Michael Pilarski seeks business partners
8 Right Livelihood Opportunities
I currently have 8 business lines going and each one of them could use at least one more full-time person.
- Farming medicinal plants
- Wildcrafting medicinal plants
- Vegetable farming
- Berry farming
- Seed business
- Herbal product manufacture
- Permaculture education
- Event organizing
These are all small operations at present but taken together they keep me busy. These are all viable businesses with the potential to become larger. These businesses have multiple synergies. I am looking for people to partner in on one or more of these businesses. Partner applicants must have skills and resources to contribute and must be willing to move to the Okanogan Valley, North-Central Washington.
Further details:
- Farming Medicinal Plants
I am currently growing many species of medicinal plants: annuals, perennial herbs, shrubs and trees. I ship around the US. Fresh botanicals are my specialty. There are unmet markets. Production could be expanded rapidly with the propagation material currently growing.
- Wildcrafting Medicinal Plants
I currently wildcraft from the Puget Sound to the Idaho border. I have some established markets. I know where the plants are, how to harvest them sustainably and process them. The expansion potential is large.
- Vegetable Farming
I just started farming vegetables again two years ago to make sure I still know how to do it (off and on since 1972). The last two years I have been growing tons of veggies but could really use a marketing person on this team. I have also been planting lots of culinary herbs for expansion if a market opportunity develops.
- Berry Farming
I estimate that berries will hold their value better than dollar bills so I have been planting lots of berries. In order of abundance: raspberries, European black currants, red currants, gold currants, gooseberries, strawberries, elderberries, grapes, buffalo-berries, nanking cherries, and bits of others. Mostly fall raspberries which give two crops a year bearing from August to October with the biggest harvests in September. My current plantings give me the propagation material to expand rapidly.
- Seed Business
I have been growing seed, collecting wild seed and selling seed off and on since 1978. This year I grew and processed over 150 pounds of seed from over 60 different species of medicinal and culinary herbs and vegetables. Check out my 2010 seed catalog on Friends of the Trees website. This has not proven a lucrative business, but I'm persistant! The missing link here is the marketing person.
- Herbal Product Manufacture
I have been making tinctures and herbal-infused oils for 15 years. I know the basics of how to do it. Each year I ship enough fresh and dry botanicals to make huge amounts of product. This is an opportunity for someone who likes to do herbal product making and can deal with regulations and marketing.
- Permaculture and Wildcrafting Education
There is a huge demand for education on how people can grow their own food and related skills, permaculture, forestry, agroforestry, wildcrafting, healing plants, etc. etc. Teaching in these fields has been part of my income stream for the last 35 years. There is room on this team for more teachers as well as someone to arrange bookings, do marketing, registration and website development. See the teaching schedule on Friends of the Trees website.
- Event Organizing
Most of the events I have organized range from 100 to 1,000 participants, but some have been larger. These days I am involved with organizing two or three gatherings a year. This generates some income, but mainly it is a service for the community. There is opportunity for service here for people with can-do, grass-roots organizing ability.
Here are 8 business opportunities which people can partner up with me on. Accommodation possibilities change over time. Some people may prefer to have their own housing. Who knows? If enough people come on board, we can have our own eco-village someday! Contact me for further details.
Here is a list of gatherings which I have founded over the years (a bit of bragging!):
- Pacific Northwest Sustainable Agriculture Conference (became the Tilth organic conferences). Co-founded 1974, still going.
- Okanogan Barter Fair (now called the Okanogan Family Faire). Started 1974, still going. www.okanoganfamilyfaire.net
- Spring Healing Gathering, Started 1975, off and on for 20 years.
- Stevens County Barter Fair, Started 1979, lasted 20 years.
- North Idaho Barter Fair. Started 1979, off and on for 10 years.
- Whidbey Island Barter Fair. 1980s, lasted two years.
- Pacific Northwest Permaculture Conference, two in 1981.
- Tilth Jamboree. 1984, one year.
- Port Townsend Tree Festival. Started 1990, still going.
- Bellingham Tree Extravaganza. Started 1990, still going (new name).
- Okanogan Earthsong Festival, 1991, one year.
- Pacific Northwest Permaculture Rendezvous. Started 1993, went for 7 years.
- Northwest Herbal Faire, Started 1994, lasted for ten years.
- Restoration Forestry Conference. 1994, one year.
- Montana Herb Gathering. Started 1997, still going. www.montanaherbgathering.org
- Kootenay Herbal Gathering, 1997, one year.
- Fairy & Human Relations Congress. Started 2000, still going www.fairycongress.com
- Inland Northwest Restoration Conference, 2005, one year.
- Singing Alive. Started 2007, still going. www.tribesofcreation.com/singing_alive.html
- Big Sky Country Harvest Festival (Montana barter fair). Started 2007, still going.
- Washington State Permaculture Convergence. Started 2008, still going.
more information at www.friendsofthetrees.net
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Intern Policy
Friends of the Trees is looking for interns and volunteers. Come join us for a week or set up an extended internship to learn about permaculture, food production, herbs, wildcrafting and more! Intern policy is flexible. Our ideal is one person who stays on the entire growing season which is mid-March to mid-November. This person helps manage short-term volunteers and medium-term interns. In other words we are open to all sorts of time-frames. Accommodations vary depending on who gets here first. Currently we have four living spaces (short-term volunteers usually bring tents) and during the growing season we center out of a large, semi-outdoor living space. There is always lots of good food to eat. After all, we are a farm! No livestock, only wild critters. This year a cougar killed a deer in our main garden and ate part of her. We hauled the dead doe off before the cougar came back for its second meal. This isn’t suburbia. Interns who stay longer than one month receive stipends commensurate with their accomplishments. Generally we give a raise each month. Preference given to interns who have their own vehicle.
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Seedy Saturday: An Okanogan Valley Seed Exchange
January 9, Tonasket, Washington 1:00 to 5:00. CCC Building.
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Communicating with Fairies, Nature-Spirits and Devas
This talk will discuss different kinds of nature spirits and fairies, what they do, how we can communicate with them and why we would want to. Michael is the founder of the Fairy & Human Relations Congress which has been held in Washington and Oregon annually for the past 9 years. The Congress brings together some of the world’s leading fairy communicators. He is the compiler of the “Collected Fairy Manuscripts of Daphne Charters” and has lectured widely on the topic of fairies.
January 15, Olympia, WA, 6.30-8.30
Traditions Cafe, 300 5th Ave SW $7 suggested donation
To register contact Marisha Auerbach, (360) 943-5262 queenbee@herbnwisdom.com
January 25, Bellingham, WA, 6.30-8.30 by donation
To register contact Paul Kearsley, 360-312-3928 kearsleydesign@gmail.com
Fairy & Human Relations Congress
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Washington Northwest Medicinal Plants: Sustainable Wildcrafting, Cultivation, Uses & Integration into Permaculture Systems
January 18, Olympia, WA 9AM-5PM
$40-$60 sliding scale
Procession Studio, 311 1/2 Capitol Way North, enter from alley.
Around 50% of plants native to the Pacific Northwest have medicinal properties. This workshop will cover many of the most well-known and most useful species as well as some lesser-known ones. We will discuss medicinal and other uses, harvesting and processing, sustainable wildcrafting issues, and how these native plants can be used in ecosystem restoration to increase their abundance. We will also look at how to fit native medicinals into our yards, forest gardens, farms and permaculture systems. There will be fresh and dried medicinals to examine.
To register contact: Marisha Auerbach, (360) 943-5262 queenbee@herbnwisdom.com
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Winter Wildcrafting for Medicinal Plants
We will do hands-on wildcrafting and processing of a number of medicinal plants. Devil’s club root and rootbark, Oregon-grape root, cottonwood buds, usnea lichen, lungwort lichen, teasel root, butterbur root, cascara bark, dandelion root and licorice fern are some of the things we will be looking for. We will discuss other medicinal and useful plants we come across as well as talk about sustainability, ecology, and ethics. Mostly we will be in the wild - experiential. Limited to 16 participants. Come prepared for the weather! Bring warm gear, raingear, work gloves, collecting bags and hand pruners!
January 19, Oakville, WA 9AM-5PM
$75. Wild Thyme Farm
To register contact: Marisha Auerbach, (360) 943-5262 queenbee@herbnwisdom.com
January 22, Bellingham, WA 9AM-5PM
$75. The workshop will be held at a small farm in the Chuckanuts.
To register contact Paul Kearsley (360) 312-3929 KearsleyDesign@gmail.com
January 23, Deming, WA 9AM-5PM
$75. The workshop will be held at a farm in the south fork Nooksack valley. We will do hands-on wildcrafting and processing of a number of medicinal plants at both of these hands-on workshops. The information is applicable to western Washington and the wet forests of the North Cascades.
To register contact Paul Kearsley (360) 312-3929 KearsleyDesign@gmail.com
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Permaculture Design Applied to Whatcom County
January 24, 9AM – 5PM, Bellingham, WA
Workshop and group exploration Squalicum Yacht Club
$30-$50 sliding scale
How to make Whatcom County more food and resource self-reliant, restore fully-functioning ecosystems and become more resilient to societal perturbations. Permaculture design can be applied at any scale - to any size of property or region. Permaculture design is usually applied at the garden, homestead or farm scale. In this case we will take a look at how permaculture would approach designing at the whole Whatcom county level. This necessitates looking at things from the micro to macro level from single yard designs, to blocks, neighborhoods, small towns, the city of Bellingham, rural settled areas, farmland, forests, foothills and whole watersheds. This permaculture event will attempt to put them all into perspective.
To register contact Paul Kearsley 360 312-3929 KearsleyDesign@gmail.com
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Two-week Permaculture Design Course - July 12-25
Skalitude Retreat Center, Methow Valley, WA
With Michael Pilarski and other instructors.
Permaculture principles and design methodology, once learned, can be applied and adapted to any site. The course covers the traditional Mollison permaculture curriculum as well as lots of local knowledge. The species and techniques will be aimed at the interior Pacific Northwest which includes North-central Washington, Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, Idaho, Western Montana and southern Interior British Columbia.
Before April 1, $800
April 1 to June 15, $900
After June 15 $1,000
Single day $80
(includes camping, meals, hand-outs, and diploma)
Private rooms and beds in two-person rooms are available for extra cost.
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More workshops and events
- February 13, Twisp, WA (date to be confirmed)
Permaculture Design Applied to Okanogan County
10AM-4PM $20 Workshop and group exploration.
Venue: the Greenhouse at Local 98856.
We will explore how to make Okanogan County more food and resource self-reliant, restore fully-functioning ecosystems and become more resilient to societal perturbations. Permaculture design can be applied at any scale - to any size of property or region. Permaculture design is usually applied at the garden, homestead or farm scale. In this case we will take a look at how permaculture would approach designing at the county level. We will also look at how permaculture design can be applied to social systems.
- February 21, Spokane, WA
Permaculture: How to Make Yards, Cities and Farms More Productive and Livable
9AM-5PM. Venue: Fresh Abundance whole foods grocery store. 2015 North Division Street, Spokane. (509) 533-2724
Introduction to permaculture ethics, principles and methodology. Permaculture design applied at the home and yard level to produce food and resources, lower expenses, conserve energy and water, and make people’s yards and neighborhoods more livable and beautiful. A permaculture approach to plants in the landscape. Useful plants and crops. We will look at a range of foods, medicinals and other useful plants which can be grown at the home scale, at the farm crop scale, for ecosystem restoration and for creating wildcrafting opportunities. Native and non-native species.
- February 21, Spokane, WA
Positive Visions for an Ecologically-Sound and Self-Reliant Spokane.
Evening Presentation: 7PM– 9PM
- February 23, Sandpoint, ID (date tbc)
Permaculture Workshop.
Venue to be announced
- February 25, Hot Springs, MT (date tbc)
A Permaculture Approach to Food Production
1PM-5PM Venue to be announced
- February 27, Hamilton, MT (date tbc)
A Permaculture Approach to Food Production & Biomass in Agriculture and Gardening
9AM-4PM Venue to be announced.
Focus on gardening and small-scale farming (up to 10 acres). Low external inputs. Building soil, water harvesting, irrigation, getting the most production from a small space, vertical gardening, stacking, forest gardens, sun traps, perennial crops, native plants, permaculture design, zonation, rolling permaculture, integrating livestock, hedgerows, etc.. Where to start, stepwise evolution. In the biomass section of the workshop we will consider how to use all kinds of organic matter to improve crop production, soils, and ecosystem functioning. From household compost to shrub prunings, to spoiled hay, to wood chips, to whole tree trunks, stumps, slash piles and forest thinning projects. Small scale to large scale considerations. From wheelbarrows to dump trucks and heavy equipment.. How to sequester our carbon and eat it too. Energy from biomass, via creating hot water in composting, pyrolysis, biochar (Terra preta), charcoal, hugelkulturs (biomass mound gardens), mulching, etc.
