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Autumn 2016 events

Autumn Greetings!2016-Fair-Web-Banner-760px

This weekend is the Common Ground Fair at the MOFGA fairgrounds, and we wanted to invite you to connect with us during this 25K+ person/day event!  (A lofty goal, i know).

I’ll be volunteering with Maine-Wabanaki REACH at their table in the Social and Political Action area.  I’ll be helping them set up and will be there Friday morning. Come say hi and learn about indigenous solidarity projects in Maine. See their website for more: http://mainewabanakireach.org/REACH-horizPlusTag-rgb-min

We’ll be presenting Saturday and Sunday at noon both days at the Hayloft tent by the Fedco table. Saturday will be on Earthworks and Water Management, Sunday will be on Perennial Polyculture Design. We’re excited to try an analog format with handouts (instead of a slideshow that no one can see on account of the bright day). We’ll try painting pictures in your mind rather than showing you images on a screen.  Come check us out and say hi!
http://mofga.org/TheFair/ScheduleofEvents/tabid/106/Default.aspx

As we enter Fall and Winter, these are the seasons for designing and planning.  If you have considered getting a consultation and doing a design, now is the time to do it.  Don’t put it off till next Spring or it might be too late.  And don’t forget that in permaculture design, the MidCoastPerm LogoColorlast thing we design into the system is plants.  So beware of the Spring itch to buy a ton of plants without knowing where they’ll go.  (Although to be completely honest, it’s something we all do on occasion…)

We also have two courses coming up this winter in the Boston area.  If you know anyone who might be interested, pass this along!
Basic Permaculture Design Certificate course (starts in Jan ’17):
http://www.meetup.com/maine-permaculture/events/231255432/
Advanced PDC offered to all who have completed a Basic course (starts in Nov ’16):
http://www.meetup.com/maine-permaculture/events/231254843/

See you at the Fair!
Excelsior

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Intro to Permaculture half day workshop September 3

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Saturday September 3th 2016, Permaculture Workshop at the Deer Isle Hostel.

Learn how to design ecological and edible landscapes and resilient home sites using whole system planning and patterns from nature. In this Introduction to Permaculture workshop we will discuss the history, principles and benefits of permaculture. We will go over a permaculture site design process and introduce some concepts and practices around site analysis and assessment. The day will be part theory, part practice, with an observation exercise around the homestead and a mapping exercise.

MidCoastPerm LogoColorJesse Watson operates Midcoast Permaculture Design. He has been doing permaculture land planning and installation for residential and farm clients since 2009. He has been teaching summer Permaculture Design Certification classes at MOFGA since 2012 with the Resilience Hub. 10am-3pm.

This event is hosted by the Deer Isle Hostel in Deer Isle, ME.  Lunch included. $50. Early registration recommended. Scholarships available. Sponsored by MOFGA. All participants are welcome, and encouraged, to stay at the Hostel the night prior to the workshop.  To register, please contact Anneli at the Deer Isle Hostel https://deerislehostel.wordpress.com/reservations/

Midcoast Permaculture events Spring 2016

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Spring Greetings All!

Spring has come early this year even as winter threatens to dust us with snow periodically.  The birds are singing, the coltsfoot and crocus are blooming, and we are seeing emergence everywhere.  Spring is a good time for people to consider their goals for the year and how they might make adjustments to design and management.  Spring is a great time to consider, for example, how to manage the water flowing across your landscape and how to design plant systems to make advantageous use of that water.

If you’ve been wondering about how permaculture might be able to help with your landscape’s design challenge, now is the perfect time of year to contact us for consultations and design projects!

With that, here are a number of permaculture related events of interest.  Some are here in the Midcoast and some are elsewhere (Unity, Portland, NY).  Some are free and some have fees.  Take a look, tell us what you think, and keep in touch!

