Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond by Brad Lancaster

Early Registration Deadline for the 18th Annual Sonoran Permaculture Guild Design Course, February–March 2013—Tucson AZ
2012-12-15
Registration for the 18th Annual Permaculture Design Course is open now!
This course happens over five weekends every February and March. Dates for the upcoming 2013 course are:
February 9–10,
February 16–17,
March 2–3,
March 16–17, and
March 23–24
Cost: $695, or $650 for early registration (before December 15).
Partial scholarships are available.
There is also a class book fee of $42 for a copy of Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison. Also highly recommended are Brad Lancaster’s Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands & Beyond, Volumes 1 and 2.
For the last seventeen years this course has been full with a waiting list, so early registration is encouraged. To give a high-quality educational experience, we limit the size of the class to eighteen participants. Contact Dan, the course registrar, at dorsey@dakotacom.net or 520-624-8030 to register or receive more information.
This Permaculture certification course covers all aspects of sustainable design with a Southwest drylands flavor, including a balance of hands-on experience, classroom time, and design practicum. Dynamic exercises encourage pattern recognition, noticing the links between plants and animals, climate, and landforms that make up natural ecosystems. The course focuses on dryland communities with a strong urban and semi-rural emphasis, addressing individual site and neighborhood “problems,” such as stormwater flooding. Students learn to read the landscape, to map and analyze energies flowing through a site, and to develop integrated designs for sustainable systems. The weekend format of the course makes it easier for people who hold a weekday job to attend and promotes better integration of the course material into daily life. Our course closely follows the standard 72-hour format developed by Bill Mollison and others.
Course topics include agroforestry, appropriate technology, building design, design principles and patterning, site analysis, dryland gardening principles, ecosystem restoration, philosophy and ethics of Permaculture, regenerative community economics, soils and erosion control, village and community design, water harvesting, invisible structures, and many other topics. The classroom site is in the central-Tucson area and at other Permaculture sites in the Tucson area. Much of the class is held outdoors. This course is co-taught by Dan Dorsey, Brad Lancaster, and Barbara Rose, each with two decades of Permaculture experience, as well as other SPG associate teachers.
To visit the Sonoran Permaculture Guild website’s listing for this course, go to www.sonoranpermaculture.org/courses-and-workshops.

Early Registration Deadline for WMG's Water-Harvesting Certification Course, Winter 2013 — Phoenix AZ
2012-12-10

Craig Sponholtz & Owen Habutzel: Applied Watershed Restoration & Introduction to Keyline Design, November 27 – December 1, 2012 – southern CA
2012-11-27 - 2012-12-01
Course details and registration information to be posted at www.quailsprings.org/events.

Watershed Management Group's Water-Harvesting Certification Course, November 9–17, 2012 — Tucson AZ
2012-11-09 - 2012-11-17
Watershed Management Group’s Water Harvesting Certification Course

November 9–17, 2012

Tucson, AZ

Early Registration Deadline: September 7, 2012
Regular Registration Deadline: October 5, 2012 Two spots left! Deadline extended… Interested? Apply now!

Participants who complete the Water Harvesting Certification will be able to:

Integrate water-harvesting systems with other design considerations (energy conservation, aesthetic design, food production, wildlife habitat, etc.)
Calculate rainwater runoff potential of catchment areas and determine soil percolation rate
Create a water budget and use water-harvesting systems to match landscaping to available water supply
Choose, size, and build appropriate earthworks features for different applications (basins, berms, swales, French drains)
Design greywater systems from laundry machines, bathroom sinks, and bathroom shower water
Build gravity-fed greywater systems from laundry-machine water to irrigate landscape
Size and install plastic cisterns
Design water-harvesting systems to support small-scale food production (including earthworks design, cistern design and application, and soil improvements)
Design all of the above systems while incorporating safety and health considerations

Instructors

Brad Lancaster, WMG Senior Watershed Specialist, and author of Rainwater Harvesting For Drylands and Beyond
Catlow Shipek, WMG Senior Program Manager
James DeRoussel, WMG Program Manager
Lisa Shipek, WMG Executive Director
Mark Ragel, Owner of Water Harvesting International

Full information and application can be found at: watershedmg.org/tech-trainings

Brad Lancaster with Amanda Bramble (Ampersand), Steve Carson (Rangeland Hands), Jan-Willem Jansens (Ecotone), and Craig Sponholtz (Dryland Solutions): Watershed Restoration Workshop, October 6–7, 2012 — Cerrillos NM
2012-10-06 - 2012-10-07
WATERSHED RESTORATION: THE CUTTING EDGE
CATCHING, SINKING, STORING, AND USING WATER WHERE IT FALLS
OCTOBER 6–7, 2012
COST: $35 (Scholarships available for residents of the Galisteo Watershed)
REGISTRATION: Send us an email at ampersandproject@yahoo.com, listing your name, email, phone, and location. We will contact you by late August with the formal registration procedure. If you don’t hear from us by then, give us a call at 505 780-0535.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Use the free, on-site water flowing off our roofs, backyards and roads to increase the living sponge of biomass that is the foundation of our communities’ ecology and good health. Learn to identify and enhance natural processes in order to create sustainable oases of perennial food and shelter systems. We will also investigate how our built environment impacts the watershed, and how to design, retrofit, and build watershed-friendly systems.
* Explore community watershed potential through the use of maps identifying your site, its subwatershed, and the role of both within the larger Galisteo Watershed
* Create water-harvesting earthworks and low-impact erosion-control structures utilizing free, local materials to enhance to capacity of your property and your neighborhood.
* Join contractors and educators who have organized, designed, and installed local restoration projects within the Galisteo Watershed and set the standards for the current water-harvesting movement!
Instructors include:
BRAD LANCASTER
Author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Vols 1 & 2
AMANDA BRAMBLE
Ampersand
STEVE CARSON
Rangeland Hands, Inc.
CRAIG SPONHOLTZ
Dryland Solutions, Inc.
JAN-WILLEM JANSENS
Ecotone
Download the Ampersand Watershed Restoration Workshop Flyer.
For more about Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center: www.ampersandproject.org or call (505) 780-0535

