Integrated Water Harvesting Earthworks, Restoring Ecosystems with Permaculture Design

Climate change and industrial forestry clear-cuts on neighboring land have led to ever more serious drought conditions at this environmental education center and sustainable forest management demonstration in the middle Willamette Valley. In 2017, participants at the Center's Advanced Permaculture Practicum on Water and Forestry laid out a plan for a Keyline forestry system that included the large pond at the top of the site its managers had long dreamed of creating. They realized it would be central to their long-term plan to rehydrate the entire catchment. Detailed surveying work demonstrated that the pond could be placed to maximize gravitational pressure (head) for fire mitigation. An overflow channel would carry water across the ridge to rehydrate one of the hottest and driest parts of the site, while also providing much-needed road access into the northeastern section of the property, extending the reach of their sustainable forestry operations into this remote area.

The water harvesting earthworks are now actively rehydrating the heavily impacted watershed. The new pond has increased water retention and extended stream flow later into the dry season, while improving access to the site’s … managed forest tracts.

The project’s success … has demonstrated the dramatic impact … PINA’s carefully targeted funding can make on critical … projects in land, community, and climate regeneration.

with gratitude to:
Abel Kloster, Land Stewardship
Tao Orion, Land Stewardship
Joe Pongrantz, Forestry
Dave Hallock, Forestry
Andrew Millison, Drone Footage
Michael Godfrey, Maps

Special thanks for inspiration and mentorship to Rick Valley, Hazel (Tom Ward) and Jude Hobbs.

If you like what you see in this film, tell friends, and join or contribute to PINA. Our efforts identified this project, funded it, and filmed it. We are prepared to do much more of such essential climate-mitigating land repair. Your help can move these efforts forward.

[Eric]

I wish I had more money. My dream "job" would be buying land, spending 2-3 years constructing swales and ponds and planting native trees, then leasing it out to permaculture folks

[largeangryfather]

Large scale reintroduction of the beaver to the American west would be the cheapest way to increase ground water levels

[maryfernandez]

All Governments in the world should be implementing this way of living. Permaculture is the right way to restore our land and help our Planet.

[LLanfri]

WOW!
I'm studying environmental engineering, I love permaculture and in the future I want to regenerate the ecosystems like you!
Here in Italy we have beautiful landscapes but the wild vegetation is very very low (and we are reducing it every year). The water management is horrible: hydrogeological instability, desertification and massive rainfall damages are the main problems that we have.
I think that a systemic change in agricultural methods (from "traditional" agriculture to permaculture) and a sane water management like yours can bring back to life our mistreated country!

Lot of love from Italy ❤️

[alisonburgess]

Peter Andrews in Australia described how important it is to slow the water down as it moves over the surface. It makes a massive difference. I'm even mounding and channeling my little garden's surface so the water can get down much deeper. Great video!

[tonyduncan]

This must be done by man all over the Earth's surface. This is what we are *_for._* Thankyou - seems so inadequate.

[jodisplace]

This is really interesting. I was raised on a farm in Nebraska and my Dad was actively involved in soil and water conservation. He terraced our hills to control and retain water. There were peach trees around the bottom terrace. We had a big pond that was also a lot of fun, besides holding the water to percolate above the corn and alfalfa fields. We swam in there as kids (? Eeewww) had a little fishing boat, and in winter it was an awesome skating rink at the bottom of the hill. Many wonderful memories of all the town kids coming out to sled dow our hill, which Dad would use his farm equipment to sculpt snow into toboggan runs ending on the iced-over pond and we'd have contests who could get the farthest across the pond.

[___swiz___]

Anybody else on an ecosystem spree!? Glad to see people do this, gives me hope for humanity. All we have to do now is figure out how to end wars

[mikemunsil]

Thank you. This provides a foundation for what i hve been intuitively trying to do. Now i can move forward more intentionally.

On another note, please never show someone down in an excavation without at least warning the viewer that they can't just go doen into them without also considering the safety of the situation. The point isn't whether or not that particular situation was safe, it is that we enthusiastic amateurs may think ALL excavations are safe. They're not.

[elladailylife]

It is amazing to see how much food one small garden can produce

[thehealinghiker]

Brilliant, I just bought 4 1/2 acres and was wanting to have two ponds dug, this just confirms my idea! Thank you!

[abbyhillman]

This is a cool project, and encouraging for the future. However, DON'T STAND IN A TRENCH WITHOUT Even the most stable-seeming trenches can collapse without warning, causing instant death or rendering it impossible to rescue the victim before asphyxiation. :( But the rest of the video is great!

[danjakubczak]

I would be interested to see how the land handles these ponds and what kind, if any, of erosion occurs in 5 or 10 years time. Please post videos that follow up on this work that shares your successes and failures so other people can learn from this style of habitat restoration.

[ryanosullivan]

This is one of the best descriptions of a pond building process I have seen yet on youtube. Fantastic content and delivery!

[HoteaMarian]

This will be good in Romania where my grandfather lives, in summer the stream near his house is dead...wich was going strong all year around years ago...

[MarishaAuerbach]

Wonderful video! Abel and Tao are so well spoken about why this type of pond building can regenerate our watersheds. Thank you!

[incredibleindigowaters]

Manzanita friends! Thank you for proving that we can make a huge difference. I used to work watershed restoration in Eugene, that whole part of the Willamette is proving that water health is our health. Love this video!

[MichaelGustavsonArchitect]

This looks fun as hell! I did the same type of project with leaves and sticks in the street gutter when I was a child.

[davidfogg]

Great film.Very uplifting.
These are the people who should be running the show

[Irishjay-gupb]

Wow, amazing work!!! I truly hope that more people/organizations listen to your outcomes! I have no doubt it has already done so much good for the surrounding area! You have inspired me to rethink my farm, and possibly put in a few more pounds! Thank you for everything you are doing to save the forests and the waterways!!!