Cal Earth Permaculture Project

Created by the Midwest Permaculture Class November 2011 at Cal Earth Institute of Earth

Art & Architecture

PDC Designers:

Robert Bowman, Erik Ven, James Kozlik, Judy Kao, Sharon Williams, Rose of Sharon Williams,

Randolph Scott, Amer Aladhadh, Susan Parker-Leavy, Sue Dreamweaver, Adam G. Lovelace,

David Paulin, Christian Goran, William Swingle, Bobbi McClellan, Nils-Martin Bush, Gerardo

Avila, Jason Myers, Waa Makor, Don Worley, Adam Ulf, Gary Moring, Deidre Jane, Tariq

Mungin-Bey, Brian Rekasis, Ian Lodge, Bridget Butler, Marco Cervantes, Dave Walker, Melisa

Prins, Hooman Fazly, Christopher McKenzie, Bill Wilson, Becky Wilson, Hayden Wilson, Wayne

Weiseman

Location: Cal Earth Hesperia, Hesperia, California, Apple Valley, San Bernardino County USA

Elevation: 3191 ft.

Size: 7 acres

Pertinent History and Geographic Information:

Hesperia Located near a normally dormant Mohave River Bed

Railroad System constructed in part to transport supply of Juniper wood for bakers in Los Angeles.

Apple Valley got its name because it was alleged that apple tree used to be grown along the Mohave River.

The Joshua Tree is the keystone species of the area.

Ancient Forest Region

Climate: Hesperia, CA climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 70's and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 40's.

The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 99.10 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 30.10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature variations between night and day tend to be relatively big during summer with a difference that can reach 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 29 degrees Fahrenheit.

The annual average precipitation at Hesperia is 6.20 Inches classifying it as semi arid. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is February with an average rainfall of 1.18 Inches.

Landform: The Institute is located in the geographic area of the Mohave Desert, in the county of San Bernadino, California. The rectangular 7 acre plot is on an incline and divided into 4 rectangles. Both area 4 and 3 are the highest points of the plot down sloping to the end of the property. While there are variations in level, the overall slope is declining towards area 2 and area 1.

Water: The average precipitation of the specific area is approximately 6.2 inches/year. There are

three sources of water on the property rain, subterranean, and municipality water which is used in a drip system in grows beds in area 2 and for some trees in area 1. Annual precipitation is 6.2 inches

Access/Circulation: Cal Earth is adjacent to a housing complex and a dirt road from the South and

West corner. A chain link fence which is now being replaced by a six foot super adobe wall is being built and on the South corner. The chain link fence is nearly redundant because of the wooden fence of the adjacent development. The road coming into area 3 is the one through area 1 and 2 leading to earth one it connects to two gates near the student parking area in zeon1 and administrative parking area in area 3 between the side wall and the pine trees.

Vegetation and Wildlife: Joshua Tree, Cotton Wood, Juniper, Mormon Tea, Rabbits, There are

two Joshua trees in area 3 one in the back of Earth 1 and the other near the administrative parking gate. Area 1 is partitioned from area two by a row of pine trees. In the back of earth one a row starting from the Southwest corner of junipers, wood cottons and various shrubs almost covers the perimeter of the property up to the area 4 and between the Earth 1 and the partially finished sinusoidal 6 foot wall where various bushes of Indian tea and others naturally grow. Examples of such trees include:

Cottonwood

Eucalyptus

Juniper

Creosote

Willow

Joshua Trees

Microclimate: The areas under trees and within superadobe structures throughout the campus tend to

be cooler in the summer and in the winter. Areas with direct solar exposure will be warmer than shady regions. Most superadobe buildings and pine trees provide a temperature difference of 20-30 degrees in extreme heat due to the thermal mass of the buildings and leaf protection from the sun.

Buildings and Infrastructure:

Cal Earth has over 25 superadobe structures on site, and over 30 structures that serve as

housing, storage, and research units. They are subject to improvement through integration of

Permaculture.

