Upcoming Events
January 2018
Greetings all,Below is an amazing collection of upcoming events in the central Virginia bioregion! Folks can sign up for the BRPN e-newsletter here. Send us announcements to: blueridgepermaculture@gmail.com, or click here to view this email as a webpage. And check out the BRPN on Facebook here.
Best,
Christine, Terry, and the BRPN team
www.blueridgepermaculture.net
1.
Shenandoah Permaculture Institute is will be hosting a 2018 Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course in partnership with University of Richmond!
This 9 day, 72-hour PDC will be held over 4 weekends at the University of Richmond in Richmond, VA.
Dates: Feb. 9-11, Feb. 24-25, March 10-11, March 24-25, 2018
Cost: $999 (includes lunches)
For more information and to register please visit:
https://spcs.richmond.edu/noncredit/programs/permaculture/index.html
Questions? Contact: Trevor Piersol shenperminstitute@gmail.com
www.shenandoahpermaculture.com
2.
Tricycle Urban Agriculture Fellowship
March 5th - December 14th, 2018
20 hours a week
Tricycle's Certificate in Urban Agriculture is the result of an innovative collaboration with the USDA-National Resources Conservation Service and Bon Secours. Offered within Tricycle’s 10-month Urban Agriculture Fellowship, participants spend 20 hours a week in the classroom, on farm sites, field trips, or participating in Tricycle mission programs. Together, the Certificate and Fellowship program form a learner-centered, transformational education experience.
Applications are due by January 19, 2018 and are available on our website. Full scholarships for tuition & fees for 2018 Cohort provided by Bon Secours
For more information, please email beth@tricycleurbanag.org or call 804-231-7767.
3.
10% off Vintage Virginia Apples and Albemarle CiderWorks workshops (below)
Join Vintage Virginia Apples and Albemarle CiderWorks for one or all of our winter orcharding workshops, and as a member of the Blue Ridge Permaculture Network, we’ll give you a 10% discount. Just enter BRP10 during checkout at this link: https://vintagevirginiaapples.myshopify.com/discount/BRP10
Pruning 101- with Vintage Virginia Apples; February 24
Careful pruning ensures a more bountiful harvest. Find out how much to prune, where to make the pruning cuts, and when it should be done. This class is structured to take orchardists from the planting of the nursery tree, through the early years of training and pruning, into lifetime maintenance, rejuvenation, and even bringing old or feral trees back into production.
Planning and Planting the Home Orchard- with Rich Marini, PSU Horticulture specialist; March 3
Dreaming of starting your own orchard? Join Rich Marini, Penn State University pomologist, and the team at Vintage Virginia Apples and Albemarle CiderWorks for a day-long course on planning and planting fruit trees. Topics to be discussed include site selection and preparation, water and protection options, varietal and rootstock selection, the physical planting of the trees including notes on high density planting, and care over the life of the tree. VVA staff will be on hand all day for orchard consultation, and tree orders may be scheduled for pick up while you're here.
Pruning Intensive- with Jim Moniz; various dates
For the fourth year, Jim Moniz teaches a hands-on pruning workshop. Classroom instruction is combined with work in the orchard to give examples of different pruning techniques.
Grafting- with Vintage Virginia Apples; March 10 and March 17
Since apples do not reproduce true from seed, propagation depends on grafting the desired variety onto a reliable rootstock. Expert hands-on instruction by the Vintage Virginia Apples staff will introduce you to the fine art of grafting. Each participant will graft two trees from a choice of scionwood from the Vintage Virginia Apples collection to take home with them, along with a copy of our grafting handbook.
Organic Orcharding- with Michael Phillips; April 7
Vintage Virginia Apples is delighted to welcome Michael Phillips, the country’s leading authority on organic fruit culture, author of The Apple Grower and Holistic Orcharding for a workshop on orcharding with ecological awareness. Michael is an energetic proponent of healthy orcharding, exploring a variety of topics such as soil health, alternatives to fungicides, insect management, drawing connections between home orcharding and permaculture; the importance of native pollinators and beneficial allies; the world of understory plantings with shade-tolerant berry bushes; detailed information on cover crops and biodiversity; varietal rundowns of all the major tree fruits, and the newest research on safe, locally-inspired solutions to pest and disease challenges.
Understanding Pests & Diseases in the Orchard - with Dr. Daniel Frank and TBA, June date TBA
Visit https://www.albemarleciderworks.com/news/workshops for more info and to sign up.
4.
Living Earth School seeks to hire a Director of Administration and Development to help us continue the work of nature connection and personal development in the central Virginia area.
Position description: This is a full-time position with an immediate start date and a competitive salary commensurate with experience as well as annual vacation.
Duties include office administration, coordinating day camps, and some fieldwork. The candidate should be community-minded, outgoing, a student of life, committed to nature education and personal growth, and has the skills to administrate efficiently. The ideal start date for this position is January 31, 2018 after training with the Living Earth School team. For serious interest only!
Please send resume to: livingearthva@gmail.com
www.LivingEarthva.com
5.
