[Sdpg] Rehydrating the Landscape: Water Harvesting Earthworks Course

[Quail Springs]

Rehydrating the Landscape: Water Harvesting Earthworks
With Lindsay Dailey and Warren Brush

November 18-21, 2010 at Quail Springs Permaculture Farm, near Cuyama,
California

Water is the foundation of any productive system; without reliable water
sources, sustainable
human settlement is not possible. As we increasingly experience the
challenge of drought,
drained aquifers, and irregular rainfall, resilient water systems are
becoming a crucial
component of both rural and urban landscapes.

Soil is the most effective place to store water, and humans have manipulated
earth, creating
earthworks, for thousands of years to infiltrate water in to the landscape.
In this cutting edge
course, students will learn to harvest water in earthworks that slow,
spread, and sink water to
prevent and repair soil erosion, build topsoil, recharge ground water, and
store water for use
during the dry season.

The class will blend theory with hands-on practical application, and
students will learn
landscape hydration strategies appropriate for both urban and rural
applications. During this
exciting 4-day workshop, we will design and install various forms of
earthworks and associated
plantings. Topics include:

- earthworks design and surveying methods, including the use of Google
Earth, contour
maps, and leveling equipment

- directing earthworks machinery

- building and planting swales

- designing and building gabions and bio engineering the remediation of
degraded
stream beds

- appropriate planting on newly created earthworks

- infiltrating graywater from showers and laundry in to the soil, using the
California
Greywater Code

We will also discuss keyline design, pond-building, and topsoil building
methods that increase
the infiltration of water and nutrient.

Location and Context The course will take place at Quail Springs
Permaculture Farm in the high
desert of Southern California in the Cuyama valley, which receives from
6-10" of rain annually,
and is a unique venue to learn about water. You will experience how the
residents of Quail
Springs are creatively addressing their water challenges, and have
successfully increased their
spring flows as a part of their design for a sustainable human settlement
that is actively
returning water to the landscape while still growing food and raising
animals.

Who is this course for? 
This course is appropriate for farmers, land managers, permaculture
designers, policy makers, activists, and anyone interested in learning to
become a practical part
of the solution around water.

About the Instructors

Lindsay Dailey is a permaculture designer and educator from San Francisco,
California, part of
a new generation of permaculture teachers working on the edge of what
permaculture can do
to restore landscapes and create abundance. Lindsay has worked passionately
in the realm of
sustainability education since 2001. She is a founding member of Villa
Sobrante, an urban
permaculture and natural building demonstration site and community in the
East Bay. She also
founded Earth Repair, a regenerative design and education firm inspiring
people to build topsoil
and rehydrate the land while growing useful and edible plants. She has
trained extensively with
some of the most inspiring and effective permaculture teachers in the world:
Geoff Lawton,
David Holmgren, Darren Dougherty, Brock Dolman, and Penny Livingston-Stark.
Lindsay works
extensively in a range of bioregions, farms, watersheds and city
environments, and has studied
and designed diverse water harvesting techniques in the U.S., Mexico and
Australia.  
http://www.villasobrante.blogspot.com/ 

Warren Brush is internationally recognized as a Permaculture designer,
teacher and lecturer.
For over 20 years he has worked extensively to foster people's discovery,
expression and
integration of their inherent gifts into the land and communities that
sustain them. He is cofounder
of Quail Springs Learning Oasis and Permaculture Farm and Wilderness Youth
Project,
and the founder of True Nature Design, a Permaculture consultation firm that
works extensively
in North America, Africa and other countries worldwide. Warren's experience
includes
nurturing youth and adults in learning place based awareness and initiatory
processes, and has
worked extensively with many constituencies of youth and adults, including
former child
soldiers in West Africa. To find out more about his work please visit:
www.permaculturedesign.us, www.quailsprings.org,
www.sustainablevocations.org 
www.mentoring4peace.com

Recommended Prior Training/Experience: A Permaculture Design Certification
(PDC)
course is highly recommended prior to taking this course. However, other
substantial
experience or training that would prepare one to engage with the course
material is acceptable
in place of a PDC.

Cost (includes instruction, meals, and camping nearby):
$375 early bird by October 8, 2010. $475 thereafter. Early registration is
advised.

Work trade: Inquire early about partial work trade spots. 
Referral offer: Receive $30 off the course fee when a participant registers
who was referred by you! 
Couples: $50 off the 2nd participant's fee. 
Families: Please inquire about family rates. 
Quail Springs' PDC Graduates: Receive $50 off the course fee.