Arizona State Land Department has awarded Manzanita Village Co-Housing Community a matching grant of $8,300 to enhance its urban forests and create networks of information sharing as it preserves and regenerates its heritage of native trees.
Andrew Millison, local permaculture expert, ECOSA and Prescott College Instructor, and Macrae Nicoll, of High Desert Rain Catchment, will lead two workshops in which participants install cisterns. These tanks will store rainwater that runs off the Manzanita Village Common House Roof and use it to water two new forest garden catchment basins. Participants will actually plant these catchment systems, designed to be symbiotic tree and plant cultures.
The first two-day workshop will take place the weekend following Earth Day: April 26 and 27 at the Manzanita Village Common House on Benjamin Drive in Prescott. The twenty-five dollar fee will cover educational materials as well as a copy of Brad Lancaster’s remarkable book, Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands. Members from the community will host participants for the noon meal on both Saturday and Sunday.
Participants will acquire the know how to later develop their own water catchment tank systems. They will leave with a realistic sense of the volume of rainwater they could feasibly store, and the size of tank they should optimally choose for their own design. The atmosphere will be conducive for people seeking to enhance and share their knowledge of sustainability.
Innovative theories and ideas will be viewed in the light of what’s practical—how much potentially valuable rainwater runs off of an Arizona roof? Andrew will demonstrate rainwater storage as a viable approach to future water management rather than a hasty return to antiquated methods of the past.
Manzanita Village (MV) provides a particularly appropriate community-building atmosphere since its mission overall is to bring people together in ways that enhance interdependence and environmental harmony. The Village limits traffic on its main road to make it safe for children and promote walking. Homes are designed to encourage porch sitting. The site, which is approximately one-quarter mile up Bradshaw Street, comprises ten acres. Alligator Juniper, Utah Juniper, Pinion Pine and Scrub Live Oak,line its steep slopes. These trees, already growing on the landscape, will benefit secondarily from the increased water penetration and seepage.
Registration for this two-day workshop is limited. For more information call: Kris Holt 928-227-1895 or e-mail:
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Comments () |
|
|
|
|
 |
