are you ready for the country?

[EWerb at aol.com]

Permaculture Design Course July 6-20, 1999
In the Methow Valley, Washington

Hello guilders. I just was up in Washington - it was summery and beautiful. 
Are you ready for a taste of clean air, water, food and herbs - with people 
who are serious about fun and learning from permaculture masters? 
Call today for special travel cost assistance for Permaculture Guild members, 
students and low income participants. Also full course discounts available 
for groups of two or more. Call or email Eric Werbalowsky for details, 
<ewerb at aol.com>  805-652-1142. Hope to see you there!
/ew

please pass along...

July 6-20, 1999
A two-week residential course in pristine North Central Washington, at Herb'n 
Relief Farm on the Methow River. Permaculture is an integrated systems 
approach to designing sustainable homes, farms and communities.

Sponsored by
Friends of the Trees Society
This course will emphasize sustainable forestry, agroforestry, medicinal 
herbs, lesser-known crops, and native plants.

Michael Pilarski:  Instructor
with guest instructors: Suzanne Martin, Simon Henderson, Jerry Johnson, Ed 
Welch, George Wooten & others.

Course fee: $850 
- Up to $200 special travel cost assistance for students and low income 
participants, also full course discounts available for groups of two or more. 
Call or email Eric Werbalowsky for details, <ewerb at aol.com> 805-652-1142

About the Course: 
The main purpose of the course is to impart permaculture principles and 
methodologies which can be applied anywhere in the world. Through lecture, 
discussion, observation, field trips and hands-on activities, permaculture 
design students will develop the practical skills and knowledge to design and 
implement sustainable systems that are in harmony with the natural world. 

Course participants will work in design teams to produce a permaculture 
design for the 70-acre Vogt property. We will cover dozens of crops which can 
provide family needs or cash income. Medicinal herbs will be a major focus. 
Although this course's focus is on the interior Northwest, participants from 
other bioregions are also welcome. Permaculture principles, design 
methodology and many of our techniques are applicable around the world. 

Methow Ecosystems:  
The Methow river riparian zone is dominated by cottonwoods. Semi-arid 
low-elevation sites only receive 12-15" annual precipitation and support 
shrub steppe with sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata), bitterbrush (Purshia 
tridentata) and rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) as well as bunchgrass 
ecosystems. Aspen groves, ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests occupy the 
zones above. Higher still in the mountains are wetter subalpine forests and 
meadows and then timberline, krummholz, and alpine tundra. 

We will make field trips to many of these local ecosystems up to as high as 
7,440' Slate Peak in the North Cascades. Methow ecosystems are similar to 
plant communities found throughout the interior Northwest. Mongolia, the 
Altai Mountains and parts of central Asia and Far East Russia have analogous 
climates and many flora affinities. Eventually we should have some farmer to 
farmer exchanges with this region and joint permaculture courses. 

Course site & Facilities: 
The course will be held at Herb 'n Relief Farm, Peter & Ali Vogt's 70-acre 
property outside of Twisp, Washington. The farm includes river frontage on 
the Methow River at an elevation of 1,650'. Facilities include several 
buildings including a large, beautiful lodge where we can hold classes. We 
will also set up an outdoor teaching area. We are outside quite a bit anyway 
with hands-on activities and field trips. Shower facilities are available. 
For those hot days, we have a pond and the river to cool off in. A sweat 
lodge will be available.  

Accommodations: 
There may be a few indoor accommodations but most participants from outside 
the valley will have to set up their own tent or utilize one of the several 
tipis on site. Participants can bring their own tents, vans or live-in rigs. 
Local participants can commute from their homes if they wish.  

Food: 
Three tasty wholesome meals a day will be provided with an emphasis on local, 
organic food. Be sure to note any health needs or dietary preferences on your 
registration. 

