Category: Ecosystem Restoration
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Weaving Floating Wetlands: Turning Branches into Living Water Filters
This winter, we began a hands-on experiment in ecological restoration by building small floating wetlands for a pond using natural and recycled materials. The project started with harvesting flexible willow and sycamore branches, which provide both structure and resilience when woven together. Using freshly cut branches, we formed circular frames and cross-supports, weaving the willow…
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Selective Harvesting: Why Thoughtful Forestry Is Pro‑Environment
When people see trees being cut, the reaction is often immediate and emotional: How could this possibly be good for the environment? It’s an understandable response. Forests symbolize stability, carbon storage, wildlife habitat, and natural beauty. But not all forests are equally healthy, and not all tree cutting is destructive. In fact, selective harvesting is…
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Voting with your Dollar: Supporting Sustainable, local Pork
What is the problem with current pork production? How often do you drive in the country and see pigs rooting around in the mud or roaming in the forest? Not very often? That is because 97% of commercial pork produced in the United States are raised in confined, concrete buildings (Rodale Institute, 2024). You don’t…
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The Power of the Last Half-Mile: Why Protecting Tributaries Matters
When we talk about protecting rivers, the focus often lands on big projects—larger restorations, engineered solutions, or miles of replanting. But sometimes, one of the more simple solutions is also effective: leaving a stream alone and keeping it protected. Along a small tributary that flows into the Baron Fork River, we’ve taken a simple approach.…
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Storing Water in the Land: Why We Cut Swales Along Contour Lines in Our Pasture
This past season, we tried something new on our grazing land—something simple, ancient, and surprisingly powerful. We cut a series of shallow swales following the contour lines of our hillside pasture, spaced at 2-foot elevation intervals. At first glance they look like gentle curves carved into the slope, but they’re doing a lot more than…