Zones of Use: The property has been separated into 4 areas to more efficiently manage the

campus’s functions and resources.

Area 1 is located at the northwest side of campus. This area includes the intern houses,

ceramic studio, pipe house, parking, and undeveloped property.

Area 2 is the central portion of the campus, represented by the main house, superadobe

villages, triple vault area, and storage containers.

Area 3 is the southwest portion of the campus where Earth One is located and stretches

east towards undeveloped property.

Area 4 is on the southeast side of Cal Earth, located here is the strawbale dome, building

material, and undeveloped property

Soil Fertility and Management: Hesperia consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in

alluvium derived primarily from granite and related rocks. Hesperia soils are on alluvial fans, valley plains and stream terraces and have slopes of 0 to 9 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hesperia soils are on long smooth alluvial fans, and valley fill. The alluvium is

from granite and closely related rocks. Elevations are as low as 200 feet in the San Joaquin Valley and as

high as 4,800 feet in the high desert. The climate is semiarid bordering on arid. Winters have some

general widespread rains plus occasional snow in the high desert. Summers have infrequent thunder

showers in the high desert. Mean annual precipitation is 4 to 9 inches. Average January temperature is

about 46 degrees F; average July temperature is about 83 degrees F; mean annual temperature is 57

degrees to 69 degrees F. Frost-free season is about 140 to 310 days. At Cal Earth, the soil composition is

90% sand to 10% clay, with organic matter being provided by pine trees, grasses, and fallen tree matter.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; negligible to low runoff, moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for desert range, and for production of irrigated orchards, row crops, field crops, grain, hay, pasture and grapes. Native vegetation consists of creosotebush in the high desert and sparse annuals in the valley.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the lower San Joaquin Valley and the high desert of Southern California and adjoining areas of the southwest. The series is extensive in MLRA-17 and of minor extent in MLRA 29.

Aesthetics/Experience of Place

Cal Earth, apart from being a natural building school, is a center for earth art and architecture.

All superadobe structures are created with geometries and forms of nature, and the structures

on campus are not created simply to function but with aesthetics in mind as well. Walls, fences, domes,

and other infrastructure can be covered with flowering and edible vines, painted with murals, plastered with

functional organic forms, etc

Permaculture Ethics:

Suggestions and Actions of the Design are based on the 3 ethical principles of Permaculture:

Care of Earth

Care of People

Fair Share

Design Principles:

The Cal Earth Permaculture Project follows these principles of design:

Observe and Interact

Catch and Store Energy

Obtain a Yield

Apply Self Regulation and accept feedback

Use and Value renewable resources and services

Produce no waste

Design from patterns to details

Integrate rather than segregate

Use small and slow solutions

Use and value diversity

Use edges and value the marginal

Creatively Use and respond to change

Introduction:

The California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth) is a research and teaching

facility, and campus focusing on sustainable buildings and land techniques. As such, there are

year-round training programs and research projects carried on by students, apprentices, and

faculty. In addition, Cal-Earth hosts open-houses once a month that allow visitors to explore

and learn about Cal-Earth’s super-adobe technologies and methods.

The client’s vision is to build an earth architecture university, which is self-funding with the

capacity to teach 200 students per semester. The mission is to improve campus grounds to

present to potential investors as well as improve the experience for visitors, students, and

faculty. The client has determined it is necessary to raise a sum of the $3-5 Million to complete

the project. However, along with accomplishing these goals, they want to incorporate

permaculture concepts, ideas, and principles that will help create a lush, inviting, and nurturing

environment.

Permaculture is a holistic approach to land use design, based on ecological principles and

patterns. Our proposed permaculture plan provides strategies for presenting Earth One as a

model home for community outreach, Eco Dome as a model for future sustainable small-

footprint living, and support a teaching facility that creates growth and prosperity to further

educate people of the importance to care for the very Earth beneath their feet.

