About the Course

A view of the "north umbria" garden area near where the Hugel kultur workshop will be taking place.

Join Windward Stewards Andrew Schreiber and Lindsay Hagamen for a weekend crash course in forest permaculture.

This course is relevant to people living in a variety of bioregions, as we are going to be detailing strategies for mitigating or eliminating irrigation using the wisdom of the forest as our guide.

"Permaculture on the Edge" is not just a single course, but a philosophy of how we at Windward are bringing together sustainable, self-regulating, agricultural systems in marginal areas to produce food, forage, fuel and fiber with minimal energy, time and hassel.

P.O.T.E. will demonstrate an approach to permaculture design and implementation that stresses 1) observation as a method to learn from nature, 2) gradual ecological transformation through natural succession and 3) passive and dynamic methods to increase soil biomass, fertility and water retention.

On day one of the course we will focus on the theoretical principles of permaculture, and methods of land observation to learn how to practically implement permaculture systems that are in harmony with the existing ecology.

You will get a chance to see how we are integrating plants and animals in our efforts to transform a 131 acre forest hillside into a flourishing food forest that will provide food, fuel, and raw materials for our growing community.

On day two, we will be getting our hands dirty, creating a large scale hugelkulture bed (appx 80ft long), which is part of a larger 6,000+ sq ft of terrace space that we are currently developing into a perennial food forest.

Further down on this page you will find a more detailed schedule of the course.


About the Teachers


Lindsay Hagamen is the president of the Windward Foundation, the organization which stewards the Windward community's 131 acre landbase.

She has a background in environmental science, researching nutrient cycling in the terrestrial ecosystems of New Hampshire, Ecuador, Costa Rica and the Pacific Northwest.

As a member of Windward, she leads perenial agriculture and forestry systems management, and has a passion for the land and growing healthy, delicious food for the community.



Andrew Schreiber is the Internship Coordinator for Windwards 501(c)3 Non-profit Education and Research Center, working to cultivate the holistic learning environment for interns, apprentices and fellows that come to the Center to increase their working understanding of sustainable systems.

As Windward's lead in animal husbandry and close associate with Lindsay in the permaculture systems at Windward, Andrew divides his time between animal care, creating perennial forage systems, coordinating, and managing the octopus.

For the past four years, Andrew and Lindsay have worked together to implement ecological design principles in Windward's integrated village-scale sustainable life-support systems. Together, they're developing the holistic land management approaches that will enable the integration Windward's forestry, energy, agriculture, livestock and village-scale industrial needs into the native landscape.


A view of another permaculture garden at Windward.

Workshop Schedule

Friday

  • 5-8pm: Check In & Camp Set-up
  • 6pm: Dinner (provided)
  • 7pm: Campfire & Introductions
  • Sunset ~ 7:30pm

Saturday

  • Sunrise ~7am
  • Breakfast (Bring your own)
  • 9-10:30am: Permaculture Theory and Design Part I
  • 10:30-11am: Break
  • 11-12:30pm Permaculture Theory and Design Part II
  • 12:30-1:30pm: Lunch (Bring your own)
  • 1:30-2pm: Dry Forest Ecology & Observation Techniques
  • 2-3pm: Walking Observation of Forest Structure & Design
  • 3-4pm: Forest Observation
  • 4-5pm: Observation Sharing & Relevancy to Permaculture Design
  • 6pm: Dinner (Provided)
  • 7pm: Campfire and Social Permaculture Forum
  • Sunset ~ 7:30pm

Sunday

  • Sunrise ~7am
  • Breakfast (Bring you own)
  • 9:30-10am: Overview of HugelKultur Method at the work site
  • 10-12:00pm: HugelKultur workshop (Building a HugelKultur Bed)
  • 12:00am-1:00pm Lunch (bring your own)
  • 1-2:30pm: Finish HugelKulture Bed
  • 2:30-3:30pm: Wrap Up and Q&A

Registration and Cost

A view of a part of our forest. One of the many flavours of forest structure we will be looking at in the workshop.

Registration Deadline is March 1st 2013.

We will not be able to handle walk-ins, so please confirm your Registration before the 1st of March.

Cost of the course $50 for Adults, $15 for people under 18 years old.

RSVP by sending an email to Andrew at Windward@gorge.net with "RSVP" in the title. Please let us know the following informaiton

We are working to recieve Payment via Paypal. Check back soon to get an early bird special on admission when you register and pay in advance!


Directions



View Larger Map

Camping

Participants are invited to camp in Windward's 40 acre campground.

Water is available at various places throughout the camping area, so you do not need to bring water or water filtration systems. But do bring whatever water storage containers you require.

Late March weather on the dry-side of the cascades is likely to be fair and sunny, but it never hurts to be prepared. Here is a list of things to consider packing:

Meals and Food

We will be offering a hardy selection of food on Friday and Saturday Evening. Check back soon for meal menus. Needless to say, it will probably include potatos, since our land loves to produce potatos!

Bring your own meals (breakfast and lunch) and snacks to energize you through the day on Saturday and Sunday. Remember we will be outside most of the time, and on Sunday we will be very active during the workshop. So please plan your food accordingly.

We will have limited space for refrigerating perishables food items. So please bring coolers to meet your refridgeration needs.

Other Things to Consider

Medication Refrigeration

If you need to refrigerate your medications, please let us know so we can make the necessary arrangements for you.

Vehicle Access and Parking

Unless you are physically handicapped, we ask people to park their cars and stick to walking during the event. Some parking spaces are available next to campsites, once those spots are filled, vehicles will need to be parked in the designated central parking area.

Alcohol

For those who want to bring alcohol, we ask that you store and handle it in such a way as to ensure minors do not have access to it.