Spring Permaculture Events

Free Library Presentations

Wednesday, April 13, 6:30, Waldoboro public library.  Perennial Polyculture Design presentation.
http://www.waldoborolibrary.org/

Thursday, May 5, 6:00, Thomaston public library.  Perennial Polyculture Design.
http://www.thomaston.lib.me.us/events.html

Plus more in the works…

Upcoming Permaculture classes & events

Techniques for Multi-Stakeholder Permaculture Projects.
Thursday, April 7, 2016.  9:30 AM to 3:30 PM.  Resilience Hub, Portland.  Price $39.
http://www.meetup.com/maine-permaculture/events/229215726/

Apple Tree Pruning Workshop
Sat, Apr 9 from 9am-noon.  In Union.  Fee: $15.  FMI and to register: Pruning, 596-2040 or rebecca@knox-lincoln.org
http://www.knox-lincoln.org/rejuvenation-pruning/

Webinar: Successful Permaculture Event Design & Hosting. 
Friday, April 22, 2016.  3:00 PM to 4:15 PM.  Online, hosted by the Resilience Hub.  Price $15
http://www.meetup.com/maine-permaculture/events/229215528/

Wabanaki REACH Ally Workshop: Rockland
Saturday, April 16, 2016.  9:30 am – 4:00 pm.  Free, registration required.

While not a permaculture course per se, this workshop clearly demonstrates the permaculture ethic of PeopleCare.  This workshop is designed for non-Native people. It provides an opportunity to reflect on our shared history and future with Native people. It includes: a very brief history of US government relationships with Native people; awareness of white privilege; and ally responsibilities.

Space is limited and registration is required, so please register by emailing Barbara@mainewabanakireach.org or calling 951-4874. Questions are welcome.

Annual Permaculture PLANT Swap!
Saturday, May 7, 2016   10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.  Resilience Hub, Portland.  Space may be limited so please take your RSVP seriously.
http://www.meetup.com/maine-permaculture/events/227303268/

2016 Maine Permaculture Design Certification Course – weekend format
Starts the weekend of June 3, 2016.  Hosted at MOFGA in Unity.  $250 deposit to hold your spot.  Space is limited.  Typically sells out.
https://www.facebook.com/events/242673236064848/
http://www.meetup.com/maine-permaculture/events/226906731/

Save the date for Maine Permaculture Day
Saturday, August 20, 2016  9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Locations throughout the state.  More info to be announced.  http://www.meetup.com/maine-permaculture/events/229613619/

…and while this course is far afield, we will be there and we have a healthy Maine contingent organizing a caravan.
Regrarians 10-Day Regenerative Ag Farm Planning Course w/Darren Doherty
Saturday, August 6, 2016  to Monday, August 15, 2016 in Essex, NY
This is a 10-day intensive on the Regrarians farm-scale land management design platform.  This is a professional development training geared for farmers, landscape designers, and land management professionals.
FMI http://www.meetup.com/maine-permaculture/events/228835576/ & https://www.facebook.com/events/871791996251974/

Intro to Permaculture half day workshop in Deer Isle

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September 5th  Permaculture workshop
with Jesse Watson of Midcoast Permaculture Design.

Learn how to design ecological and edible landscapes and resilient home sites using whole system planning and patterns from nature. In this Introduction to Permaculture workshop we will discuss the history, principles and benefits of permaculture design. We will go over a permaculture site design process and introduce some concepts and practices around site analysis and assessment. The day will be part theory, part practice, with an observation exercise around the homestead and a mapping/drawing exercise.

When:  10am-3pm.  September 5th.

Where:  Deer Isle Hostel, Deer Isle Maine.

Cost:  $50.  Lunch included.  Early registration recommended.  Scholarships available. Sponsored by MOFGA. All participants are welcome, and encouraged, to stay at the Hostel the night prior to the workshop. $25 with communal dinner.  To register, contact Anneli at info@deerislehostel.com or call 207-348-2308

What participants should bring:
pad, pencil, clipboard
water bottle
drinking vessel for coffee/tea
weather-appropriate clothing & gear

Jesse Watson operates Midcoast Permaculture Design. He has been doing permaculture land planning and installation for residential and farm clients since 2009. He has been teaching summer Permaculture Design Certification classes at MOFGA since 2012 with the Resilience Hub. 

 

Orchard concept detail

Orchard concept detail

Midcoast Permaculture Meetup- Landscape analysis

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This weekend as part of our monthly series exploring the inner and outer landscapes, we would like to invite you to come talk about landscape analysis.  As part of the permaculture design process we make a habit of observation, analysis and assessment.  In this meetup we will discuss the “Scales of Permanence” as a landscape analysis technique.  We will talk about the many ‘layers’ of data you may collect as part of a landscape analysis, and what some of those map layers might be.  They include climate, water, landform and others.  It seems appropriate now that Spring is finally here!