Current State of Cal Earth Campus: Current challenges facing the campus at large include harnessing the limited rainfall from flash floods, severe winds and dramatic seasonal fluctuations in temperature. The earth present is an excellent medium for use in its Superadobe construction materials. Cal Earth is currently an educational institute with no substantial food resources for sustaining its student population, it is also not harvesting water through conscious design. Due to significant washes developed from installation of neighboring recreational fields and flash floods, much erosion has depleted topsoil. While there currently exists a lack of organic matter, by implementing permaculture principles, there is substantial opportunity to build the soil for food production and maintain the source for is Superadobe requirements.

Objectives:

The objectives of our proposal are to address or improve the current condition of the following

issues:

Create a land-based foundation for a university

Water Use and Reuse

Soil Erosion

Wind Control

Community Appearance

Organic Matter

Self Sustainability

Potential Sources of Revenue

Description of Terms used:

There are common terms used throughout this narrative. This contains the description of each

of these terms that will be defined:

Swale – Water harvesting ditch on contour

Guild – A group of plants which support each other while growing near each other

Hugelkultur – Ancient form of sheet composting developed in Eastern Europe that uses

woody wastes such as fallen logs and pruned branches in order to build soil fertility and

improve drainage and moisture retention

Windbreak – Any plant or physical barrier that can slow down or divert the wind

Organic Matter – Reservoir of nutrients and water in the soil, aids in reducing compaction

and surface crusting, and increases water infiltration into the soil

Sheet Mulching – Method for controlling weeds and improving soil and plant health with

mulch. The process mimics the litter layer if a forest floor.

Keystone species – Species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment

relative to its abundance

These terms can be defined throughout the body of the presentation

Site Development Plan:

The Cal Earth Institute has been broken down into 4 areas. Each area will be described in more

detail below. This forms a complete picture for all of the recommendations.

Area 1 Staff Area The staff area is defined as the area north and northeast of the parking lot and includes the 3 houses used as dwellings and the ceramics house. The southern edge of this area is defined by the row of trees South of Ian's trailer. 1. Access Access to the staff area is cordoned off by 3 segments of SuperAdobe walls. These walls will provide wind shelter and privacy. The walls will be laid out to provide a visual cue to visitors that the staff area is separated from the rest of the campus and will funnel them towards the main areas. The walls will overlap in a way that creates 3 openings for staff access and will include another opening for staff access to parking. 2. Garden Beds Two garden beds will be installed close to staff housing. The existing bed near Ian's house (Garden of Ian) has recently been converted to a hugelkultur bed and is ready for planting. A second garden bed will be created on the west side of Ian's house. This bed will be behind the superadobe walls that shelter the house from the parking lot. Both of these beds will be partial-shade areas but will be protected from wind. 3. Open Areas The central section of the staff area will be left largely as-is to allow for space for housing expansion or renovation. Most of the ground in this area is currently used only for access to the staff housing. The open area to the east of the housing structures is left open to allow for further housing expansion or other research and development.

