The Ecosystem Restoration Course is a blending of ecosystem restoration, permaculture, regenerative agriculture and ethno-ecology.

The course is for land-stewards, land managers, landscapers, and anyone concerned about ecosystem health as well as people who want to have a career in ecosystem restoration and earth repair.

This 10-day in-person Ecosystem Restoration Course includes:

• 3 great meals a day for 10 days!
• Camping included
• An overview of restoration strategies and techniques from around the world, from ancient to modern, with a particular focus on indigenous and traditional methods.
• Permaculture design principles and methodology
• Advanced, specialized course. (PDC is not required to take this course)
• Half of each day is devoted to hands-on activities
• Field trips to local ecosystems
• We will cover restoration of forests, deserts, wetlands, grasslands, and shrub-steppes
• Disaster preparedness and post-disaster response
• Course Certificate will be awarded to everyone who completes the course.

Early Bird Price: $1,400 (before May 7) Regular Price: $1,600 (after May 7) 

Course Fees $250 Deposit to hold your place 

*Must pay in full by May 24th

Hands-on activities are half the course: Tree planting. Hoedad use. Sheet mulching. Direct seeding. Seed-balls. Cyclone seeder. Scatterseed mix. Marking contour lines. Swales. Terracing. Bioengineering. Gabions. Check dam. Sprigging. Crown division. Live staking. Hardwood cuttings. Rain gardens. Hugelkultures. Invasive plant reduction. Contour debris arrangement. Fuel reduction, Tree pruning. Making biochar. Zai holes. Erosion control, planting food forests, and more.

About the Instructors:

Michael “Skeeter” Pilarski has farmed in the Pacific Northwest since 1972. He has worked with over 1,000 species of plants. In 1978 he started the Friends of the Trees Society. He has been teaching permaculture since 1981 and has taught 40 permaculture design courses in various climates. He organized the Global Earth Repair Conference in 2019 and is organizing an online Global Earth Repair Summit in 2022. Michel is compiling best examples of ecosystem restoration and earth repair from around the world. www.friendsofthetrees.net www.globlalearthrepairfoundation.org

Marisha Auerbach is an internationally recognized permaculture educator, designer and speaker based in Oregon and Washington.  Marisha has lived and practiced permaculture in both urban and rural environments.   As an avid gardener and herbalist, Marisha specializes in food production, ecology, and useful plants. Marisha is one of the most prolific, West Coast teachers of permaculture design courses and currently teaches permaculture online through Oregon State University.   www.permaculturerising.com

Between Marisha and Michael , they have taught around 100 Permaculture Design Courses.

Guest Speakers

Alex Slakie of Flora Northwest.  Alex is a restoration ecologist, botanist, and herbalist from the Pacific Northwest. He supplies willow live stakes and seeds for salmon habitat projects, sustainably harvested wild medicinal plants for herbal companies, and interesting nursery plants for home gardeners. He nursery grows and wild-tends willow coppices and stands of medicinal plants on the lower Columbia River and Columbia River Gorge.  https://floranw.com/

As well as some of the world’s leading restoration experts, via Zoom. TBA

 About the Venue  

Atlan Community:

• Atlan is a Community project that includes the stewardship of 150 acres in the White Salmon watershed in the beautiful Columbia Gorge. There are two year-round creeks, fir forests, and an oak savanna with sweeping views.
• The community is made up of people living on the land, and in nearby acreage with other nodes of like-minded and like-hearted friends. We are a group of visionaries who are artists, designers, healers and natural builders.
• Forest Camp is a rustic facility that consists of a 30-foot yurt, an outdoor kitchen, a forested amphitheater, campsites, composting toilets and a pair of on-demand hot showers. There are a variety of trails to explore the land; a short walk to the House of AnahAtlan and a slightly longer walk to the Collaboratory at the Artifactory,
• Links: www.atlancenter.org,  www.cultureseed.org