Columbia Basin Permaculture
We provide Permaculture consulting and design services, project management, and education within the greater Columbia Basin with particular focus on minimally irrigated properties.
Permaculture is the science of living in concert with nature (as opposed to living in conflict with nature). Natural systems exhibit patterns of interaction and Permaculture seeks to identify and weave similar patterns through systems of human life. As each of our individual patterns of life are unique, so too will be the individual integration of our lives in concert with our living spaces.
The application of Permaculture is relevant to projects ranging from low-maintenance landscaping to broad scale food production. The USDA has discovered Permaculture and is placing emphasis on multiple techniques used to build agricultural soils by planting a rotation of crops, using ground covers, and minimizing tilling (see report here).
The rapid expansion of Permaculture science from it's origins in Australia points to a growing awareness of the historical human impact to our planet and delivers an approach to reversing the degradation to our environment. Find out more ... contact us at:
Where We Practice
Located in a dryland, shrub-steppe environment, Columbia Basin Permaculture is exploring designs and techniques uniquely applicable to Permanent-Culture in cold winter/hot summer dryland environments.
Some of our environmental features:
- dry (9" - 15" annual precipitation)
- windy (unobstructed flow)
- little shade (much sun)
- disturbed, bare (alkaline) soil
- evapo-transpiration exceeds precipitation (annually)
- low humidity
- wells are alkaline and many are non-replenishing (and deep)
- extreme seasonal temperatures (105 deg F summer, -20 deg F winter)
- large daily temperature swings (~40 deg F)
- low biomass soils
All-in-all, a challenging and exciting place to do Permaculture!
Shrub-Steppe:
