June 2024

June 17 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Bioregional Mapping Design Lab

June 17 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Exploring Bioregional Mapping: Understanding, Mapping, and Nurturing Our Connection to Place

What is bioregional mapping? What is a bioregion? How do we map the layers and connections important to each place, stories left off traditional maps, and develop bioregional frameworks needed to steward our homes? Welcome to “Exploring Bioregional Mapping,” a four-week journey into bioregionalism and mapping. In this interactive course, we will delve into the principles, techniques, and applications of bioregional mapping, focusing on helping each of us map our home places – unique regions known as bioregions. Course Description: In this course, we’ll lay the foundation by exploring the core principles of bioregionalism. We’ll discuss the importance of ecological boundaries, interconnectedness, and local self-sufficiency and how these concepts shape our understanding of bioregions. By the end of the course, you’ll have a solid grasp of the fundamentals of bioregionalism and its relevance to mapping. We’ll dive into the principles and techniques of bioregional mapping. You’ll learn to map a bioregion, from gathering data to visualizing ecological boundaries. We’ll explore various tools and methods used in bioregional mapping and discuss the importance of incorporating local knowledge and community perspectives into the mapping process. How do you map your bioregion and identify local ecosystems, resources, and community assets? You’ll apply the knowledge and skills gained throughout the course through group discussions and collaborative exercises to create your own bioregional map. By the end of the course, you’ll have a deeper understanding of your bioregion and how you can contribute to its conservation and well-being. Each week, we will focus on a different topic, with a brief presentation, time for discussion, and an activity to help people map their home places and bioregions. After the four-week course, people will be invited to undertake a process for mapping their home places and share their initial research and findings with the group, helping us create an atlas of bioregions and bioregional frameworks that people find important.

June 18 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Weekly Website Meeting

June 18 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Weekly Website Meeting

June 20 - July 4

Whidbey Institute, Permaculture Design Course With Penny Livingston

Whidbey Insitute 3901 Old Pietila Rd, Clinton, WA, United States

Whidbey Institute Permaculture Design Course With Penny Livingston, Michael Pilarski, Pamela SeaMonster, Douglas Bullock, Dave Boehnlein and Brian Kerkvliet June 20 – July 4, 2024 REGISTER TODAY! Embark on a transformative journey into regenerative living with the Permaculture Design Certification Course offered at the Whidbey Institute in Clinton Washington. This comprehensive program is designed to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to design and create regenerative, resilient systems. Permaculture is a design science rooted in the observation of naturals systems which aids us in designing human settlements that have the stability and resiliency of a natural ecosystem. Permaculture is a practical set of ecological design principles and methods for human settlements which can be applied to homestead, urban, suburban and watershed scale. Permaculture principles provide a way of thinking that enables people to establish highly productive environments that provide for food, energy, shelter, habitat and other material and non-material needs. Throughout this course, participants delve into the principles, strategies, techniques and methods of permaculture with some of the most experienced designers and instructors in the United States. Key Highlights: Hands on Learning: Engage in hands-on action learning activities, site visits and practical exercises that bring permaculture principles to life. Gain valuable experience in implementing sustainable practices directly applicable to real-world scenarios. Ecological Design Principles: Explore the core principles of permaculture including observation, pattern recognition and integration diverse elements to create harmonious and productive landscapes. Regenerative Agriculture: Learn about organic farming techniques, agroforestry and polyculture systems that promote biodiversity and soil health. Discover ways to enhance food security while minimizing environmental impact. Water Management: Understand sustainable water harvesting, storage and distribution methods. Explore ways to conserve water resources and design resilient systems in response to changing climate patterns. Renewable Energy: Delve into the integration of renewable energy sources within permaculture design. Explore practical applications of solar, wind and other sustainable energy technologies. Community Building: Recognize the importance of community in regenerative living. Discuss strategies for fostering inclusive and resilient communities that support the principles of permaculture. By the end of this certification course, participants will not only gain a profound understanding of permaculture design but will also receive a globally recognized certificate that attests to the compentance in implementing sustainable practices. Join us at the beautiful Whidbey Institute and become a catalyst for positive change in your life, your community and the world. Embrace a regenerative approach to living. The Permaculture Design Certification Course (PDC) is a 72 hour minimum course. The Permaculture Certificate is globally recognized throughout the world. The holder of a Permaculture Design certificate has achieved a working understanding of ecologically based sited design, planning and management as well as an understanding of principles, strategies and techniques available to inspire directions toward community resiliency, economic stability and personal growth. Full Course Description The course is endorsed and recommended by the Permaculture Institute of North America. For more information check http://pina.in

June 20 @ 9:30 am - 11:00 pm

Birthing BLC’s: Cascadia Regional Organizing Call

This is a space for everyone within the bioregion to come together with others to start to create a shared identity across our bioregion, and have learning exchanges. This series of meetings supports the Birthing BLCs learning journey and will be held every other Thursday at 9:30 am in the off weeks. There will be opportunities for design discussions around material in the learning journey webinars. We’ll also share updates and can have some breakouts into Cascadia bioregions. The #Cascadia bioregion is a system of 75 distinct ecoregions – brought together by the Columbia, Fraser, and Snake watersheds, and a growing bioregional identity that strives to nurture a regenerative culture for the future of our planet. Sitting along the Northeastern Pacific rim of Northern America, Cascadia stretches or 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from the Copper River in Southern Alaska, to Cape Mendocino, approximately 200 miles north of San Francisco, and east as far as the Yellowstone Caldera and continental divide. It encompasses all of the state of Washington, all but the southeastern corner of Idaho, and portions of Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, Yukon, and British Columbia. About 18 million people call Cascadia home. If you’re one of them, we’d love to meet you! Brandon Letsinger and Clare Attwell, part of the Regenerate Cascadia core team, will hold the process with regular sharings from some of the current prototyping in RC and including emergent structures and processes resulting from the Cascadia Bioregional Activation tour (you can still view session recordings from this six-day event featuring local and international speakers). However, this space is for you! It nurtures connections between all of us and supports and empowers your work. No connection to RC is needed or asked, but those who would like to help us develop our processes as we join this learning journey are also welcome. We’ll all practice fractally scale-linking within our bioregion and with other bioregions across the continent and planet, as well as opportunities for connection and collaboration. Join us to explore the possibilities! #Cascadia #Bioregions #Bioregionalism