May 28. 2007
Dear Friend of the Lost
Native Plants and Permaculture
Gathering,
at Lost Valley Educational Center,
Participants
Our thanks to all of the following participants for
making the Native Plants and Permaculture Gathering what it was:
Rick
Ahrens, Ed Alverson, Mieko Aoki, Lindsey Aumiller, Emily Aune, David
Barts,
Brian Basor, Lois Beran, Lawrence Birch, Jason Blazar, Sharon Blick,
Kate
Bodey, Devon Bonady, Dave Bontrager, Sherri Brown, Rosemary Buchmeier,
Trey
Burns, Bill Burwell, Alan Butler, Barbara Butzer, Anne Christiansen,
Everett
Chu, Maida Counts, Marcia Cutler, Da-Kaya, Tyre Dawn, Elias DeChristo,
Erin
Eichenberger, Zach Fairbanks, Aryana Ferguson, Michael Foreman, Rachel
Foster,
Cory Fulton, Jenny Getty, Kathy Ging, Jerry Hall, Gray Hayes, Jonathan
Helling,
Toby Hemenway, Alma Herrera, Deb Hill,
Feedback from
Presenters and Attendees
“I
have been inspired, awakened, and constantly reminded of the weekend.
Thanks
for the fun.”
“Thanks
so much for putting on a great conference.”
“You
really did an excellent job on the whole thing –
a very diverse and balanced selection of papers, and a very
professional handling of what could have been an explosive situation. I
am personally amazed how effectively the conflict resolution methods
worked, and I have to say that I learned a great deal – about
permaculture, about the native plant people, about the weed warriors,
and about myself.”
“What a great
thing that maybe the energy
created at the workshop that weekend helped to move things in a more
cooperative mode for participants.”
“Thanks
for all your work on the conference, I really enjoyed it.”
“The
conference was wonderful! I found it inspiring and informative, and was
very
sorry I had to leave early to take care of other obligations. I am 100
percent
glad I took the time to attend as much as I could. You put together a
great
group of people.”
“I
attended partially because Toby [Hemenway] was going to be there and
talk.
I realize he did not invent permaculture but his book [Gaia’s
Garden] was a ‘V-8 moment’ for me.
He did that again Saturday with his insight about human behavior and
religion
as horticulturists as opposed to the agricultural/monotheist shift.”
“Thanks
for your hard work creating this very successful event. Wonderful job!”
“I
had a great time at the conference. The food was also incredible. In
fact that
is one of the first things I have been telling people when I talk about
the
weekend. I loved
“Somehow
hanging out with all the amazing people over the weekend helped me make
some
decisions in my life, and I've decided to leave a job that I've been
unhappy
with, even though I don't have something else to step into. Simply
leaving this
situation is what I need to do.”
“I
got a good feeling about the Lost Valley Community from being there; I
especially
liked the circles before meals and the decorations around the dining
hall.”
“The
care you all brought to holding the space for this event was, quite
simply,
remarkable. I found myself delighted at every turn. Showers, restrooms,
fixtures, all of it, demonstrated an obvious care and attentiveness
that
allowed for a wonderfully stress-free time among good souls. I left,
this
evening, feeling deeply refreshed by the experience. I want to proffer
an
especial note of thanks to everyone supporting the kitchen/lodge
effort. Each
and every meal was a passionate event.”
“I
really liked the way you organized the event so that only occasionally
were
multiple events happening. It didn't feel like a three ring circus or
that I
was always ‘missing out.’ Great great job.”
“Thank
you for a wonderful weekend! My favorite part of the weekend was
experiencing
all the beautiful people and their beautiful energy at the Lost Valley
Community! I also love the land there; it is beautiful. The workshop
and the
presenters were great. With so much that is frightening happening in
the world
right now, it gives me hope to see so many people working to help our
Mother
Earth. I really liked the concert on Saturday as well.”
Feedback from
Work-Traders
“Thanks for having me at the Valley! It was great to be back and great
to be in the kitchen again.”
“Thanks for catalyzing and holding such a wonderful event.”
“The
work trade program is wonderful – thank you for that opportunity. The meals
were
excellent, the information was great, and the people were awesome. I
could not
have asked for a better conference.”
Suggestions
for Improvements
“I [could
only attend] three meetings on Saturday. I left early because I didn't
see
it getting into depth on the issues I'm concerned with, food and fiber
in the
future.”
“[In
relation to invasive species control, I’d suggest] something more basic
for the
new plant-ophiles.”
“It
would have been more helpful to me to have the information presented on
the
basics of permaculture and then have been given a real life situation
with
materials and problems to solve, perhaps in small groups.”
“I
was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of material presented, and at the
same time
desiring more practical information. Some more down time would have
been nice.
A few times I was torn between needing some time alone and not wanting
to miss
valuable information. What I mean by practical information is the kind
I could
take home and do something with. Like a highlight of specific plants. I
guess
this was talked about some, and perhaps I missed the session that went
into
this more.”
“As
far as suggestions go, I will share a point that I brought up at the
Indigenous
Land Management Panel: I applaud the people who are designing systems
to repair
the Earth. Traditionally, the native peoples knew how to work with the
land, as
stewards, and to live in harmony on the land for many thousands of
years, by
receiving instructions from our Creator and Mother Earth, and through
communicating with the plants, animals and Spirits in Nature. Many of
the
systems for restoring the Earth today are based on left-brain, linear,
scientific, engineering concepts. Some professionals that work on
native
habitat restorations combine traditional knowledge and spirituality
with
science. If I were to suggest anything, it would be looking at how we
can begin
communicating with these types of beings. It seems to me that so many
of the
problems in our societies have a spiritual basis, and that until we
address
these issues, it may be difficult to bring ourselves back into balance
and
restore the sacred hoop of life on Mother Earth.”
“My main feedback would be to have a winter
conference, perhaps in conjunction with a spring conference. I see the
benefit
of having it in spring but it is a rough time for many of us to get
away for
three days.”
Other
feedback, relayed verbally: One
person believed that the native plants perspective was not represented
as fully
as the Permaculture perspective; another commented that the gender
balance among
presenters was not equal either. (For the information of those who
noted these
imbalances: Organizers did try to create equality and balance in both
areas,
but unfortunately several native plant people and five women presenters
who had
been on the schedule at various times needed to withdraw because of
other
commitments, unexpected family issues, etc.)
Several
people suggested that more specific examples in some of the
presentations would
have made them stronger. Not all presentation styles worked equally
well for
all participants.
We continue
to welcome feedback from participants, many of whom have not yet
responded. We’re
still interested in answers to these questions: What did you like about
the
event? What changes would you suggest for next time? What kinds of
follow-up
events would you be interested in participating in? What was your
personal
experience – what struck you most? What feelings and
thoughts have come up since
the weekend related to the gathering and to the topics it addressed?
We
will keep you informed about future events and about documentation of
this one.
Thanks again to all who took interest in this gathering, all who helped
spread
the word, and all who participated!