Registration Deadline for Watershed Management Group's Water-Harvesting Certification Course, November 9–17, 2012 — Tucson AZ
2012-10-05

Stream Dynamics et ali: Free Rainwater-Harvesting Workshop: A Graceful Resolution for the Urban River, October 4–5, 2012 — Silver City NM
2012-10-04 - 2012-10-05
Rainwater Harvesting: A Graceful Resolution for the Urban River
Contact:
Van Clothier, Stream Dynamics, Inc.
streamdynamics@aznex.net
www.streamdynamics.us
(575) 388-5296
Dates:
October 4–5, 2012
Location:
Silver City, New Mexico
Presenters:
Van Clothier Director of Stream Dynamics, Inc.
Catlow Shipek Watershed Management Group
Denise Smith Town of Silver City, Office of Sustainability
Allyson Siwik Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP)
Tuition:
FREE to participants, thanks to a grant from the New Mexico Environment Department
This workshop is part of the 2012 New Mexico Watershed Forum, and is being financed by a grant from the New Mexico Environment Department, so tuition is free!
Rainwater harvesting converts nuisance storm water runoff into a beneficial resource—protecting urban streams from flooding and water pollution—and provides free irrigation for landscaping and food-producing plants. The large array of benefits from this practice will be presented in detail. Local and regional experts will demonstrate water harvesting principles and benefits with beautiful color slides of successful projects in Silver City, Santa Fe, and Tucson.
Tour: Participants will tour half a dozen successful water-harvesting projects in Silver City and learn first-hand about the theory and practice of urban water harvesting and how it benefits both people and the environment. These projects, all within 2 miles of each other, range in age from 6 weeks to 6 years. Each site on the tour will demonstrate a different method to harvest water. We will discuss the design challenges at each site, how this was resolved, and how each project has performed in rain and snow. The workshop is fast-paced, and will go back and forth from the classroom to the streets and backyards of this small town.
Hands-on project: Participants will actually build a water-harvesting project during the second day of the workshop. They will get first-hand experience in designing and building a project, and participate in every step in the process. Stream Dynamics will monitor the project site and send participants project updates with photographs of the project they built, showing how it performs with flowing water.
Participants: The workshop is open to city officials, engineers, architects, landscapers, students, and people who work in Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development in New Mexico and especially from Grant, Luna, Hidalgo, Catron, and Doña Ana counties.
Lunch: Morning coffee service and catered lunch will be provided free of charge to participants.
Classroom Materials: These books will be provided to participants:
Let the Water Do the Work, by Bill Zeedyk and Van Clothier
Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, by Brad Lancaster
Create an Oasis with Greywater, by Art Ludwig
There will also be a 3-ring binder provided with additional reports, contacts and references, and a project site map.

Brad Lancaster & Calgary Poet Laureate Kris Demeanor: Harvesting Our Future: A Conversation about Water, Permaculture, and Systemic Change, September 19, 2012—Calgary AB
2012-09-19 18:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Waterlution Hub Network, in conjunction with Verge Permaculture, presents:
Harvesting Our Future: Water, Permaculture & Systemic Change
with:
Guest Provocateur Brad Lancaster, Author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, and
Calgary Poet Laureate Kris Demeanor, with a water-related musical performance
Wednesday, September 19th, 2012
Doors open: 6 pm
Event: 6:30–9 pm
How do we create systemic change toward a better future? What are the water costs of energy and the energy costs of water?
“Watergy” is a term for the water-energy nexus. As an expert on rainwater harvesting, Brad sparks conversation on how to address systemic change around water and energy through a permaculture or ecological-design-system lens. Join us for an interactive evening of dialogue on how much water and energy is required in a water-scarce landscape whether in gardens, indoor plumbing, municipal infrastructure or industry.
Find inspiration for action at Waterlution’s first Calgary Hub gathering in 2012-2013, explore cross-sector collaboration and discover opportunities with fellow professionals.
Location:
National Music Centre
134 – 11 Avenue SE Calgary, AB
Cost: Free with registration (see below for link)
Appetizers and refreshments provided
Reserve your spot! Register at www.waterlution.org/hubs/ab
**Volunteers needed for evening of event!**
Please contact Mike at mike@waterlution.org for further information.

Craig Sponholtz: Applied Watershed Restoration Course, September 17-20, 2012 – Calgary AB Canada
2012-09-17 - 2012-09-20
Rockworks & Earthworks: Applied Watershed Restoration
Turning landscape water problems into solutions…

Watershed Restoration emphasizes working with, rather than against, nature to work effectively with our most precious resource: water. Using agro-ecological principles, Craig Sponholtz has become internationally renowned for his ability to transform eroding gullies and barren landscapes into lush islands of native vegetation that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but capable of feeding people, livestock and wildlife.
Craig’s Applied Watershed Restoration course covers fascinating topics such as: reading the landscape, erosion, soil conservation, water harvesting rockworks & earthworks and cutting edge watershed restoration methods including natural channel design and induced meandering.

Evening Presentation, TBA

Four day workshop – Applied Watershed Restoration: Monday, September 17 – Thursday, September 20th.

Hosted by: VERGE Permaculture, a Calgary-based company that specializes in a systems design approach to sustainable human habitat and a focus on interconnected elements: low energy buildings, water management, waste re-use, renewable energy & food production systems.
VERGE is passionate about helping Canadians regenerate degraded landscapes, build topsoil and improve our surrounding ecologies so both ours and future generations can lead healthy lives and benefit from natural resources.
FMI: www.vergepermaculture.ca/content/rockworks-earthworks-applied-watershed-restoration

Brad Lancaster: Plant the Rain to Grow Sustainable Abundance, September 10-13, 2012 – Calgary AB (Canada)
2012-09-10 - 2012-09-13
If you think that urban water harvesting begins and ends with rain barrels … you’re thinking too small.
Discover how you can use your lawn, your street, your shovel—and your shower!—to transform your community into a green oasis of empowered neighbors! During this 4-day course, participants will learn from Brad—in the classroom and through hands-on learning—strategies and skills in integrated design and water harvesting with earthworks and greywater systems.
For LOTS more course information and to register, visit www.vergepermaculture.ca/courses/rainwater-harvesting.
Dates: Monday, September 10 – Thursday, September 13, 2012
Times: 9 am – 5 pm, daily
Where: An acreage 10 minutes south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Hosted by: The folks at Verge Permaculture

Brad Lancaster: Public Talk: Turning Drains Into Sponges and Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance, September 8, 2012 – Calgary AB (Canada)
2012-09-08 19:00 - 21:00
Green Calgary Sustainability Series Presents:
Date: Saturday, September 8, 2012
Time: 7–9 pm
Location: John Dutton Theatre at Castell Central Library, 616 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary
Turning Drains Into Sponges and Water Scarcity Into Water Abundance
This inspiring power point presentation shares eight universal principles of water harvesting along with simple strategies that turn water scarcity into water abundance. They empower you to create integrated water-sustainable landscape plans at home and throughout your community. Rainwater harvesting is the process of capturing rain and making the most of it as close as possible to where it falls. Greywater harvesting is the process of directing water from household sink, bathtub, shower, and washing-machine drains into the soils of the landscape where the water is naturally filtered and reused to generate more on-site resources. The two work hand in hand, and can reduce our water consumption by 30 to 50%! You’ll see examples enhancing local food security, passively cooling cities in summer, reducing costs of living and energy consumption, controlling erosion, averting flooding, reviving dead waterways, minimizing water pollution, building community, creating celebration, and more.
Cost: $10 for members | $20 general admission | $20 Calgary Dollars
Please RSVP by Wednesday, September 5 to www.greencalgary.org or (403) 230-1443
This event is a fundraiser for Green Calgary and is made possible by:
Green Calgary
Calgary Public Library
Verge Permaculture
Bullfrog Power

Early Registration Deadline for Watershed Management Group's Water-Harvesting Certification Course, November 9–17, 2012 — Tucson AZ
2012-09-07

University of Arizona Outreach College: Residential Rainwater Harvesting Course (open to Tucson homeowners), Fall Semester 2012 — Tucson AZ
2012-08-22 09:00 - 16:00
A course on Residential Rainwater Harvesting will be offered in the fall term at the University of Arizona. A flyer which gives you the essential details can be downloaded here. The target is to have 20 students for this class, half from the neighborhoods in Tucson and half regularly registered UA students. The schedule of the class has been set to encourage participation from homeowners in the Tucson area. All classes are held on Wednesdays with lectures from 9–11 am and a studio/lab from 1–4 pm. The latter may run shorter on some days. While this is not so convenient for regular UA students, our intent is to make it easier for Tucson householders to attend as they will need to come to campus only one day per week.
Non-UA students can register—this time only—for $25 and if they complete the course satisfactorily are eligible for 7 Continuing-Education Units. Classes begin on Wednesday, August 22, and end Wednesday, December 5. Classes will be held in room 105 of the Veterinary and Microbiology Building, which is near the 6th Street Parking Garage.
The primary purpose of the course is to help students prepare a detailed portfolio on planned water harvesting for their Tucson home. It must be a home whose site has not previously been analyzed in a UA class. The portfolio is to be of a high quality so that a water harvesting program could be carried out by the homeowner or a contractor. All students are expected to complete the same assignments and take the same exams. A complete syllabus will be provided at a later date. We use Brad Lancaster’s, “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1” as our textbook.
For more information, contact Professor Jim Riley at jjriley@ag.arizona.edu.

Brad Lancaster for Southern Arizona Rain Gutters: Rainwater Harvesting Incentive Program Workshops, August 18, 25; September 1; October 13, 20 — Tucson AZ,
2012-08-18 09:00 - 12:00
Southern Arizona Rain Gutters (SARG) is hosting Brad to teach Rainwater Harvesting Incentives Program Workshops.
See details below to register for a class—FREE if you register in advance—and to get assistance planning and installing a rainwater harvesting system for your site.

WHAT IS TUCSON WATER’S WATER HARVESTING INCENTIVES/REBATE PROGRAM?
Tucson Water wants to assist its customers wishing to install water-harvesting systems in order to reduce the amount of drinking water being used to water plants. To learn more about Tucson Water’s Single Family Residential Rainwater Harvesting Incentives/Rebate Program, go to Tucson Water’s rebate website at cms3.tucsonaz.gov/water/rwh-rebate
HOW MUCH IS THE INCENTIVE/REBATE FOR?
Incentives/rebates are available at two levels. The first level earns you up to $300, and the second level earns you to up to $2,000.
For a summary of the requirements see Water Harvesting Rebate Requirements.pdf.
For additional details go to cms3.tucsonaz.gov/water/rwh-levels.
A sample water-harvesting plan shows the items needed to apply for a Level 2 rebate (see Example level 2 WH rebate plan.pdf). A blank template is provided to fill in your specific plan information and calculations (see Blank level 2 WH plan template.pdf)
WHERE CAN I TAKE THE REQUIRED RAINWATER HARVESTING INCENTIVES PROGRAM WORKSHOP?
In order to apply for a rebate, you must be a Tucson Water customer and you must attend a 3-hour workshop about rainwater harvesting. SARG has been approved by Tucson Water to teach these workshops, and has hired Brad Lancaster as an instructor.
How do I preregister for a SARG Incentives/Rebate workshop?
Call the SARG office at (520) 299-7246 to sign up for a workshop. YOU MUST SIGN UP AHEAD OF TIME TO ATTEND A WORKSHOP!
When and where is the workshop taught?
Workshops are taught on various Saturday mornings in August, September, and October, from 9 am to 12 noon (plan to arrive at 8:45 am) at the SARG building, 1627 N Stone Avenue (west side of the street between Speedway and Grant).
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.sargwatersolutions.com/tucson-water-harvesting-rebate.html

Free Dunbar/Spring Pruning Workshop and Mulching Services, August 4, 2012 — Tucson AZ
2012-08-04 06:30 - 12:00

Warren Brush, Brad Lancaster, Owen Dell, and Sasha Rabin: Sustainable Vocations Training Course, July 25 - August 11, 2012 – central CA
2012-07-25 - 2012-08-11
Sustainable Vocations prepares youth (ages 15 – 24) for diverse leadership roles that integrate sustainability into their lives and communities. This pioneering program provides a unique, hands-on introduction to the expanding green jobs market while exploring the comprehensive tenets of environmental stewardship and sustainable living. While expansive in scope, timely topics include: ecological design, conservation and restoration, alternative energy systems, sustainable agriculture, natural building, ecological literacy, water harvesting, community regeneration, and nature awareness. Students earn an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certification and graduate with the practical skills to enhance their employment opportunities and life path – all while helping to create a more sustainable future for us all.
Sustainable Vocations
Summer 2012 Course Dates:
July 25 – August 11, 2012
Cost: $1,500–$2,500 (sliding scale)
Priority/Scholarship Application Due Date
May 1, 2012

FMI: www.sustainablevocations.org/home

Brad Lancaster & Gary Wittwer: Rainwater—An Untapped Harvest, June 6, 2012 – Tucson AZ
2012-06-06 13:00 - 15:00

Brad Lancaster: "Beneficial Ruins and Water Webs" Free Public Talk, June 1, 2012 — Portland OR
2012-06-01 19:30 - 21:00
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012
Time: 7:30 – 9 pm
Venue: Portland State University’s Shattuck Hall Annex
Address: 1914 SW Park Ave, Portland OR 97201
Cost: free & open to the public
Hosted by: PSU School of Architecture, with special thanks to Kai Pannu & Scott Burns
Talk title & description:
Beneficial Ruins & Water Webs: A Vernacular Design Challenge to Increase the Resilience of Local Ecologies & Human Communities
This talk explores the idea of a beneficial ruin—a creation that improves the conditions of the ecological and human communities where it resides, even when abandoned. A beneficial ruin must be in relationship with its place and its people. Typically it acts as a web, passively harvesting and enhancing natural flows, so that at its best it generates other resources, even while regenerating itself. Examples of such ruins from the drylands of the southwest U.S. and the Middle East will be shared, with an emphasis on those that improve water, soil, food, and community. Examples of what Portland is already doing—or could be doing—will be woven into the talk, challenging you to create and/or enhance such ruins or seeds of resilience in your place.

Brad Lancaster: Bike Tour of Regenerative Sites of Portland, June 1, 2012 — Portland OR
2012-06-01 13:00 - 18:00
Join Brad Lancaster (author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond series), Dave Elkin of Greenworks, Lisa Petterson of SERA Architects, Kati Falger and Chris Heckman (residents of Kailash Eco Village), and Kevin Cavenaugh of TENPOD and the Burnside Rocket, to bike-tour dynamic projects pushing beyond mere sustainability (baseline survival), and aiming for integrated regeneration (thriving evolution).
All these sites and the people behind them aim to turn “problems” into solutions, as they harvest and enhance free, local, on-site resources to reduce or eliminate the “need” to import costly, polluting, off-site resources.
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012
Time: 1–6 pm (followed by an optional dinner at Noble Rot—seating limited!)
Address: Meet at Shattuck Hall Annex on the PSU Campus (1914 SW Park Ave, Portland)
Link to: Proposed Map (in-between sites will be visited as time allows)
Cost: Tour is free, but bring CASH if you’d like to eat or drink at Noble Rot after the conclusion of the tour
What you should bring: Your bike, water, snacks, $ if you want to eat or drink at the Noble Rot afterward
Link to a self-guided sustainable stormwater bike tour folks can do on their own: www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=34604&a=53568
Key sites to be toured include:
• The Oregon Sustainability Center, to see how the center was planned to shift from a consumer of resources to a producer of resources, achieving the Living Building Challenge of being net-zero energy, water, and waste;
• The Kailash Ecovillage, to see and hear the story of how an old apartment complex and its grounds are being converted into an ecovillage that turns “wastes” into resources for its residents and neighbors;
• The Burnside Rocket and Noble Rot, to learn how very simple and inexpensive strategies are being used to grow food on site, and passively heat and cool the building in a very urban setting; and
• Sustainable Stormwater projects passively turning stormwater flooding liabilities into free irrigation assets producing food, shade, wildlife habitat, clean air, fish, and more.
After the bike tour and dinner, Brad will be giving a free public talk, Beneficial Ruins and Water Webs, back at PSU’s Shattuck Hall Annex.
FMI: Kai Pannu, (971) 244-3548.

TreePeople's Green City Fair, May 5, 2012 – Beverly Hills CA
2012-05-05 10:00 - 15:00
Join in TreePeople’s 2nd annual Green City Fair!
A day of fun, food and activities hosted by TreePeople. Green City Fair will provide you with the resources to make healthy, sustainable changes. FREE sustainable workshops will be held throughout the day. Note that Brad is no longer scheduled to participate in this still-awesome event.

When: Saturday, May 5 , 2011 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: TreePeople
12601 Mulholland Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Workshops
Details TBA here and at www.treepeople.org/green-city-fair-2012
NOTE: Plans have changed, and Brad will NOT be participating in this event.
Sponsors, Vendors & Exhibitors
Interested in becoming a sponsor, vendor or exhibitor?
Please contact Jillian Fontaine at (818) 623-4862 or jfontaine@treepeople.org

Josh Robinson & Brook Sarson: Water-Harvesting Intensive, May 4–6, 2012: Ramona CA
2012-05-04 - 2012-05-06
Join us May 4-6 for an exciting opportunity in San Diego’s back country town of Ramona for a unique hands-on workshop to learn how to transform a house into a sustainable oasis by tapping into rainwater and greywater.
This holistic water harvesting training course will teach people the fundamentals of integrated water design through hands-on activity. Over 3 days, participants will design and install:

A “Laundry to Landscape” greywater system
Two branched-drain greywater systems from two bathrooms
A 2,500 gallon rainwater harvesting cistern and plan for future expansion
A wide range of passive water-harvesting earthworks

All of these water harvesting projects will be integrated to provide an edible landscape that works in harmony with both the natural ecology and the home itself.
Through this training, participants will learn:

Best Management Practices for rainwater and greywater harvesting
Legal regulations and permitting
Best plumbing practices
Edible landscape integration
Tricks and tools of the trade

This course is for anyone interested in learning how to design water harvesting features into their own landscapes and is ideal for homeowners, contractors, architects, designers, and city and county regulators. No prior experience is necessary. All participants will receive a certificate of completion. If you have been waiting for one course that will give you an overview of how to install your own legal rainwater harvesting and greywater systems then this is the course for you. By the end of the three days you should have the understanding and confidence to begin to create your own sustainable oasis!
Course Tuition: We are offering a range of weekend opportunities. Due to the more distant location in the county participants can choose to stay on the property for the entire weekend or commute to the site location on a daily basis.
Residential Weekend Experience: Stay on site all weekend if you don’t want to commute. Camp in your own tent or share some dorm style indoor space in the house or trailer. Prices include 3 meals a day, nightly campfire and music, and possible movie.
Residential (Tent): $350
Residential (Shared Indoor Dorm Space): $400
Commuter Weekend: If you live nearby or choose to stay at a local hotel and commute daily, we will serve you lunch and snacks.
Commuter: $300
Single Day: If you can just make the class for a day, no problem. We are offering those who wish to take a single day the opportunity to do so. Includes a healthy lunch and snacks.
Single Day Tuition: $150
This course will pay for itself and then some with the amount of information each person will learn. Learn how to do things right the first time.
For course schedule, bios of the instructors, to contact the instructors, or register for the workshop, visit:
www.edenonearthlandscaping.com/water-harvesting-intensive

Watershed Management Group: Water-Harvesting Lecture Series, May 2012 — Tucson AZ
2012-05-04 10:00 - 12:00
The WMG Water Harvesting Certification program provides the highest quality and greatest depth of training in integrative water harvesting offered in the nation. We are opening four of the lectures from our upcoming May Certification course in Tucson to the public.
This is ideal for people interested in learning more about Water harvesting but not quite ready to commit to our full nine-day Water Harvesting Certification The presenters are dynamic educators and experts in their field.
This lecture series will introduce the concepts of integrated water-harvesting design in an informative and accessible way, inspiring you to make the most of your water resources at home.
Cost to attend, per lecture: $25 a session.
The four-session series, to be held in Tucson, includes:
Friday 5/4: Water Harvesting Earthworks, 10 am — noon, with James DeRoussel
Learn design and application of basins, berms, swales, terraces, and french drains. This lecture covers lot-scale to watershed scale practices with information on soils, landscape materials, and integration with plants. Click here to register.
Saturday 5/5: Water Harvesting for Food Production, 3 – 5 pm, with Brad Lancaster
Brad’s lecture covers a diverse range of agricultural applications from backyard to large-scale systems, showing how rain and greywater can enhance food production while conserving water. Click here to register.
Monday 5/7: Cisterns, 1 – 3 pm, with Mark Ragel, owner of Water Harvesting International
Comprehensive overview of cistern systems from guttering, filtration, storage, and distribution, including best management practices and cistern types for different applications. Click here to register.
Monday 5/7: Greywater Systems, 3 – 5 pm, with Brad Lancaster
Greywater systems harvest water from laundry machines, bathroom sink and showers, and AC condensate. Learn how to reuse greywater in your yard, with a focus on gravity-fed systems, plumbing considerations, and appropriate uses. Click here to register.
Pre-registration and pre-payment is required for each session.
Lectures will be held at Saint Mark’s Presbyterian Church, 3809 East 3rd Street, Tucson
Please contact Rhiwena Slack at rslack@watershedmg.org or at 520-396-3266 if you have questions.