Contact Jill Davies, 406/ 642-3601. rivercare@blackfoot.net
- February 28, Missoula, MT
Northwest Medicinal Plants: Sustainable Wildcrafting, Cultivation, Uses & Integration into Permaculture Systems
10AM-4PM Meadowsweet Herbs
Around 50% of plants native to Montana have medicinal properties. This workshop will cover many of the most well-known and most useful species as well as some lesser-known ones. We will discuss medicinal and other uses, harvesting and processing, sustainable wildcrafting issues, and how these native plants can be used in ecosystem restoration to increase their abundance. We will also look at how to fit native medicinals into our yards, forest gardens, farms and permaculture systems.
For more information contact Meadowsweet Herbs, (406) 728-0543. contact@herbsmt.com
- March 2, Missoula, MT
Plant Spirit Medicine: Connecting with the Unseen Intelligences in Nature
7PM-9PM Meadowsweet Herbs. $20
This talk will put into perspective a wide range of sentient beings who share this Planet Earth - including plants, animals, humans, fairies, devas, angels and vast planetary forces. The talk will especially focus on communication and cooperation with the fairy and devic realm to help us in our herbal medicine and Earth restoration. Michael is the founder of the Fairy & Human Relations Congress which has been held in Washington and Oregon annually for the past 9 years and brings together some of the world’s leading fairy communicators. He has lectured widely on the topic of fairies as well as herbal medicine.
For more information contact Meadowsweet Herbs, (406) 728-0543. contact@herbsmt.com
- March 27-28, Hood River, OR (date tbc)
Medicinal Plants: Vegetative plant propagation, spring root harvesting, transplanting.
Hands-on workshop. Participants will be able to take plants home with them.
- April 4, Vashon Island, WA
Guest instructor at Permaculture Design course. www.koruora.com
- April 17, Tonasket, WA (date tbc)
Okanogan Valley Spring Plant Frenzy
10AM-4PM Triangle Park (north end of Tonasket)
A public plant exchange for the area. Anyone can bring plants, seedlings, nursery stock, trees, shrubs, etc to exchange, give-away or sell. Classes on gardening, fruit-growing, etc.
- April 18, Tonasket, WA (date tbc)
Garden tour at Okanogan Biodiversity Farm.
Tour of Michael Pilarski’s two-year-old planting which combines trees, hedgerows, berries, vegetables and medicinal herbs.
- April 24-25, Ephrata, WA (date tbc)
Day 1. Ecovillage Design and Permaculture Food Production. This workshop will be held at CloudView Eco Farm and a farm in the Royal Slope area.
Day 2. Natives Plants: Uses and Restoration. A plant walk in a shrub-steppe ecosystem up into the ridges north of Ephrata, WA.
Contact person for these two workshops is Jim Baird, jimmbaird@aol.com
- May 1-2, Rice, WA
Day 1: Permaculture design for yards and homesteads, Food production, etc
Day 2: Wild Plants of Stevens County: Traditional and Modern Uses
Sustainable wildcrafting, weeds, edibles, medicinals, restoration and the role of wild plants in ecosystem functioning. Most of the day will be on plant walks.
- June 25-27. Fairy & Human Relations Congress. www.fairycongress.com
- August 27-29. Or early September. (dates to be confirmed) Washington State Permaculture Convergence
3rd annual! Venue to be announced.
- September 3 - 6. Singing Alive www.tribesofcreation.com/singing_alive.html
The above event schedule is how things are shaping up as of the end of December, 2009. Undoubtedly this list will grow and unknown venues and dates will firm up. Contact me if you are interested in any of these offerings or would like to propose hosting a workshop in your area.
full list of events on the website!
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Blessings for the New Year!
Michael Pilarski
Friends of the Trees Society
PO Box 826 Tonasket, WA 98855
Phone (509) 486-4056, or (509) 486-2672 Michael@friendsofthetrees.net
www.friendsofthetrees.net
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Back to the Garden: Flower Power Comes Full Circle
Did you know?
Michael Pilarski is featured in a documentary film!
Check it out . . .
Most of the filming was done in Okanogan County in 1988 and in 2007/2008. This documentary focuses on the back-to-the-land movement and their ideals. The plot centers on interviews with six people, one of them being Michael Pilarski.
There is footage from the 1988 Spring Healing Gathering, the 2007 Fairy & Human Relations Congress, and the Okanogan Family Faire (aka Tonasket Barter Fair).
DVDs of the film are available online through their website or by mailing $18 (postpaid price) to Friends of the Trees PO Box 826 Tonasket, WA 98855
www.backtothegardenfilm.com |
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