[Scpg] Permaculture news at Pine Ridge reservation

[Cory Brennan]

Several apprentices have arrived at the Oglala-Lakota Cultural and Economic Revitalization Initiative at Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, and a number more are scheduled to arrive in the next three weeks. We're getting some good projects done and would love to have more help! We have apprentices coming from all corners of the US - Florida, Washington State, SF, New York, Texas, etc.

The kitchen garden, with a medicine wheel in the middle and three sisters guild (soon to be four sisters), is producing abundant food, and the ranch now has a milking goat. We're finishing up the infrastructure for students and apprentices and working out details on the straw bale building, keyline plow and other major projects. 

We've rescheduled the Keyline Design course (a technique which regenerates and rebuilds depleted soils and holds and controls water on the land) to occur right after the Permaculture Design Course at Pine Ridge reservation, South Dakota - from Aug 31-Sept 2. That way, Haitians and other students who are interested can attend both courses. We plan to do some keyline work directly after the course. If you know of farmers/ranchers/agroforesters or permaculturists who are interested in learning this important skill, please let them know about this unique opportunity. We want to train Lakota and launch a major keyline project on the rez this year if at all possible. Instructor is Warren Brush of Quail Springs (quailsprings.org), who started the process of keyline design last year that inspired the OLCERI group to plan major broadscale rehabilitation. 

http://www.permacultureguild.us/keyline-design-course/

The Straw Bale building course is scheduled to go forward as planned, from 30 July to 1 Aug and apprenticeship follows - we want to complete putting up the walls before the permaculture course. 

http://www.permacultureguild.us/category/courses/permaculture-certification-pineridge-2010/pr-strawbale/

We have extended the Early Bird rate for the Permaculture Design Course and Straw Bale building course to 18 July! We would like to get early enrollment so we can put all of our attention on completing the ongoing projects at the site. 

We still have apprenticeship positions open and much to accomplish this summer, including projects with wind power, food forestry, straw bale building, food storage, greenhouses and more, so we welcome your help - for more info see:

http://www.permacultureguild.us/category/courses/permaculture-certification-pineridge-2010/apprenticeships/

We will reschedule the Keyline/Holistic Management course with Abe Collins and Kurt Gadzia to occur in spring of next year.

See you at the rez! 

Mitakuye Oyasin!

Cory Brennan
cory at permacultureguild.us