When I first got here in Tuateawa, it was Jon (the guy who runs this whole thing) and two girls Bexie and Sadie helping out. They had just moved into this house right before xmas, so a lot of work was going on to get it ready for the other volunteers that arrived on the 9th. So anyone that I have mentioned Earthwise Valley to is probably wondering exactly what it was all about, and all that i knew was that it was some sort of sustainible living project. Maybe about 18 months ago Jon bought this piece of land here which used to be grazing land for cattle. He plans on turning it back into native forest with areas for people to live and learn and grow their own food and be sustainible. This will take years, as the soil is really dry with no trees and a lot of cleaning up needs to be done.
This is the land!
Last summer about 1000 trees were planted on the land and we'll continue to nurture those and plant more. One huge project which will help the land a lot is getting water there. We'll need to lay about a mile of pipe up into the forest to get enough height to run a microhydro and also pump good water to the highest point on the land which will be used to water everything. It is actually quite dry here in the summer (winter in the north) and so not much planting can happen right now. And since there are no accomidations on the land we have a house nearby and so some work is going into making it a good home as well as reducing the ecological footprint of this place.
Here is another view for the house from a nearby hill. I'm working on uploading some more shots around the house on picasa
Along with all the work that we do, there is a whole bunch of recreational trips that happen. I have already been snorkeling and sea kayaking a couple times and there will also be lots of hiking, camping, rock climbing, and whatever else we all decide on.
I am actually taking on a more significant role than the rest of the volunteers. I have been helping out with the overall logistics and planning and group orientations and all that good stuff too. I think this will be better experience for the rest of my life than working in engineering... since i am thinking more and more that i probably dont want to sit in a cube and be an "engineer" for the rest of my life. Permaculture and outdoor ed seem way better.
A few days ago now, the rest of the volunteers got here. there are two from the US, two from the UK and one from Mexico. So far everyone in the group has been awesome and I am really excited to live and work with these people.
Hey Dayan,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great gig and I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm also grateful you're writing about it, otherwise I would know nothing. This might be something my wife and I would be interested in doing, but that's well down the road. Hope to see you along the way.
sh sh mud,
Tom
just wondering, what types of trees were planted? how long ago was it turned into pasture? do they know some of the history of the land, like what species used to be cultivated together there? this is all super interesting to me because I have read a lot about indigenous land use and management
ReplyDeleteyay! i hope you find more time to post.
hey! i'm an 'engineer' that sits in a cube all day! ; )
ReplyDeleteHey Chewy, I dont know how long ago the land was turned to pasture, but we are trying to undo all the damage that it did. The cows left the land only a bit more than a year ago now... Most of the trees that were initailly planted are acacia and eucalyptus which are actually australian trees. They grow fast and well in a dry climate, which is kinda what the land had been turned into by the grazing. These trees will then shade the soil and i think are nitrogenous which will make it easier for native species and fruit trees to grow, which is the ultimate goal.
ReplyDelete