So please come for a potluck lunch Saturday April 25 from 11-2.  Bring a dish to share (gluten free options encouraged) and we will eat, drink, make merry and dream of perennial gardening.  Donations gratefully accepted.  Call or email us for directions if you need them. Tree Guild copy 3sm

2015 Maine PDC in Unity

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2015 Maine Permaculture Design Certification Course – Weekend Format

Permaculture Design Certificate Course Details

(for full details, registration, course outcomes and curriculum overview, click here: http://www.meetup.com/portlandpermaculture/events/201906492/)

Where: MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center in Unity Maine.

When: This course will be held over the course of 5 weekends, April through October 2015. Course dates (mark your calendar now) in 2015 will be:

May 29, 30 & 31 || Jun 26, 27 & 28 ||  Aug 1 & 2 || Aug 29 & 30 || Oct 2, 3 & 4

This works well for those who cannot take extensive time off from work or home responsibilities. Class time generally runs 9am to 5pm with films/speakers during the evenings of each weekend.  Camping is available on-site.

Cost: $1295 ($1195 early registration). Payment plans can be arranged. Course fee includes full course materials and certification, coffee, tea + am/pm snacks and refreshments, handouts, over 30 gigabytes of course reference materials (digital format), access to the 200+ volume physical permaculture library, field trips, guest instructors and camping on-site during course weekends. One evening meal per weekend is provided and lunches potluck/BYO.  $250 Deposit holds your spot in this course.

Home and business in Owl's Head. Kitchen garden makes use of mandala keyhole geometry.
Home and business in Owl’s Head. Kitchen garden makes use of mandala keyhole geometry.

 

Northeast Permaculture Convergence in Unity, ME July 4-6!

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We are wicked excited to be on the organizing team that will bring the Northeast Permaculture Convergence back to Maine this July 4 (“Independence day”) weekend.  We will be celebrating our “Interdependence” with lots of exciting sessions.  We’ve got presentations, workshops, hands-on skills demos, kids activities, music, entertainments and of course great food lined up for the weekend!  Friday will be field trips, Saturday will be the major day of workshops, and Sunday will be network and movement building.  To register and for more information see:  http://northeastconvergence.wordpress.com/

Intro to Permaculture Spring 2014

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As we pour over seed catalogs huddled next to the stove, it is a good time to begin dreaming and scheming for our gardens this coming year.  And the best way to begiTree Guild copy 3smn the garden is with good design.  Of course, sustainability and resilience is on everyone’s mind these days, and so with that in mind we’re pleased to announce that we’ll be teaching an 8 hour Introduction to Permaculture course in Rockland at the UU Church.  We will focus on the subject of goals for the garden, design of the garden, and sustainability in the garden and how that connects to the rest of society.

Permaculture – the Art of Ecological Design

Permaculture is a design system and set of techniques for creating resilient human habitats and healthy ecosystems. It is modeled on ecological principles and takes into account food production, shelter, energy, water, wellness, community, culture and economics. In this 8 hour intro course students will gain a strong foundation for applying permaculture ethics and design principles. We will cover topics including: a permaculture design process, forest gardens & perennial polycultures, water management, earthworks, pattern literacy, and garden management.

Dates for this course are April 2, 16, 23, 30; 6-8pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockland, 345 Broadway.  Cost is $60.  Class size is limited so register early!  To register email watson (at) midcoastpermaculture.com

Midcoast permaculture meetup

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Title: Midcoast permaculture meetup
Location: our house
Description: Saturday, June 22, 11-2. Midcoast Permaculture meetup in Rockland. Potluck, discussion, site tour. “Animals in the landscape.” We’ll talk about how poultry can work for you as garden helpers and how they can be of special help with site preparation.

Bring a lunch time dish to share, your potluck kit (plate, bowl, utensils), friends, children and enthusiasm! 168 W. Meadow Rd, Rockland. Let me know if you’re planning on attending so we can plan accordingly. Hope you see you there!
Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2013-06-22
End Time: 14:00