Network with people interested in permaculture design within any of New York's counties located north of New York City. Permaculture practitioners are welcome to join, share ideas and projects, and promote local events. Please limit your contributions to messages directly related to permaculture ideas and activities.
On Sunday, August 27th at the Schuyler County Cooperative Extension Facility in Montour Falls, NYpermaculture activists will convene to share, network and learn. Your input is invited for the morning workshops and the afternoon discussion.
This year, “diversity in approaches to permaculture” has emerged as a theme. We invite anyone who is using patterns in nature to inform their work to present a workshop or join in the discussion. Whether you use the word “permaculture” and work directly with plants, animals, and soil OR you are inspired by natural patterns in how you and your organization design human social and economic systems, you are welcome!
The first half of the day will be spent in workshops. 45 minute blocks run from 9:30am-10:45am and 11:00am-11:45am. The 90 minute block runs from 9:45am-11:30am.
To propose your workshop, send an email to <info@fingerlakespermaculture.org> with your name, a description of your presentation topic, and specify your time slot preference.
Following the morning workshops there will be a 90 minute lunch break with food trucks in the parking lot. Throughout the day, a plant sale sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County will take place outside as well.
The second half of the day will commence at 1pm. FLPCI will share the seeds of a participatory conference format we have gathered from other regional permaculture convergences. We will explore the theme “How can permaculture best serve our communities?” using Open Space Technology (OST) facilitation. This non-hierarchical format allows you and the other attendees to create the agenda and self-organize around your own interests. ALL participants are invited to bring their wisdom, passions, or questions revolving around our theme to the mix. This session will start with an orientation, so please arrive promptly.
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FLX Permaculture Weekend: August 25-27, 2017
4th Annual Finger Lakes Permaculture Weekend
Save the dates: August 25, 26 & 27, 2017
Full, continually updated description at:
http://fingerlakespermaculture.org/4th-annual-finger-lakes-permaculture-weekend/
Friday, August 25th
Permaculture films shown in Ithaca and surrounding communities in New York’s Finger Lakes region.
Saturday, Aug 26th
Tours of permaculture farms, gardens, parks, & homes with a post-tour reception at Finger Lakes Cider House
Sunday, Aug 27th
Regional Permaculture Convergence & Plant Sale at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County in Montour Falls, N.Y.
Apply to put your site on the tour
If you can accept visitors for a full or half-day and can explain to others how permaculture design and principles are demonstrated on your site, you may still apply to join the tour.
Convergence Workshop Facilitators
We have a limited number of workshop spaces open so please contact us as soon as possible.
Volunteers Needed
Let us know your availability by filling out the form on our website: https://goo.gl/CdS2B4
Sponsorship
Our sponsors have been crucial supporters the last three years of the tour leading a weekend of free events for those who cannot afford a donation. We are still seeking sponsors.
Thanks to the following for their early support for the weekend’s events:
- Alternatives Federal Credit Union
- Ashley McGraw Architects
- Cayuta Sun Farm
- Cross Island Farms
- Silver Tree Farm
- Cross Island Farms
- Dead Dog Farm
Visit FingerLakesPermaculture.org to learn about the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute.
Information about the Permaculture Tour Weekend is found at: https://goo.gl/CdS2B4
Fall Weekend Series Permaculture Course w/ Sowing Solutions in Western MA starts September!
~Sowing Solutions Permaculture Design Certification Course~
Gather skills to create abundance in your home & resilience in your community.
Fall weekends start this September in Western MA!
Sept 9-12, Oct 14-16, & Nov 10-13
* Practice ecological design for your home and community. * Gain an internationally recognized certificate in permaculture design. * Visit numerous local, well-established permaculture demonstration sites and learn from them. * Study with our teaching team of leading permaculture designers and educators. * Tap into extensive resources and inspirations. * Gather new skills. * Network with fellow ecological thinkers, gardeners, artists, activists, changemakers, planners, business owners, etc. * Conduct design projects at residential and village sites. * Join us for three weekends this fall! * Registration is open: www.PermacultureSeries.org
GARDENING LIKE THE FOREST: David Jacke Workshops
Gardening Like the Forest:
Dave Jacke Workshops
in Auburn, NY
The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
with support from
Owasco Watershed Lake Association,Auburn Beautification Commissionand Booker T. Washington Community Center
present a weekend of workshops with author and ecological designer Dave Jacke
MORE INFORMATION: FingerLakesPermaculture.org
Friday Evening Public Talk
Gardening Like the Forest:
Regenerating Watersheds through Ecological Food Production
June 9, 2017, 7-9 PM
Theater Mack, Auburn, NY
$10 at the door. Free admission to OWLA members. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Concerned about the impact of agriculture on Owasco Lake and our local water supply? Come learn practical ecological solutions for growing food while maintaining healthy watersheds with landscape designer and author Dave Jacke and local forest gardener Peter Cramer.
Healthy forests maintain, fertilize, and renew themselves, naturally. They also build and maintain healthy watersheds. Would you like to grow an abundant food-producing ecosystem like that in your yard or on your farm? You can!