Priority Application Deadline for Sustainable Vocations Youth Program, July 25 – August 11, 2012 — Central CA
2012-05-01
May 1, 2012 is the Priority Application deadline for the Sustainable Vocations program at Quail Springs.
More information available here.

Watershed Management Group: Watershed Technical Training in Expanded Greywater Systems, April 25-27, 2012 – Tucson AZ
2012-04-25 - 2012-04-27
New dates: April 25-27, 2012
Course location: Tucson
Greywater use is not only allowed by an increasing number of municipalities, it’s actively encouraged by many authorities in efforts to preserve water, reduce energy and chemical use in treatment plants, and deliver nutrients to soils. This three-day, hands-on training course is designed to give advanced technical knowledge in greywater systems to individuals who will implement these practices in their work. In particular, this course is relevant to architects, landscape architects, permaculture designers, plumbers, developers, irrigation specialists, and other professionals in the building trades. This course will build on knowledge of greywater systems gained through WMG’s Water Harvesting Certification course. The focus of this course will be on gravity-fed kitchen-sink and pumped-greywater systems, integrated design, policy, and plumbing best practices.
Brad Lancaster, Senior Watershed Specialist with WMG and author of the Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond book series, will lead this hands-on technical training covering advanced greywater systems.
Early registration and alumni rates available. Applicants may also apply for a limited number of partial scholarships.
For more information about WMG’s technical trainings, please visit their certification and technical trainings page.
You can apply for the Expanded Greywater Systems training online here, or contact Rhiwena Slack at rslack@watershedmg.org / (520) 396-3266.

Craig Sponholtz: Erosion-Control Workshop at Double Circle Ranch, April 20-22, 2012: near Clifton AZ
2012-04-20 - 2012-04-22
Double Circle Ranch is both a working cattle ranch and a model for conservation and environmental stewardship. Bring your camping gear and join us for this free weekend funded by the Arizona Water Protection Fund Commission. Help us slow soil loss and improve water quality in Eagle Creek while learning skills to benefit your own land.
Dates: April 20-22, 2012
Location: Double Circle Ranch, near Clifton, AZ
Cost: Free
RSVP ASAP

Instructor: Craig Sponholtz earned an M.A. in Agro-Ecological Restoration from Prescott College and studied Permaculture at Bill Mollison’s Tagari Farm in Australia. He spent a decade with the U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico and Arizona working in Wildland Fire Management and Fire Use. Craig has had extensive training and hands-on experience in passive water harvesting, erosion control and stream restoration that is well complimented by a background in fine art sculpture and ceramics. Craig founded Dryland Solutions in 2003 and continues to design and implement watershed restoration projects throughout the Southwest. He is an expert heavy equipment operator specializing in low impact techniques and artistic in-stream boulder masonry. Craig teaches a wide variety of watershed restoration techniques that foster beneficial relationships between people and the watersheds they live in.
Food and land for camping are provided. Bring your own gear. For more information, including how to register, download the Erosion Control Workshop Flyer April 2012.

Craig Sponholtz: Applied Watershed Restoration Workshops, April 2012 – NSW & QLD Australia
2012-04-03 - 2012-04-05
Applied Watershed Restoration Workshops with Craig Sponholtz:

3-5 April 2012, at Milkwood Permaculture Farm, Mudgee, NSW, Australia. Sponsored by RegenAg and part of the FarmReady Program. For more information and registration, please visit: milkwoodpermaculture.com.au/courses/details/86-advanced-watershed-restoration-412-mudgee
11-13 April 2012, at MacKenzie’s Farm, Dimbulah, Qld, Australia. Sponsored by RegenAg and part of the FarmReady Program. For more information and registration, please visit: regenag.com/web/upcoming-courses/details/33-Applied%20Watershed%20Restoration%20Dimbulah.html
**FarmReady Approved Courses – eligible primary producers and their families may be eligible for a 65% reimbursement of course costs. See below for details.

Increase your working knowledge of passive water harvesting, erosion control and stream restoration practices with this three-day, intensive, hands-on workshop. Applied Watershed Restoration is designed for landowners and land managers, as well as practitioners, farmers, restorationists and advanced students of Permaculture.Craig Sponholtz is a world-leading expert in watershed restoration using techniques that harness natural hydrology to self-repair riparian zones and watersheds.