Greenhouses Greenhouses will be made of SuperAdobe in the form of leaning arches. Openings will face the direct sun, there will be serpentine arms connecting to the greenhouses. The structures will act as temporary dams to slow down water movement coming off the ridge to the west. The structures will allow some water to seep through and continue downhill to irrigate plants beyond the structures. They will create microclimates and windbreaks. They can be covered in cold weather, partially shaded in hot weather and left open mild weather. They can be constructed by Cal-Earth students as part of Cal-Earth research and development. Sustainable Gardens 1. Domestic Plants- Domestic plants will include kale, spinach, and tomatoes, etc. 2. Native Plants- The garden area is defined by some native plants around the edges of the garden. 3. Perennial Plants -Perennial plants are included because their low maintenance and because they don't have to be replanted every year. 4. Food- The garden beds and greenhouses will be used to grow a wide assortment of herbs and vegetables. Water Catchment 1. Settlement Ponds- There are three types for this application. a. waste catchment b. water catchment for wetlands c. Roof catchment and rainwater drain catchment 2. Hugelkultur a. Large catchment with hardwoods, compaction and canvas for a longer retention of water, for hardwood wicking. b. Small catchments for herbs and microclimates c. Greenhouse area to pick up and retain water to soak into soil. d. Swales for general water catchment across a large area for soils to retain moisture longer for trees and other plants. Also guide water to catchment areas. 3. Greywater- The use of washer, sinks and tubs to areas of need, ie wetlands. Parking 1. Increase parking area by creating SuperAdobe walls and marking areas to park. 2. Sign Recognition. Place another sign on back gate, identical to sign on front gate. 3. Place site map in parking area to direct visitors and students to main campus area. Super Adobe Walls There may be a superadobe wall between the staff area and student parking area. This will create some privacy for the staff but also make it more clear for the arriving visitors in what direction to go. The wall will vary in height to create a wavy look and the highest points will be strategically placed to create a windbreak for the houses behind it. The wall can have several small openings across the top to showcase different arch types. The entrance walls will overlap each other to hide the entrance a bit.

Area 2 Inventory

2.1 Current Use: Form Storage/ Large

Materials (Integrate rather than segregate) Suggested Use: Move current vault

education site (and form) to (Area 1) right of

current pottery dome site to condense learning site,

thus creating additional parking.

2.2 Current Use: Container Village

with three 40’ storage containers

A: Tools Storage

B: Paint/Miscellaneous Storage

C: Cal-Earth Bag Storage

Suggested Use: Storage of A) Tools, B) Paint/Miscellaneous & C) Cal-Earth Bags

Berm creation on West and East side of storage containers, shrub and ground

cover plantings for erosion control, beautification and ground water supply. Installation of 4

photovoltaic solar panels with Southwestern orientation.

Meditation Garden to be established on West side incorporating Earth Art,

walking paths superadobe benches. (Creatively use and respond to change)

Parking Lot to be formed on North Side.

South side of shipping containers could be

used as a superadobe stair construction demonstration site,

which would provide access to roof for maintaining water

catchment system.

Area between bag container and paint

container to be shady plant nursery using water collected

from top of shipping containers.

2.3 Current Use: Fire Village under construction.

Suggested Use: Fire Village (Use and value

renewable resources and services)

Additional Construction of Communal

Bathing Infinity Spiral – construction of a 10’ superadobe wall in a spiral pattern, each

separating men’s and women’s communal bathing areas with cubbies for personal use, changing

area, & 5-10 sitting/standing showers stalls (each could be outfitted with water bucket & 1’ high

stool for water conservation). Privacy curtains could be added. Roof structure would be

supported both by recycled post & bean and superadobe walls, supporting water filled

containment, heated by the sun, providing water for bathing. Additional feature for men’s room

would include urinal (contents redirected to black water catchment system/pond).

Additional Construction of Black Water Catchment System/Pond backing Sweat

Dome and Kid Dome, planted with Cattail, Phragmites, Bulrush and other pond vegetation

assisting in the decomposition process. A raised rectangular platform with alternating water

efficient toilets would offer direct access to women’s entrance of the communal bathing infinity

spiral, while opposite side would provide access for men. A single black glass topped

excretment catchment container (with 4” PVC pipe rising 12’above for ventilation) would offer

additional stage of decomposition. Could be characterized as a willow guild.

Single Shower Dome – stand up shower with ADA requirements met, includes changing

room. Utilizes city water or solar heated 5 gallon buckets or green wine bottles for bathing.

Water drains to nearby wetland attached to Communal Bathing Infinity Spiral.

2.4 Current Use: Emergency Village

Suggested Use: Prototype Eco-village

Roofless Dome - Could be used as a kitchen

prototype for eco-village. Plant grapes, olives, pomegranate

around this mediteranean inspired dome. (Obtain a Yield)

Holey Dome - Could be used as a demonstration

dome for emergency shelter cooking structure, i.e. rocket stove,

solar oven

Eco-Dome – Moon Cocoon Model (More

information available in 2.5)

Sinapsoapsis -

Compass Demonstration Dome (More information

available in 2.6)

Planter s around Domes - Plant Hazelnut, siberian

pea shrub(nitrogen fixing), comfrey(nitrogen fixing), scarlet

runner bean. (Use and Value Diversity)

2.5 Current Use: Eco Dome

Suggested Use:

Demonstration Area for Chalk Model Construction

Outdoor Kitchen & Swale Demonstration

Construction of swale to collect and divert seasonal rains away from eco dome,

thus preventing further erosion. Complete countertop project on outside of kitchen. Create

superadobe countertop with enclosed double sink vegetable washing station, BBQ grill and earth

countertop area (to be used for large event food preparation or demonstration area).

Herb Border – Planted to demonstrate

permaculture principle of shading in regards to use of

culinary/medicinal herbs. Water could be supplied from

eco-dome roof rainwater catchment or a narrow

superadobe pond (which would support, beautify, and

contain water along the span of the swale {constructed to

collect and divert water away from eco dome}). (Obtain

a Yield) Wind turbine Installation - Construct site

built electricity built wind turbine. Refer to

www.mdpub.com for detailed directions. Inspired site

operator constructed his model for $140.62.

2.6 Current Use: Main House

Suggested Use: This area is the first impression of many visitors to Cal-Earth, thus is an

opportunity to showcase native plant guilds, Earth Art and Water harvesting sytems. A six foot

superadobe wall surrounds the campus, yet this segment could be limited to 2-3 feet to allow the

public to view the collection of Earth Art through the existing fence.

Establish sculpture garden. (Creatively use and respond to change)

Installation of a Pine Guild to support existing canopy- (Use and Value

Diversity) Subcanopy –Lindon Berry

Shrub- Blueberry Bushes

Spring Bulbs - Daffoldils

Groundcover- Plantings of, Lovage

& Sweet Sicily

Earth Art Sculpture Garden

Compass Demonstration Dome

Rainwater Catchment - Installation of

gutters on East and West side of building, two

supported rain barrels (55 gal) on opposite North

and South corners, to capture water for building

perimeter watering needs. (Catch and store

energy) Install vertical snap pea garden consisting of

6 wood pallets to create opportunity to capture sun

and harvest a rapidly growing crop. (Obtain a

Yield)

Establish recycling program at Cal Earth

even though city of Hesperia does not participate . Produce No Waste)

Future Development: Cal-Earth Administration Building

Information Booth (Apply Self-regulation and Accept Feedback)

Registrar, Administration Offices

Retail Space with seating for watching Cal Earth DVD’s.

Kitchen

Bathrooms

Dining Room

Courtyard/Veranda/Patio – Expand current orchard of trees contained in

superadobe raised beds.

2.7 Current Use: Rumi Dome

Suggested Use: Rumi Dome

Labyrinth – Construct a superadobe labyrinth beginning at the brick bench

opposite the end of the Rumi dome, with its center located parallel to the center of the Rumi

Dome. Earthbags could be layed in a progressive manner in which as one moves into the

labyrinth, the walls grow higher until participant seeking its center has disappeared within.