Course Tuition: 
Tuition for the course is $850. This includes instruction, meals, lodging, 
curriculum materials, and use of facilities. Several partial scholarships are 
available. Single day attendance is possible at $75 per day. Participants 
will be sent an information packet upon registration. 

About Permaculture
* The term "permaculture" was coined in 1978 by Australians Bill Mollison and 
David Holmgren as a contraction of "permanent agriculture". It can also be 
defined as "permanent culture". 
* Permaculture is about self-reliance, growing food, and building 
energy-efficient structures from local materials.
* Permaculture establishes multiple-story, agroforestry systems using tree 
crops, shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants in symbiotic assemblages which are 
highly productive. 

Course topics:
* Permaculture principles
* Permaculture methodology
* Organic gardening
* Organic agriculture
* Agroforestry systems
* Straw bale building
* Natural building
* Ecosystem restoration
* Livestock raising
* Urban permaculture
* Appropriate energy
* Village development
* Intentional  communities
* Observation skills
* Site analysis & design
* Water harvesting
* Irrigation
* Arid land strategies
* Edible landscaping
* Tree crops
* Windbreaks
* Medicinal herbs
* Wildcrafting
* Seed collecting
* Erosion control
* Aquaculture/ponds
* Sustainable forestry
* Integrated pest management
* Networking & research
* Formal & informal economies
           and much, much more . . .

Instructors
Michael Pilarski has lived and worked in eastern Washington and north Idaho 
since 1972. He has extensive experience in organic farming, seed collecting, 
plant propagation, horticulture, wildcrafting medicinal herbs, teaching, and 
international networking.  I have taught seventeen permaculture design 
courses thus far including in  the cold northern climates of British 
Columbia, Nova Scotia and Wisconsin; the temperate climates of Puget Sound, 
Oregon and California; and the subtropical climates of Hawai`i, Nepal and 
Belize. I am excited to be offering the first permaculture design course held 
in the Interior Northwest in six years. 

In 1986, Pilarski hosted and graduated from a Permaculture Design Course 
taught by Bill Mollison near Cle Elum in eastern Washington. Mollison is the 
founder of permaculture and one of the world's leading authorities on 
sustainable settlement in arid and semi-arid lands. This was the first design 
course taught by Bill which focused specifically on "Drylands Permaculture". 
We will use & adapt Mollison's Drylands Permaculture Design Course curriculum.

Suzanne Martin is the co-founder of Kikta Design, a permaculture design and 
consultation firm in Kitsap County. Simon 

Henderson has studied traditional agriculture systems in many parts of the 
world and was permaculture instructor at the Bear Tribe near Spokane for many 
years. He is now a bamboo specialist.

Jerry Johnson manages his family property for cattle, grain and wildlife 
habitat in the channeled scablands southeast of Spokane.

Ed Welch is a long-time Methow organic farmer growing vegetables and 
medicinal herbs who also has an organic alcohol distillery. 

George Wooten is a local botanist with a broad knowledge of native plants and 
essential oils. 

Other guest presenters to be announced. Course participants will also bring a 
wide range of knowledge and experience. 

Certification: Course graduates will be certified as Permaculture Design 
Trainees, and after two years experience will be eligible for Applied 
Permaculture Design diplomas. Graduates are entitled to use the term 
"Permaculture" in pursuit of livelihood, and for educational purposes. 

Friends of the Trees Society
PO Box 4469, 
Bellingham, Washington 98227
Tel: (360) 724-0503. 
Email: trees at telcomplus.net

Registration Form:

Name_______________________________________

Address_____________________________________

___________________________________________

 Phone/Fax/E-mail_____________________________

_____  Enclosed is my  deposit of $250
_____  Enclosed is the entire tuition.

 Make checks payable to: Friends of the Trees Society.

Accommodation choice:   Space in Vogt's tipis_____
Bring own tent   ______        Live-in vehicle_____
Commute from local home   ______   
Indoor accommodations (may be extra charge)_______

Health or dietary needs, restrictions or allergies? ________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________
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