These techniques emphasize working with, rather than against, nature and will establish the foundational knowledge needed to work effectively with our most precious resource, water. Acquire the critical skills needed to recognize the root-causes of watershed problems and identify the best opportunities to make improvements.Learn how to read the landscape, assess, design, plan and implement projects that utilize runoff as a resource. In addition, gain exposure to cutting-edge watershed restoration methods including natural channel design, induced meandering and agro-ecological restoration.

This course will cover:

Watershed patterns and processes
Introduction to watershed restoration methodologies
Passive water harvesting
Restoration treatments and structures
Watershed restoration practicum

See websites for full outline…

So if you’re a land manager, land owner, or someone curious and passionate about restoring precious water soil to the landscapes of your farm or community, please join us for 3 days of unique and incredibly important knowledge that will help you heal your land…This tour is Craig Sponholtz’s first visit to Australia to share these cutting edge and very effective techniques that put watershed restoration back into the hands of those who live on the land…

“Craig Sponholtz’s Applied Watershed Restoration courses are a must. I was very impressed with the thoroughness, hands-on learning, and Craig’s deep knowledge based on years of real-life experiences. The strategies taught are simple and effective. They build on natural patterns so you work with natural processes, not against them. This way nature does the bulk of the work once the structures are in place. I highly recommend these courses for anyone working with the land and water….”
~Brad Lancaster, author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond
Some resources to get you thinking:
Drylands Solutions Website
Let the Water do the Work – watershed restoration manual by Bill Zeedyk
Building Zuni Bowl anti-erosion rockwork at Milkwood Farm
Erosion Control Field Guide
This course is part of RegenAG’s 2012 program. RegenAG is an alliance of Australian farming families who are committed to helping regenerate Australia’s farms, soils, communities and on-farm livelihoods. For more courses like this across Australia, go to RegenAG.com

Watershed Management Group & Partners: 2012 Arid LID Conference, March 27-29, 2012 – Tucson AZ
2012-03-27 - 2012-03-29
Arid LID 2012
Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development in Arid Environments
March 27-29, 2012
Tucson, Arizona
Visit the Arid LID website for the following:
Registration – early registration through 1/16/2012
Agenda
Venue & Accommodations
Sponsorship Opportunities
Post-conference training in community-based green infrastructure
Keynote speakers to include:
Benjamin Grumbles, President, Clean Water America Alliance
Andy Lipkis, Founder and President, TreePeople
Brad will one of the panelists for The Tucson Trajectory: from guerrilla gardens–to big box parking lots–to planned communities
Many other speakers will be featured. Visit the Arid LID website for complete details.
Click to download WMG’s AridLID Conference Press Release.

About the conference:
For the past two years, the AridLID Workshops held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have built a growing discussion and exposition of Green Infrastructure (GI) and Low Impact Development (LID) practices that are appropriate to the unique climates of the southwestern United States. In 2012, we are holding the conference in Tucson, Arizona, with the twin goals of sharing best practices and building professional networks across a wider swath of the region, and of developing a clearer Southwestern vision and voice in the growing national discussion on GI/LID.
The theme of AridLID 2012 is Integrated Approaches to Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development. Green Infrastructure projects function best and are most cost-effective when they provide multiple benefits—like a streetside bioretention basin that captures and cleans stormwater while it passively irrigates vegetation that shades the street and sidewalk, beautifies a neighborhood, and calms traffic. Likewise, effective green infrastructure practice often requires that people of various disciplines and perspectives work together—think landscape architects, engineers, and stormwater managers working together with a watershed group, a neighborhood association, and a University laboratory to achieve shared goals! This conference will explore the potentials, best practices and pitfalls inherent in GI at various levels of integration in our region.
Who should attend:
Sessions will be targeted to stormwater, planning, and design professionals; researchers in water resources and urban sustainability; as well as activists and educators interested in implementing these features through grassroots, community-driven models. Participation is especially encouraged from those working in GI/LID in arid regions of the southwestern U.S. (southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, west Texas) and northwest Mexico.
Questions? Contact:
James MacAdam
Watershed Management Group
520-396-3266
james *at* watershedmg.org

Brad Lancaster: Keep Sedona Beautiful's 33rd Annual Native Plant Workshop, March 24, 2012 – Sedona AZ
2012-03-24 08:30 - 15:00
Brad Lancaster and Jan Busco will be the two keynote speakers for Keep Sedona Beautiful’s 33rd Annual Native Plant Workshop
Native Hedge Hog cactus in full bloom. Photo courtesy of Gerry Snyder.
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Time: Doors open at 7:45 am. Event runs from 8:30 am to 3 pm

Location: West Sedona School
Address: 570 Posse Ground Road
Cost: In advance: $20 KSB members, $30 Non-members. An extra $10 per ticket will be charged at the door.
Topic of Brad’s talk:
Planting the Rain: Principles, Practices, and Tips for Water-Harvesting Earthworks and Raingardens
Plant the rain before you plant your trees to boost production, reduce flooding, conserve water, and create sustainable oases around your homes and community infrastructure. Raingardens and other small-scale earthworks quickly infiltrate rainfall into the soil where less is lost to evaporation, while reducing erosion. Living ‘pumps’ of vegetation then enable us the access that water. Come learn simple principles and tips to leverage greater success as you implement these simple and effective passive systems. This presentation builds on Brad’s basic water-harvesting talk, while offering more specifics and case studies. Working examples and case studies will be highlighted.
Brad will sell & sign his books after his talk and during lunch. Desert Harvesters’ Eat Mesquite! cookbook will be available for purchase as well.
Jan Busco, Horticulturist at Grand Canyon National Park, will speak on: Getting the Best from Your Native Plants
The format will be similar to last year’s, with a full day program, two keynote speakers, and attendance of two workshops from a selection of eight options: composting, container gardening, managing invasive plants, insects for home & garden, native plant essential oils, highland cacti, fire ecology and hydroponics.
Breakfast beverages and savories and a bag lunch are included with registration.
There will also be opportunities to bid on items at a Silent Auction fundraiser.
For more information and to register, go to keepsedonabeautiful.org or call 928-282-4938.