Edible forest gardens mimic the structure and function of natural forests through all their stages of development and grow food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizers, farmaceuticals, and fun. We can meet our own needs and regenerate healthy ecosystems at the same time. This talk introduces the vision of forest gardening with some scientific background, a few living examples, and a sampling of some useful perennial edibles for home- or farm-scale. We’ll pay special attention to how forest garden systems can help rebuild the health of Owasco Lake.
Location: Theater Mack, 203 Genesee St, Auburn, NY
Cost: $10 at the door. Free admission for OWLA members. No one will be turned away for a lack of funds.
Saturday-Sunday Workshop
Gardening Like the Forest:
Fundamentals of Ecological Gardening
June 10-11, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Booker T. Washington Community Center
23 Chapman Ave, Auburn, NY
Sliding Scale: $180-$250, $15 discount for OWLA members (includes Friday evening program). Payments above the base of the sliding scale fund scholarships for those in need–please be generous!
Learn how to create healthy food-producing ecosystems by mimicking the structure and function of natural communities! Building on the Friday night talk, for two days we’ll explore the vision, theory, design, and practice of ecosystem agriculture using temperate deciduous forests as models. Lectures, field observations, and experiential classes will reveal the nature of ecosystem architecture, social structure, underground economics, and succession. Participants will also design and plant some forest garden patches at the Auburn Permaculture Park. We’ll learn by doing–and by playing–in a serious way.
Location:Booker T. Washington Community Center, 23 Chapman Ave, Auburn, NY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:
FingerLakesPermaculture,
call Peter Cramer at 315-258-3771
or email info
Announcing Our Upcoming Events ~ You are invited! Please email us to reserve your seat for these tours, workshops, evening classes, or Permaculture Design Certification. (PermacultureSeries)
** Upcoming Tour Days in Western MA **
Saturday April 1, 9:30-3:00
Tour of Sirius EcoVillage Natural Buildings in Shutesbury, MA
Visit the natural buildings, straw bale greenhouse, cob house, 4 season growing greenhouse, and learn about the energy efficiency, and food systems at this 40 year old intentional community.
$25 Donation
Saturday April 8, 9:30-3:00
Tour of a Straw Bale Home in Shelburne Falls, MA followed by a Tour of Wildside Cottages and Gardens in Conway, MA
Visit a straw bale home, root cellar, forest gardens, greenhouse, market gardens, permaculture design, energy efficient home, living roof, etc.
$25 Donation
** What’s Happening at the NEW Sowing Solutions Hub **
(in Shelburne Falls at 8 Deerfield Ave, down by the river)
From Now through April 15th!
Check out our fundraiser and consider making a donation to support these projects ~ a $10 donation offers you perks in exchange!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sowing-solutions-community-permaculture-hub-design#/
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Sunday April 23, 5pmIntroduction to Fermented Veggies
with Trevor Ring of Tringo Cultures!
Dive into the world of microbes in this hands-on fermentation workshop. Understand how fermentation relates to permaculture and how preserving your own food, and even purchasing locally made fermented products, can help shift society in a positive direction. You will learn about the basic process of how to utilize the wild microbes that surround us and our food to make sauerkraut and other salt-brine pickled vegetables. Bring a pint jar and walk away with a jar of kraut and a wealth of knowledge on how to start preserving food at home through this traditional technique.
Our guest presenter, Trevor Ring, is a Fermentation Culturalist and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who has taught fermentation classes around the Pioneer Valley for over two years. Learning directly from the well-known Fermentation Revivalist, Sandor Katz (author of Wild Fermentation & The Art of Fermentation), and assisting him with a college course in Vermont, Trevor presents a vast wealth of knowledge and experience on the subject. He also creates products for Nourish Wellness Cafe in Northampton under the name Tringo Cultures, and assists with miso production for South River Miso Company in Conway.
Donation $10+
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Sunday May 7, 5pm
Grand Opening for the Sowing Solutions Hub!
Our NEW Permaculture Design & Education Community Space
Music, socializing by the river, plant and seed swap 🙂
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Sunday May 28, 5pm
Support Your Local Pollinators ~ Native Pollinator Habitat Gardens
with Amy Cozzolino of Amy’s Pollinator Plant Nursery!
Bees are a keystone species in almost all terrestrial ecosystems, and many bees are facing troubling population declines. Each of us, in our own yards and in our communities can shift our gardening and landscaping practices to support bees, other pollinators, and beneficial insects. This talk will introduce the principles and practices of creating pollinator habitat. We will discuss plant species that supply nectar and pollen and learn about larval host plants for butterflies.
Amy Pulley is a long-time gardener who is excited by what plant-pollinator relationships can teach us about living in a world where reciprocity strengthens resilience. Her enchantment with pollinators and with plants inspired her to create Wing and a Prayer Pollinator Plant Nursery in her backyard in Cummington, where she grows from seed and sells over 100 species of mostly native plants to feed a diversity of pollinators. She recently became active in Western Mass Pollinator Network to encourage and support the creation of habitat in our communities.
Donation $10+
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Sunday June 11, 1-4 pm
Mushroom Cultivation in Permaculture Systems
with Ari Rockland-Miller of The Mushroom Forager!