Sacred Gardening Workshop - Feb 23 - Feb 25, 2018
Workshop at Montfair, near Crozet, Virginia
Wanting to recommit to gardening in a sacred way? Hands-on workshop to learn steps to
a vibrant Polyculture with Steven Martyn founder of the Sacred Gardener School of Golden Lake, Ontario.
Gain hands on experience to integrate your life with the land where you live. WIldculturing can work with any landscape to increase the fecundity and perennial abundance of the land. The wildculturing tool box is full a traditional techniques from simple ways to increase the quality of a forest or existing forage to creating complex plantings of successional polyculture.
Steven Martyn, M.A. (traditional plant use), B.F.A. honors, artist, farmer, wild crafter, builder, teacher, writer, visionary. In 2014 Steven and his wife started the Sacred Gardener Earth Wisdom School. Steven released his first book, “The Story of the Madawaska Forest Garden” in 2016, and his second “Sacred Gardening” was released in June 2017.
Price of Workshop per person: $200.00
Additions (Call Montfair Office to pay for additions)
Add on Monday February 26 for an additional $85.00
Food $36.00 for 3 days of meals -- 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners.
Accommodations at Montfair Resort Farm:
Camping in Lodge will be $50.00 per night per person includes use of kitchen, restrooms, shower, heat and use of fire place. Guest will need to provide own sleeping bag/ linens and or cot. Cottage option: $112.00 per night for up to 4 guests and $20.00 per additional person up to 6 guests.
https://www.montfairresortfarm.com/
6.
From our friends at the Transition Cville Team
www.transitioncville.org
www.facebook.com/transitioncville
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Tuesday 1/9 Cville TimeBank Orientation
6pm at City Hall (across from City Manager's Office)
Everyone has something to give, and the TimeBank is a way to trade services and build community at the same time. Potential members set up a profile on the member portal, and attend an orientation prior to having their Timebank account authorized. Once your account is authorized, you can begin browsing current offers and requests – and post your own! An additional session is offered on 1/17 at 2pm at the Senior Center. cvilletimebank.com/membership-information/
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Wednesday 1/10 Sierra Club Progam: Our Underwater World
7pm at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 100 Alderman Rd.
Underwater photographer Gary Powell will show images of 6 or 7 groups of animals and narrate their natural history. His presentation will focus on sharks, anemone fish, nudibranchs, seahorses, manatees, squid/octopus and/or sea otters. Gary will also discuss ocean conservation and include handouts from the Monterey Bay Aquarium called "Seafood Watch" which guides consumers to make the best choices when buying seafood. The more we can see and relate to our underwater world, the more we will care and conserve it.
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Thursdays 1/11 - 3/15 Ham Radio License Class
7-9pm at Our Lady of Peace, 751 Hillsdale Dr.
Be prepared! Hurricanes, earthquakes or fiber optic line cuts can be serious for a community, but ham radio gets through when all else fails. These ten classes will teach you the basics of radio and electronics and prepare you to get your Technician Class License. $30. www.albemarleradio.org/
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Monday 1/15 Meadowcreek Restoration Project
10am-1pm at
Join the Nature Conservancy at the monthly cleanup of the Meadow Creek Restoration Project. Help find treasures and keep them out of the Rivanna, James and Chesapeake Bay. Registratio n required at jdalke@tnc.o rg.
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Friday 1/19 - Sunday 1/21 Holistic Sustainability Weekend Immersive All Weekend at Living Energy Farm, 1022 Bibb Store Rd., Louisa Have you ever seen a 100 year old battery that still works? Would you like to learn how to wire a homestead using DC electricity? Would you like to learn how to grow all of your own food in organic gardens and orchards? Would you like to be part of a movement to create sustainable villages? Come and live for a weekend at LEF, and experience a series of workshops to help you understand how to live comfortably and happily without fossil fuels. $200. Contact Brie at 443-417-7328, briennagerard@gmail.com, or livingenergyfarm@gmail.com. More details at livingenergyfarm.org/workshops/2018jan19immersive.html.
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Saturday 1/20 Vinegar Making
10am-noon at Monticello
Vinegar was an integral ingredient in various Jefferson-family recipes, and there’s more to vinegar, translated literally as “sour wine,” than salad dressing. Most people are unaware of the rich traditions of using vinegar in cooking, as a food preservative, and even as a wholesome beverage. Join wine-maker and master-chef Gabriele Rausse in reviewing the basic principles of vinegar-making, and then learn how to use it in preparing vegetables and meat and in concocting delicious aromatized dressings. $24. Register at www.monticello.org/site/visit/events/vinegar-making.
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Saturday 1/20 Garden Basics: To Prune or Not to Prune
2-4pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Ave.
Have you ever been afraid to prune that overgrown shrub? Do you want to train that new tree? Have no fear! This lecture will tell you how to keep your plants looking great. Free. To regiser send your contact information (name, address, phone number, and email address) and name of class to info@piedmontmastergardeners.org.
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Saturday 1/27 Drop Spindle Class
11am-noon at Ashlawn-Highland
Led by crafter Russell Hubert, participants will learn how to spin wool using the traditional drop spindle method. Wool used during the drop spindle class will be provided by Highland from their flock of Dorset sheep. Participants in the class will learn how this wool is processed from fleece to yarn using early-nineteenth century techniques. Admission to the drop spindle class is $10 per person. No materials or experience are needed to participate. Register at highland.org/drop-spindle-class/.
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Saturday 2/3 Orchard Planning and Pruning
9am-3pm at 912 Woodfolk Dr.
Come learn how to grow food on trees, without chemicals! If you buy everything in a mainstream nursery catalog and plant it, you will not grow much food. You have to know what to plant, and how to take care of it. Sponsored by the experts at Living Energy Farm, they will also talk about pruning and winter maintenance of fruit trees. Cost is $25 at the door. Please RSVP to livingenergyfarm@gmail.com.
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Sunday 2/11 Film: Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home
2-5pm at PVCC, Dickinson Auditorium
Wildlife habitat isn’t just wide open spaces and dense green forests. Habitat can be created almost anywhere. This acclaimed film shows homeowners, landowners and community leaders how to improve wildlife habitat and revitalize ecosystems right in their own backyards and neighborhoods. This is an environmental film by Catherine Zimmerman, an award-winning director of photography and independent documentary filmmaker. Included are helpful pointers by Dr. Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, about how our landscape choices can sustain insects, birds, and other wildlife around us. Zimmerman will be in Charlottesville to introduce the film, and selected segments will be shown. Panel discussion to follow. Light refreshments available at 1:30. Free. www.pecva.org/events/808-film-screening-hometown-habitat-stories-of-bringing-nature-home
7.
Apply today for AMI's Farm and Food Education Fellowship Program
AMI's flagship program is an 18-month Fellowship that prepares individuals to become teachers and ambassadors for a more vibrant and accessible local food system. AMI's flagship program is an 18-month Fellowship that prepares individuals to become teachers and ambassadors for a more vibrant and accessible local food system. Selected Fellows are fully funded to spend six months in immersive training on AMI’s Mountain Farm campus (Phase I) and one year in service work with AMI’s partner organizations (Phase II). AMI Fellows gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between food production, natural systems, diet, and optimal human health and participate in hands-on educational program in sustainable agriculture.
AMI's Fellowship Program creates strong leaders who successfully work to build more cohesive community food systems. They go on to work as local food coordinators, farmers, school garden facilitators, market farm managers, food systems educators, and advocates for sustainable food systems.
Applications are due by February 1, 2018
For more information, e-mail Jessa Fowler: jessa@alleghenymountainschool.org.
https://www.alleghenymountaininstitute.org/
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Now Hiring AMI Farm Manager
The Allegheny Farm Manager will be responsible for most operational aspects of both Farm and Facilities at our Allegheny Mountain Farm in Highland County, VA.
Competitive applicants should have a strong commitment to organic, regenerative agricultural practices and an interest in education of the broader community.
This is a full-time, exempt, year-round position with regular weekend and periodic evening work.
Salary is commensurate with experience. Benefits package includes housing, farm-grown food share, workers’ compensation coverage, and earned vacation/sick leave, plus holidays.
Click Here for full position description.
APPLY NOW!
8.
If you haven't already, please go to GrowFoodFilm.com to get free access to our new documentary Grow Food when it launches this Spring! I am so excited and really want to share it with as many people as possible, because I know that together, we can make a difference in food quality and availability in our communities. Such a great way to contribute to a healthier future! ^_^
It would mean so much to me if you would take a moment to share this film with your friends and family. If you are inspired to donate, we welcome your contribution. Every dollar counts toward reaching our goal!
We are almost finished with our fundraiser (4 days to go) to finish the final editing of our film and want to thank you for taking the time to check it out and share!
The easiest way to share our project is to:
- Go to our Kickstarter.
- To share, click the Facebook or email icon to the right of our video on our Kickstarter page.
- To donate, click the “back this project” button and choose the reward you would like to receive.
9.
The Piedmont Landscape Association Seminar
February 15, 2018
| The Paramount Theater - Charlottesville, VA |
http://www.piedmontlandscape.org/seminar2018.html
10.
Permaculture in Nicaragua
February 2 - 11, 2018
What you will learn
- What is permaculture, how to become certified in it, and why
- A variety of sustainable agriculture, design, and construction techniques
- How to observe nature and what to look for
- The difference between exotic and invasive plants
- How to grow organic coffee the right way, and what makes it taste so good
Amenities
Stay in eco-lodges and economical hotels for a rustic, culturally-immersive and communal experience. Most accommodation will be in shared rooms.Cost
$1580/person20% deposit due Nov 2, 2017, balance due Dec 15, 2017.
What's included
Includes: all meals, lodging in shared accommodations, transportation, activities, and guide/translator.Excludes: airfare, health insurance, $10 tourist visa, and personal spending.
