Quail Springs' December 2007 Newsletter

 

 

Winter Greetings from all of us on the land to our community near and far! May your winter be warm with family and friends and the honoring of the traditions that are dear to your hearts.

 

Thank you for all of your support and friendship this year - for the work you do for our community and the planet in your own lives and for your generous contributions to Quail Springs in many forms.

 

Our first snow has fallen, blanketing the ground and giving the plants slow sips of cold water as the day's sun warms the earth. Winter is such a magical time at Quail Springs...long cold nights, short bright days, the promise of storms and rain. Everyone feels the primary importance of SHELTER in the high desert canyon.

 

We're allowing winter to be a time of reflection, completion of work begun, honoring family and community relationships, and planning for the coming year, as well as hosting a few groups at the Quail Springs fire for their programs.

 

We've initiated our Stewardship Council, which along with our nonprofit Board of Directors, helps guide Quail Springs' journey and vision. Stewardship Council is composed of residents of the land with a commitment to stewardship, honors consensus in decision making, and will meet seasonally. Our first meeting laid the groundwork for our Council process and plans for programs and projects for the 2008 year.

 

Comings and Goings...

 

We'll soon be welcoming home our co-founder, Warren, from a 3 week journey of learning and teaching in Liberia with the Everyday Gandhis, and can't wait to hear his stories. We want to welcome to the Quail Springs caretaking team.... Jan and Brenton and daughter Iris, who come from many years in the Santa Barbara community, including helping running Island Seed and Feed, and who are helping guide Quail Springs in fund development, soil regeneration, and master planning for food systems. Welcome to Rion, who we have known as youth mentor with Wilderness Youth Project and computer wiz, who is helping everyone with everything here, while braving the winter weather in a willow lodge of his own making. Welcome also to Justin and Lynn, who come from New Mexico to continue their learning journey in natural building and gardening, and who are helping us complete critical building projects and develop food systems. Thank you to Travis, and Sarah, who joined us as fall interns, and continue on their learning journeys by going 'back home' to Canada and the Midwest. We miss you already!

 

 

Internships

 

Winter Natural Building Intern Position (January through March, 2008)

We are searching for a gentle, dedicated intern who approaches life and learning with a sense of curiosity and wonder. Intern will work closely with Justin Kirmse, the coordinator of our current natural building projects, to assist in completing two strawbale projects. Intern will have the opportunity to learn on-site clay harvesting, base coat and finish coat plasters, earthen floors, and clay paints, while also participating in community life on a drylands permaculture demonstration site. Experience is not necessary. Please contact info@quailsprings.org or 805-886-7239 to learn more. After initial inquiry, we'll arrange for potential interns to interview with Justin by phone.

 

Interested Interns please inquire for 2008...

We're developing a dynamic intern program that will include focused skill building along with service learning for the coming year. More information and applications will be available in February 2008 for internships running from March/April through October/November. Contact Kolmi at info@quailsprings.org if you're interested.

Skill building opportunities will include natural building, permaculture design, food systems, gardening, aquaculture, watershed restoration, animal husbandry, fund development, and more. Experience and training is not needed, although this is a great opportunity to further experience and education in all aspects of farm and permaculture site development.

 

 

Events and Courses

 

 

Weaving Our World into Life - a Natural Fiber Arts workshop

First in a series of "Hands and Hearts" Skill Builders at Quail Springs

March or April 2008 - dates and details TBA

This will be the first in a series of our "Hands and Hearts" Skill Builders. These will be 1-3 day workshops that focus on various hands-on skills, taught by special guest teachers as well as on-site teachers, all with the intention of using our hands and hearts to regenerate healthy community life, meet our human needs, and honor the natural world. Contact Kolmi at info@quailsprings.org to join an interest list for this or other Skill Builders.

 

 

Service Learning weekends return in Spring 2008

We will offer volunteer visitor weekends again in Spring 2008 as a time for interested people to receive a tour of the site and learn about site design, participate in projects on the land, as well as enjoy the company of community. These are free of cost events, with community potluck meals. The calendar of Service Learning weekends for the Spring will be shared in February.

 

 

Permaculture Design Certification course with Geoff Lawton - August 16-27, 2008

We're happy to host our third Permaculture Design Certification course at Quail Springs, and welcome back one of the world's top permaculture teachers, Geoff Lawton. For more about Geoff Lawton, visit www.permaculture.org.au . More info on the course will be available in February. Contact info@quailsprings.org to join the interest list.

 

Permaculture is a holistic approach to land use design, based on ecological principles and patterns. It aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with people. This world-recognized, 72-hour course provides an introduction to Permaculture as set forth by movement founders Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. This course covers sustainable living systems - with everything from food systems, water harvesting, waste cycling, home design, to climate care, and much more - for a wide variety of landscapes and climates. Graduates of this 72 hour Permaculture Design Certification course (PDC) will receive a Certificate in Permaculture Design. See www.tagari.com to learn more about the Certification, and options for continuing study to earn the Diploma.

 

 

Southwest Drylands & Southern California Permaculture Convergence - with Keynote Speaker, Geoff Lawton - August 29 - September 1, 2008

Co-sponsored by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network, Quail Springs, and others. More info coming soon! Contact info@quailsprings.org to join the interest list.

 

 

Advanced Permaculture Workshop - with Geoff Lawton and Brad Lancaster - September 2-3, 2008

This 2 day advanced workshop will offer on the ground opportunity to learn and work with Geoff and Brad. For more about Geoff Lawton, visit www.permaculture.org.au. For more about Brad Lancaster, visit www.harvestingrainwater.com. More info coming soon!

Contact info@quailsprings.org to join the interest list.

 

 

EcoNest workshops 2008

The beginning stages of the EcoNest will involve workshops in which builders, home owners, or other interested folks will work with the EcoNest team in a series of two workshops that give the participant a solid foundation in understanding this unique system of sustainable building.  Dates and cost are TBA. If you would like to be on an initial interest contact list, please email info@quailsprings.org.

 

 

Available for purchase. Quail Springs, An Experiment in Permaculture

Quail Springs, An Experiment in Permaculture, by Joss Jaffe, serves as an important research and development tool supporting permaculture design and the long term vision of Quail Springs.  If you are interested in purchasing the book, please let us know at info@quailsprings.org. The cost of this full color book is $30 including the CD, or $10 for the CD only, plus $5 shipping. 

 

 

 

We are hosting Pam Montgomery's Plant Spirit Healing Apprenticeship at Quail Springs this Winter and Spring.

 

PLANT SPIRIT HEALING ***APPRENTICESHIP*** with Pam Montgomery

 

Dates: 4 sessions in Winter-Spring 2008.

January 10-13, February 14-17, March 13-16 and April 10-13, 2008.

Thursday 10:00am to Sunday 4:00pm. All sessions must be attended.

Cost: $1995 Includes instruction, materials, all meals, camping or dorm spaces for all 4 sessions plus Pam's new book, Plant Spirit Healing: A Gu



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Our postal address is
PO Box 417
New Cuyama, California 93254
United States