundred years from now someone who loves this land as much as I do will enjoy the shade of a walnut tree we planted while watching a quiet parade of wildlife stop by for a cool drink from our ponds.
If you would like to see for yourself how we weave these unique water-retention permaculture features into our farming, we would love to have you. Just schedule a Farm Tour visit. In the meantime, why not plant a fruit tree or build a small water body?
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The Energy of Life
Last month I shared an experience with you that reminded me of the importance of striving to find something each day that confirms why I love life. This month I thought I’d share one of those things.
For me farming is a labor of love. It’s about the work we do to nurture an environment where land, animals and people thrive together. At the core of this endeavor is water. Water is quite literally the energy of life and the work we are doing here in partnership with Zach Weiss is one of my greatest joys.
Zach is the owner of Elemental Ecosystems and a visionary in permaculture water retention landscaping, also known as decentralized water retention. Zach and his team are here now working with us on the next phase of a project we’ve lovingly dubbed Shangri-La. Shangri-La was the mystical utopian valley in James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon. Frank Capra directed the movie. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a classic.
The project began last fall with the construction of four interconnected ponds, terraces, and water gardens on a secluded hillside. The system is designed to capture surface runoff from rain, re-hydrate the water table and control destructive erosion. The ponds are now filled with winter rain and with spring approaching we are planting.
Our goal is create a naturally productive edible landscape, a food forest if you will.
As you can see from the photos here, planting was a farm family affair and a muddy one at that. Fruit trees, nut trees, trees for habitat and a bunch of berry shrubs and perennial foods. Several generations working together on a shared trajectory to build a lush micro biome. In time, it will grow itself as forests do but with selected species that hopefully will provide sustenance for humans, farm animals and wildlife for many generations to come.
The key to it all is water. As I have learned more about science of water I am consistently amazed and awed at the ripple effect it has through the whole web of life, from powering photosynthesis, to enhancing the richness and character of the soil, to creating the ecosystems where life thrives.
Think about it. Humans, animals and plants all have an innate attraction to water. We’re just drawn to it and I can’t think of anything more important to the planet than nurturing this lifeblood of the earth.
As Zach says, “The farm is where we can provide a living demonstration of what is possible through water stewardship. The interconnected ecosystems we create here not only benefit the people, but also the livestock, the wildlife, the plant life – even the people that come through here to visit, that we hope leave having discovered some steps they can take to make an actual difference. The best thing humans can do for our environment and for life on earth is to restore the water landscapes we have lost.”
The best thing about our own little Shangri-La in Carlton is visualizing the possibility that two hundred years from now someone who loves this land as much as I do will enjoy the shade of a walnut tree we planted while watching a quiet parade of wildlife stop by for a cool drink from our ponds.
If you would like to see for yourself how we weave these unique water-retention permaculture features into our farming, we would love to have you. Just schedule a Farm Tour visit. In the meantime, why not plant a fruit tree or build a small water body?
