Transition Whatcom

June 2013 Blog Posts (11)

The Many Uses of the Sun's Power

Reblogged from my Integral Permaculture site.

Permaculture Principle #5: Use and Value Renewable Resources

“Make the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our consumptive behaviour and dependence on non-renewable…

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Added by David MacLeod on June 29, 2013 at 10:54pm — No Comments

8. The Swale Making Event!!

First we'd like to thank those who participated last weekend in our swale making event. Thanks to Brian Kerkvliet who taught us and led us every step of the way. He did so with an easy going attitude and a passion for this work that he loves to do as well as a fantastic amount of knowledge.

Thanks to Larry Williams who operated the excavator. Janaki Kilgore and Kevin Finnigan participate from beginning to end, learning and working on every aspect of the project. Special thanks to…

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Added by Angela MacLeod on June 25, 2013 at 10:37pm — No Comments

7. Swale making: Concerns About Compliance With City and State Regulations

In spreading the word about our swale making event, David sent the announcement to a number of people and organizations we thought might be interested in attending.

From one of those people we received back a reply - from Eli Maciewicz, Engineering Technician,City of Bellingham Public Works Department. In his letter Eli, expressed concern about how the…

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Added by Angela MacLeod on June 20, 2013 at 9:30am — No Comments

6. Swale Making Preparations: The Excavator, And Sink Hole Supplies; Gravel and Brush

More preparations for our swale making event....

Excavator: We decide which excavator would be the smallest that will still do the job. The smaller the machine the less weight and so the less compacting of the soil. We actually did the research weeks ago. Brian decided which one he'd like to use and I called around to compare prices for renting one. He decided on a Kabota KX 41:…

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Added by Angela MacLeod on June 20, 2013 at 8:54am — No Comments

5. Swale Making Preparations ~ Using the A Frame to Map Contour Lines

Using the map of the elevation lines on the property to roughly gauge where the contours are, David used the A frame to plot the course of contour lines across the property where we plan to carve the swales.

Using this map with elevation contour lines:

2010_AP_wContourLinesFeet.pdf

Using a level and a plumb line to find the level spots at this contour…

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Added by Angela MacLeod on June 18, 2013 at 8:30am — No Comments

The Answer to Many Questions

1% of the water a tree takes up is for photosynthesis. 

5% of the water a tree intakes is for 'making new cells'.

What happens to the rest of the water? Or rather, what is the rest of the water used for?

Added by Paul Kuepfer on June 11, 2013 at 9:06pm — 2 Comments

4. Swale Making Preparations ~ The A Frame

David built this A frame with a plumb line:

OK I thought it was going to be easy to describe how you use the A frame to mark the contour lines of the land....but it's actually difficult to put into words. So I'm including a couple videos that do a decent job of showing and explaining it.

Check out these videos on how to use an A…

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Added by Angela MacLeod on June 10, 2013 at 1:00pm — No Comments

3. Meanwhile.....In Another Part of the Garden....

We are getting ready to shape the earth in a wet part of our property. See previous posts to follow the process. (Part 1 and Part 2)

Now for the existing garden beds.....In a shadier location, but with much dryer soil. This would be a…

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Added by Angela MacLeod on June 7, 2013 at 8:00am — No Comments

2. Swale making ~ Next steps: Maps of property

The next step for getting ready to create swales was to find an aerial map of our property. We found the most current one taken just before we bought the place in 2010. The photo shows where buildings and trees are located. And also a map with the elevation contour lines. And finally sketch on the map where the swales will be located. If you only look at one of the following links try the 3rd one. It has the 3 superimposed - the…

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Added by Angela MacLeod on June 6, 2013 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Excited to be Here!

Hello Transition Whatcom Folks!

I am excited to have found this group, and to get to know like-minded folks in the area. I am working with some friends on starting a "farm" in the area and will be relocating to the Bellingham area next Spring. 

Blessings,

Bryan Krueger

Added by Bryan Krueger on June 4, 2013 at 10:09pm — No Comments

1. Water Collects and does not drain well.....

Three years ago we bought our first house on a 1/2 acre in the Birchwood Neighborhood. We chose this size of a lot in order to grow food and keep chickens. It's been so beautiful to get to know this place and we started out working in the existing garden beds and just getting to know the property for a while without doing any major changes.

During these 3 years, we have continued to notice places where water collects and does not drain…

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Added by Angela MacLeod on June 3, 2013 at 10:30am — No Comments

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