Climate Smart Ecological Designs for Farms
When: Wednesday, March 19, 2025 from 10:00-3:00 BYO lunch (Snow date Thursday, March 20, 2025)
Where: Aldermere Farm Welcome Center 20 Russell Ave, Rockport, ME 04856 for morning session; Erickson Fields Preserve, 164 West Street, Rockport for afternoon session
Cost $25.00
Program Description
Ecological Design is a helpful tool for implementing a Climate Adaptation Plan. In this workshop Jesse Watson from Maine Ecological Design School will introduce the Ecological Design process and principles that go into this type of planning process. Some considerations include: categories of land use; reading the landscape, addressing resource concerns, access, water management, types of agroforestry practices and more. The first part of the workshop will take place in a classroom setting at the Aldermere Farm Welcome Center. After lunch the workshop will head to nearby Erickson Fields Preserve. At Erickson we will walk through the Ecological Design Plan for that site with Jesse and MCHT staff to learn about how and why decisions for the plan were made. The goal is for you to leave the workshop with a sense of how an Ecological Design plan could be a helpful, useful and applicable tool for your farm or property.
Speaker biography:
Jesse Watson is a professional landscape and homestead designer practicing the permaculture design process for clients since 2009 consulting for private residents, market gardens, farmers and non-profit organizations. He is active in movements for sustainability including regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, food sovereignty and forest defense. He has been active in the social aspect of the permaculture movement for much of that time, organizing events and building institutional capacity with PAN, The Resilience Hub and MOFGA. He designs landscapes, builds houses and practices homesteading and ancestral skills in his own household. You can see more of his design work at midcoastpermaculture.com and his educational work at maineecologicaldesign.org