[Lapg] Pine Ridge Lakota reservation project

[Koreen Brennan]

There is a volunteer who needs a ride out to Pine Ridge reservation mid-May. She can get to anyplace in Cali or Oregon, but not out to the rez. She can stay into June and will be a great help in establishing the trees we're planting and sharing their use with people on the rez as a permaculture designer familiar with food forests, and herbal medicine and mushroom expert.  We are planting more than 500 useful trees there this year. Trees make a huge difference to the quality of life on the reservation, bringing food, warmth, shade, protection from the fierce wind and extreme temperatures, fodder and shelter for horses the sacred animal of the Lakota, sacred space and many other things. The reservation is a food desert with no fresh or organic food sometimes for 100 miles (think of driving that in winter snow at 20 below, or when you don' t have gas money which is usually). The life span of a male Lakota is average 49 years, it is the second poorest
 county in the US, average income $3000, more than 50% of people have nutrition caused diabetes, etc. But there are many, many strong, beautiful things going on culturally - and many people who are beautiful, strong, deep, humble, caring for their families and tribe and for the earth.

We need all the help we can get for these trees!  This person who needs a ride is a mushroom expert who may help us create income for Lakota. Unemployment is 80% or more on the rez. We are bringing beekeeping equipment, apple trees, and other ways in which the Lakota can make an income by stewarding and healing their land in line with their tradition, and in line with what they have told us they want. We also need more funding than we have raised yet, to plant the trees and ensure they get the water they need. We are creating experimental and demonstration sites where a variety of drylands water capture and watering techniques will be used for the trees. We will be building soil and forest ecosystems, applying every drylands permaculture tool we have to make this work. This will be a place where the Lakota can see what is working and evolve their own techniques and methods. We have been working with this reservation since 2006 and the result has been
 several natural buildings, hundreds of trees planted and much more knowledge of and interest in permaculture there.  If this speaks to you, please let others know and please consider donating - $25 will give us everything we need to plant a tree and we will your name will be attached to it on our plans, and we will let you know where we planted it and what kind it is (and give you a choice of tree if we can). Any amount is hugely appreciated. We stretch every penny by tapping into the waste stream and using other permaculture tools and we have been volunteering since 2006; it all goes to the Lakota. We are installing a pond and will do other water catchment (roof catchment, etc) as well, depending on funding and personnel. We go back every year and our goal is to take on bigger and deeper projects each year.   We are planting cottonwood (the sacred Sun Dance tree), ponderosa pine and cedar (shelter belts for other trees), and linden (edible leaves and
 medicinal, income source and beautiful, tough, hardy shade tree). We'll also help plant several orchards and other edible food forest plants in several locations. 

 http://www.permacultureguild.us/category/donate/  (this goes to our non-profit partner, fully deductible 501C3 - all monies except for small administration charge go to the Pine Ridge project)

Please write if you are interested in getting involved (there is much room for creativity, expansion, etc) in any way, or if you have questions. 

 
Koreen Brennan

www.growpermaculture.com
www.facebook.com/growpermaculturenow
www.meetup.com/sustainable-urban-agriculture-coalition
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