2.8 Current Use: Triple Vault

Suggested Use: Triple Vault could be used as a dining area for large workshops/events

Rocket Stove Demonstration Area

Triple Herb Spiral (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) -

Planted to demonstrate permaculture principle of shading in

regards to use of culinary/medicinal herbs. Water could be

supplied from Triple Vault Roof rainwater catchment . Vata,

Pitta, & Kapha designations would correlate to body

constitutions related to the Ayurvedic (Science of Life)

system of pakriti. (Use Edges and Value the Marginal)

Food Forest – Establish food forest on top

of Hugelkulture projects. Use small and slow solutions)

Insectory/ Bee Guild – Create a bee guild in

the existing composting pile of brush on NW side of triple

vault, thus providing habitat for insects, critters necessary

for pollination of surrounding food forest. Lindon Tree

(Sub canopy, Gooseberry (Shrub), Tulip and Daffodils

(Spring Bulbs), Comfrey, Lovage, Clover. (Use and

Value Diversity) Fire Pit - Complete reverse dome design

with three segments, thus creating supported seating

around the fire pit.

2.9 Current Use: Apprentice Demonstration Practice

Site

2.10 Current Use: Undeveloped Dessert

Suggested Use: Future Food Mandala Gardens - Area to be used in super-adobe raised

bed garden for annual/perennial food production highlighting the design principles of “edging”

and designing edible landscapes.

Depending on size of individual

mandala’s, between 6 and 8 mandalas can

be created, thus ensuring significant

number of workshops to support gradual

completion of design. Each additional

segment completed would “hugelkulture”

and support long term soil building

intention. Additional activities could

include: planting perennials, nitrogen

fixing covercrops, etc..

(Use and Value Diversity) Workshop 1: Center

Construction – Suggest Planting Crab

Apple (Cider Production) with Siberian Pea

Shrub (Nitrogen fixing), and a covercrop of

clover.

Workshop 2: Wing 1

Construction

Workshop 2: Wing 2

Construction

Workshop 2: Wing 3

Construction

Workshop 2: Wing 4

Construction

Workshop 2: Wing 5

Construction

Workshop 2: Wing 6

Construction

Invisible Structures – Establish Cal Earth Permaculture Guild in conjunction with monthly

open house. Small projects could include: High desert seed saving, Sheetmulching, Swale

building, hugelkulture, Juniper seed balls, rocket stove demonstration, building a bee guild,

composting, etc.

Observe and Interact

Area 3 Southwest side Area 3 is the southwest portion of the campus where Earth One is located and stretches east towards undeveloped property. It is adjacent to suburban development and provides a large area for possible expansion.

Earth One The rainwater from the roof of Earth One as well as water that falls on the property is going to be captured and redirected in a series of ditches and swales that will be stored in a water containment system. The water containment system will be an inverted dome super adobe that will be mostly underground containing up to 5,000 gallons in the tank that will be used in the arid months for food production and irrigation. There will be about 18-20 inches above ground so that there can seating can be used by visitors and staff members using Earth One. Planting will be done to utilize the understory and provide edibles such blue berries under pine trees which also provide windbreak to dominant winds from the Southwest and the Northwest corners. Other considerations: 1. A six foot wall will provide cover from the prevalent South West winds 2. Fine leafed trees should planted along the wall should improve the wall’s wind breaking 3. The Wall will extend to provide wind break from the Winter’s Northwestern winds combined with The pine trees in front of Earth one 4. Construct three arched pergolas covered with kiwi, grapes, bouganvelia

Undeveloped land The plant guilds will be placed in the areas indicated on the map for area 3. Planting will include ground cover that will assist in preventing the soil erosion as well as help build up the organic matter. The swales will be used to slow the water flow on the property down and help retain the moisture on the landscape. A greenhouse will be installed to allow for food production through the winter months for staff and students. After rehabilitating the soil, a food forest can be established in the eastern part of area 3 populated by Mediterranean trees under the shade of date palm trees such as olive, mandarin, fig, persimmon, pomegranate, pistachio, carob, cactus pear, loquat by using a swale/hugelkultur combination.

Area 4 Southeast campus

Description of Area

Area 4 is an undeveloped rectangular area left in its native state that has suffered

from wind and water erosion, low levels of soil fertility, and loss of top soil. It is surrounded by a functional, but not necessarily aesthetically appealing, chain-link

fence that includes a currently unused entrance gate at the extreme southeastern corner.

