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Instructors:
Michael Pilarski
Michael Holchek (sp?)
and many guest speakers.
Montana is a rich and beautiful place. It is a paradox that one of the most resource rich states in the US is also one of the states with the lowest per capita income. This course is about creating vibrant, local economies based on sustainable use of natural resources. Montana was 70% food self-sufficient in 1970 (?-check out AERO statistics) and is now only 15-20%. This course is about how Montana could become 90% food self-sufficient. We have set a goal that 90% of the food we serve at the course will be Montana-grown. Permaculture stresses systems producing high yields with little fossil fuel and outside inputs. Food security at the state, county, local, and family levels. The course teaches ecological land-use. It includes restoration of degraded ecosystems to higher levels of health, productivity and biodiversity. In a sense, permaculture is a marriage between restoration and production.
Food and energy are two of the most critical issues facing Montana in a post peak-oil world. As has been recently deonstrated, prices of Montana-produced oil will go up with every world crisis. AERO's Montana Energy Strategy which is being produce in early 2006 is a great blueprint for a sustainable energy strategy. During this permaculture course, we will incorporate the AERO strategies into a permaculture framework. The course will also look at geothermal energy systems since Alameda Motel has geothermal water capability.
Montana has a lot to learn from its tribal people on the topic of living sustainably in Montana. Living sustainably on local resources was their specialty. Ethnoecology is the study of how tribal peoples affected their environments. It is becoming ever clearer that Montana tribal peoples consciously helped create landscapes that were richer in food and game resources then would have been there naturally. They co-created the rich ecosystems that were here when the white people arrived. The course will include information on these ethnoecological practices, the uses of native plants and ecosystem restoration. The goal is not to deplete ecosystems of what beneficial plants remain, but rather to help co-create more productive ecosystems all around us. We will describe pre-industrialization strategies and techniques from Northwest tribes and cultures around the world. The course welcomes the participation of tribal people, both students and teachers. Scholarships for tribal people are available.
Alameda Motel is a 25-unit motel which sits on a city block on the edge of Hot Springs, Montana. Alameda is in the process of becoming an educational retreat center. During this course we will help design a permaculture plan for this transformation. Alameda owns a vacant lot (most of a block) across the street where they plan a demonstration garden. The lot will be the site of the first year of a Hot Springs Farmers Market in 2006. Participants will divide into small teams which will make designs for these and other sites in/near town. Everyone will learn by participating in a design process for a real-life place. These reports are presented to the whole group and some of the ideas will be implemented.
We need to redefine our definition of 'wealth' from quantity of possessions to quality of life. Quality of life is the key to true happiness. Quality of life includes healthful food, clean air, clean water, beautiful surroundings, healthy ecosystems, meaningful work, and loving social contact. Building communities of supportive friends is important. Permaculture addresses all these concerns.
Montana has a greater opportunity then other states to be a national leader in sustainable economies.
Two excellent resources for Montana are the "Buy Fresh - Buy Local" campaign and the "Grow Montana" policy group. Check with AERO for details.
This is a certificate permaculture course and graduates will be allowed to use the name permaculture in teaching, consulting and design.
Bio: Michael Pilarski has lived and worked in the Interior Northwest for 34 years, mostly in north-central Washington. He is very much at home in douglas fir, ponderosa pine, bunchgrass and sagebrush ecosystems. Pilarski is the foremost permaculture teacher working in the Interior Northwest and has taught widely around the region. Michael has lived on the Idaho/Montana border between Moyie Springs and Troy and has taught around northwest Montana. He is the founder of the Montana Herb Gathering which was held annually from 1998 to 2003. His specialties include organic farming, horticulture, gardening, agroforestry, forestry, medicinal herbs, native plant uses, restoration, ethnobotany and ethnoecology. He started the Okanogan Barter Faire in 1974 and Friends of the Trees Society in 1978.
Contact Anaisa at ana_starr@yahoo.com