Brad Lancaster: Desert Harvesters and Native Foods at Keep Sedona Beautiful's Speaker Series, March 23, 2012 – Sedona AZ
2012-03-23 17:30 - 19:00
Keep Sedona Beautiful Speaker Series:
A series of monthly presentations on subjects of community interest that are aligned with the Keep Sedona Beautiful Mission: Preserving the Wonder™
Speaker Series events are typically held on the third Wednesday of each month beginning in September and ending in June.
Note that the March event will be on Friday evening, March 23.
Time: 5:30 – 7 pm
Location: Pushmataha Center • 360 Brewer Road • Sedona AZ 86336
Venue phone: (928) 282-4938
Brad will give a talk on Desert Harvesters, a group he co-founded in Tucson that celebrates and promotes the native foods of the Sonoran desert. Desert Harvesters’ Eat Mesquite! cookbook, along with signed copies of Brad’s water-harvesting books, will be available for sale after the talk.
Desert Harvesters and Native Foods: Put ‘em in your mouth, your yard, your street, and your neighborhood
This is a celebratory presentation on the history of Desert Harvesters and other dynamo local-food efforts that have enriched the Tucson community, ecosystem, and palates – and how you can likewise enrich the community where you live. Learn about grinding mesquite (and carob) pods with a hammermill or a Suzuki 4 x 4; irrigating food-producing street trees with the street; planting and picking the best tree-beans; throwing pie, mulch, and pancakes parties; creating a thoroughly delicious community-tasted cookbook; regenerating ecosystems in your pantry and landscape, and growing friendships and neighborhood networks while you’re at it! Desert Harvesters (www.DesertHarvesters.org) is a volunteer-run, grassroots effort based in Tucson, Arizona, that strives to promote, celebrate, and enhance local food security and production by encouraging the planting of indigenous, food-bearing shade trees (such as the Velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina)) in water-harvesting earthworks, and then educating the public on how to harvest, process, and enjoy the bounty.
Free wine and appetizers will be served by KSB.
Admission is free and open to the public, donations are appreciated.
For KSB’s most recent presentations visit their Home Page for Upcoming Activities and Events.

Watershed Management Group: Watershed Technical Training in Community-based Green Infrastructure
2012-03-20 15:00 - 17:00
Green Infrastructure (GI) is a strategy a growing number of communities are using to manage stormwater more sustainably, while using that water to irrigate vegetation that provides multiple benefits such as capturing, cleaning, and infiltrating stormwater; creating wildlife habitat; shading and cooling streets and buildings; and calming traffic. WMG has been working with community members to install neighborhood-level GI projects in Tucson since 2008. Now WMG is offering an in-depth professional training covering the “how to” of organization and design for community-led GI installations.
Introductory webinar: March 20th, 3-5pm (PDT)
Hands on training: March 29-31, 2012, Tucson, Arizona
Application. Please fill out an application to apply or to hold a place in this course: available in PDF or Word and submit to rslack@watershedmg.org by March 16, 2012.
Instructors. James MacAdam, WMG Green Streets/Green Neighborhoods Program Manager, Catlow Shipek, WMG Senior Program Manager, James DeRoussel, RLA, also with WMG, will lead this hands-on technical training in community-based green infrastructure best practices.
Training Curriculum. The focus of this technical training will be on retrofitting and redevelopment. Learning will be achieved through a blend of classroom lectures, site assessments, design exercises, and a hands on workshop. This training draws on WMG’s experience working with neighborhoods and local governments to install GI in the Southwest. While WMG’s focus is on southwestern neighborhoods the intent is for the knowledge gained in this training to be transferable to other regions.
The training will cover:

GI Integrated design

Technical application of GI in a variety of urban environments

Maintenance and problem solving

Community engagement

Policy & permitting

Tools for overcoming municipal concerns

WMG’s goal is to transfer this advanced technical knowledge to professionals, educators, and community activists who will implement these practices in their work and teach others. This course may be particularly appropriate for landscape architects, architects, permaculture designers, developers, engineers, policy makers, restoration ecologists and community activists.
Training Schedule. ?An introductory webinar, which is part of the course, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20th, 3pm (PDT). The technical training will follow, upon the conclusion of Arid LID 2012 conference on Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development in Arid Environments, from 2 pm on Thursday, March 29th, to Saturday, March 31st, at 5pm.
Food. Snacks, water and lunch are included in the course fee.
Fees. $500. Discounts of $50 are available to alumni of previous WMG trainings and AridLID 2012 conference participants.
Scholarships. WMG offers a limited number of scholarships of $50 to $200 to help defray the cost of the course. To be considered for a scholarship, please include a description of your financial need where directed on the application. We will review your needs and let you know if your request has been successful. For more information email Rhiwena Slack at rslack@watershedmg.org or call 520-396-3266.
To apply for the course or to hold a place in this course, please fill out the Technical Training application form available in PDF or Word, and submit to rslack@watershedmg.org.