Area 4 contains just one

structure currently, the straw bale dome, currently used for educational group gatherings.

In addition to the straw bale

dome structure, there is a collection of building materials stored within Area 4.

On the southernmost and easternmost perimeters of Area 4

are recently built conventional single family homes.

Area 4 is relatively flat but does slope gradually toward the southeast. It is bordered by other Cal-Earth-owned property to the north and west; and, as the

lowest point on the overall property, receives significant run-off from those adjacent areas.

The significant trees within Area 4 are approximately one dozen Joshua Tree scattered throughout, and Pine trees located in the northwest segment.

Considerations for Future Development

Area 4 is possibly slated for future expansion of Cal-Earth’s educational endeavors and may therefore include the construction of both learning and living

accommodations for students and faculty. Area 4, given its current undeveloped character, could also be exploited for future food production, possibly leading to an

additional and alternative income stream for Cal-Earth.

Timeline and Scope of Future Development

The schedule and scope of Area 4’s development is unknowable at the present time.

Accordingly, our recommendations seek to provide Cal-Earth with maximum flexibility as more fully described below.

Recommended Present-Day Goals for Area 4

To ensure Cal-Earth has maximum flexibility both on the timeline and scope of Area

4’s development, we recommend the present-day focus be placed on the priorities listed below, all within the context of Cal-Earth’s desire for perimeter privacy,

perimeter security, overall site beautification and onsite food production:

improving the condition and health of existing plants and trees;

revitalizing and increasing the quantity of fertile soil while maximizing its

capacity to retain moisture;

minimizing erosion by wind and water; and

the gradual introduction of suitable food-producing species among the existing native plants and trees.

Action Plan for Implementation of Recommendations

We recommend a

Hugelkultur- inspired

trough/berm system be

installed along the entire chain-

link fence perimeter,

commencing with the southern

property border.

The system, a cross section of which is pictured above, would extend

approximately 25 feet inside the chain-link fence.

Immediately against the chain-link fence it is recommended that blackberry,

desert grape and woodland strawberry be planted as a means of beautifying the fence.

The thorns of the blackberry bush may also serve to discourage fence incursions.

An inexpensive drip irrigation system, fed from the property’s main water

supply, could be implemented to handle the water requirements of these

fruit-bearing shrubs, rendering them relatively maintenance-free.

A row of trees, with varying offsets averaging 15 feet from the chain-link fence, could be planted to begin to grow a natural visual barrier against the

surrounding conventional housing developments. We recommend a combination of Oak, Cottonwood, Pine, Pine Nut, Olive and Pistachio be

included both to maximize visual variety and continue the theme of food production (pine nut, olive and pistachio) once the trees mature.

A second row of drip irrigation piping that parallels the first would assist the young trees as they establish themselves in their early years.

After the trees would be the berm feature of the trough/berm system.

The trough is the furthest-most feature of the system from the chain-link fence. Once dug, a liner of muslin or other inexpensive biodegradable fabric

could be laid, thus helping to hold water that is directed to the trough feature.

Atop the liner would be the organic matter typical of Hugelkultur, upon which an array of low lying plants such as lavender, sage and comfrey would be

planted.

A system of strategically placed swales, reflecting existing observed wind and water flow patterns, would direct water run off toward the trough/berm system as pictured on the full-sized accompanying plan.

Conclusion

We, the participants of the first collaboration between Cal-Earth and Midwest Permaculture are extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in this inaugural effort to submit this assessment and permaculture design for Cal-Earth. We are also grateful to Dastan and Sheefteh Khalili for their continued efforts to represent their father Nader Khalili for his humanitarian contribution to bring shelter, community and dignity to all inhabitants of planet Earth. It is our intention with this assessment and suggestion to introduce significant permaculture concepts indicated by the “scale of permanence”.