Learn to create a landscape that produces a bounty of gourmet mushrooms while nourishing soil fertility and boosting vegetable yields. Participate in a hands on inoculation demonstration of king stropharia mushrooms in garden beds. Also, discover how to maximize lion’s mane yields using the totem method. We will also cover outdoor shiitake production in the Northeast, from inoculation methods to laying yard management and season extension. Participants will inoculate their own shiitake log to take home, and enjoy a mushroom tasting.
Our guest presenter, Ari Rockland-Miller is a writer, instructor and lecturer on wild and cultivated mushrooms and edible plants. He is co-founder of the popular blog The Mushroom Forager and is author of a forthcoming book on how to safely and fruitfully forage for the most coveted wild mushrooms in North America. The Mushroom Forager’s work has been featured on CNN’s Great Big Story, New England Public Radio, Vermont Public Radio, and in magazines including Vermont Life and Northern Woodlands.
Workshop $35-$45 sliding scale (plus $15 to take a mushroom log home)
** Our Permaculture Design Course **
3 Weekends in All: May 20-23, July 15-17, and Aug 18-21
Permaculture Design Certification Course
Gather the skills to design for abundance in your home landscapes and for resilience in your communities. Visit numerous permaculture demonstration sites, participate in a guided ecological design project for real clients at Nine Mountain Retreat Center and Snow Farm New England Craft Program, network with leading permaculture designers, and learn from a stellar team of educators. This course qualifies for optional college credit and is celebrating over 10 years of permaculture education!
Details and Registration at:
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Please email us to reserve your seat for these tours, workshops, evening classes, or Permaculture Design Certification. (PermacultureSeries)
Reclaiming our Resilience: A permaculture workshop on planting, foraging and land-based living.
April 28th-30th, 2017
During this 2 day intensive, we will learn how to apply permaculture principles in practical, hands-on ways to the garden and farm.
Through direct experience, participants will practice selecting and growing plant species to meet the needs of a sustainable homestead, foraging and processing wild medicinals and foods, cultivating mushrooms in beds and logs, manage waterflow using permaculture design principles, and create ecologically sound waste management systems.
Through working, learning, and eating together on a beautiful 250 acre farm participants of all experience levels will leave with knowledge and inspiration to inform their own projects.
Workshop sessions will revolve around:
Orchard Planting
Hedgerows for food, fuel and fencing
Grafting
Mushroom cultivation, foraging and ecology
Foraging wild spring medicine and foods
Shaping water flow for people and nature
Composting toilet systems
Food, Lodging, and Pricing:
Workshop registration includes extraordinary meals, prepared during your stay using locally sourced and sustainably grown ingredients from the Harlem Valley. And maybe some things we forage together.
We have a variety of lodging options to suit any budget type ranging from campsites to high end suites.
Course cost for Friday evening through Sunday afternoon is $450. Visitour events page to register and reserve lodging.
Contact harlemvalleyhomestead@gmail.com for more information.
Work Trade:
Work trade scholarships are available for a limited number of participants. Please contact us at harlemvalleyhomestead@gmail.com for more information.
Instructors:
Ben Falk, M.A.L.D: Design, Planning, Systems Optimization
Ben developed Whole Systems Design, LLC as a land-based response to biological and cultural extinction and the increasing separation between people and elemental things. Life as a designer, builder, ecologist, tree-tender, and backcountry traveler continually informs Ben’s integrative approach to developing landscapes and buildings. Ben has studied architecture and landscape architecture at the graduate level and holds a master’s degree in land-use planning and design. He has conducted more than 300 site development consultations across New England and facilitated dozens of courses on permaculture design, property selection, microclimate design, and design for climate change.
Ben is the author of the award-winning book the Resilient Farm and Homestead (Chelsea Green, 2013).
Cornelius Murphy is an ecologically minded designer, illustrator, and project manager focusing on the research and development of regenerative and ecological design principles in the areas of agriculture, community planning, education and the public realm. Over the last nine years, he has helped Whole Systems Design grow into a regional leader in ecological design, permaculture, regenerative agriculture and landscape master planning. His professional experience includes academic and corporate campus, estate, municipal master planning and public park planning and design. He holds a Permaculture Design Certificate from the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, CA and a degree in Landscape Architecture from Temple University. Cornelius is the illustrator of the award-winning book the Resilient Farm and Homestead (Chelsea Green, 2013).
Josh Viertel is a farmer, educator and activist. He is in the process of developing a 250 acre farm in the Harlem Valley into a center for food and farming education. Josh was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and was listed as one of the seven most powerful voices in the food movement by Forbes and Michael Pollan. From 2008-2012 Josh was president of Slow Food USA, the US branch of the global Slow Food movement. Before his work at Slow Food, Josh was a founding director of the Yale Sustainable Food Project which brought local, sustainable food to Yale University. While there, he built an organic farm on campus.
Alanna Burns is an artist, writer and mushroom cultivator in New York. She works with nature’s materials to help deepen awareness of the ways fungi and other organisms can nourish, heal and set you free.
My farm needs permaculture
Have a farm that is in poor shape, but has so much potential.
Read my open letter for details.
Thanks,
Matthew
