Meadow/Ponds
Meadow
We have a natural meadow that may have been inhabited by Kalapuya people of the Willamette Valley as a wintering spot. It was most likely burned annually and used for Camus bulb harvest by the Kalapuya people. The camas, which was a major food source, continues to flower abundantly in spring, leading a seasonal succession of wildflowers in our meadow which include ox eye daisy, prunella, yarrow, and Queen Anne¹s lace. We manage to deter invasive species from invading the meadow and we maintain specific footpaths to avoid soil compaction in other areas. The meadow is our main camping area for summer apprentices and visitors. In the winter, when we have a large amount of rainfall, the brush dams we have constructed slow heavy surface water flow.
Ponds
In 2000, we built a large pond on the edge of our forest in an area that was once a logging road. In addition to natural clay on site, we added bentonite clay as a lining. We have recently planted Wapato, a native edible bulb, in the bottom of the pond and we plan to add cattails and other plants to attract wildlife and enhance the microclimate of the area. In the fall, the pond dries up, but by early winter it is full and running out through the serpentine swale.
Our Iris Pond was constructed during the 1995 Permaculture Design Course to capture water that flows over the road. It fills during the winter and dries up in the late spring. Designed to be functional, beautiful, and edible, the plant species include rush, slough sedge, Siberian iris, red-osier dogwood, native rose, day lily, butterfly bush, chokeberry, gooseberry, pear, Russian mulberry, and red alder. The red alder is being pollarded (cut at deer browse level) for compost and firewood.
We have a natural meadow that may have been inhabited by Kalapuya people of the Willamette Valley as a wintering spot. It was most likely burned annually and used for Camus bulb harvest by the Kalapuya people. The camas, which was a major food source, continues to flower abundantly in spring, leading a seasonal succession of wildflowers in our meadow which include ox eye daisy, prunella, yarrow, and Queen Anne¹s lace. We manage to deter invasive species from invading the meadow and we maintain specific footpaths to avoid soil compaction in other areas. The meadow is our main camping area for summer apprentices and visitors. In the winter, when we have a large amount of rainfall, the brush dams we have constructed slow heavy surface water flow.
Ponds
In 2000, we built a large pond on the edge of our forest in an area that was once a logging road. In addition to natural clay on site, we added bentonite clay as a lining. We have recently planted Wapato, a native edible bulb, in the bottom of the pond and we plan to add cattails and other plants to attract wildlife and enhance the microclimate of the area. In the fall, the pond dries up, but by early winter it is full and running out through the serpentine swale.
Our pond overflows through the serpentine dam in winter.
It is lined with bentonite clay and planted with native plants.
It is lined with bentonite clay and planted with native plants.
Our Iris Pond was constructed during the 1995 Permaculture Design Course to capture water that flows over the road. It fills during the winter and dries up in the late spring. Designed to be functional, beautiful, and edible, the plant species include rush, slough sedge, Siberian iris, red-osier dogwood, native rose, day lily, butterfly bush, chokeberry, gooseberry, pear, Russian mulberry, and red alder. The red alder is being pollarded (cut at deer browse level) for compost and firewood.
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