Michigan Land Trustees
Newsletter
December, 1990
Wood Heat
Mark Thomas once said to me, “Heating with wood heats
twice.” (Ever the young scholar, he attributed the quote to
whomever put it into print.) At the time Mark was living in a tiny
hand—hewed cottage he had built with a solar hot water heater and
greenhouse experiment out the back door. He read a lot, and he lived on
an annual income of around $3,000-which was generated from his
impeccable fruit and vegetable gardens. His life and work were idyllic
and remain an inspiration to me this very day. And lately, I’ve
been think-a lot about what he had meant concerning heating with wood.
Two years ago power company nad a couple of jokers in to trim and cut
trees that threatened its lines. Since the electric lines were high
over much of my sloping woods everything underneath had to be cleared.
I wasn’t happy, but fortunately much of it ran over the pond.
Besides, I thought I would be getting easy pickings to a lot of
firewood downed and cut to six or eight foot lengths before I even
fired up my chain saw. The wood heat equation would not hold true this
time and to insure that I went out to the cutting crew to ask that the
trees be felled towards the road for my easy access.
When I came upon the two-man crew they were asleep in their truck in
the middle of the afternoon. I knocked on the window and awoke the guy
in the driver’s seat who muttered something under his breath,
apologized gruffly, and said they were taking a breather because his
partner was sick with the flu. “Yeah, right,” I thought to
myself. Nonetheless, I pleasantly requested that the trees be felled
towards the road. The guy at the wheel said it was no problem, and so I
took off and didn’t think about the load of wood for a year and a
half.
This fall I surveyed my supply of ready—cut firewood. To my
horror I found that almost all the trees had been pushed over the
embankment down towards the pond. Those idiots. I would either have to
carry the downed wood up the embankment or burn green wood. For a brief
moment I thought of buying a length of chain, a harness and a mule.
Instead, I opted to drive my pickup down into the clearing under the
wires. There I would only have to pack out the logs one-third the
distance than if I left the truck on the side of the road. Bad move. On
my way into the woods I hit two stumps and got three flat tires, and
had to be pulled out the next day by my brothers 4 x 4. Finally, I left
the truck-with a new set of tires-along side the road and packed out
the logs. It was great exercise. I now have five or six truck loads up
by the house, and there’s at least three more still in the woods
that can wait until spring. Mark Thomas sure was right on about wood
heat. I’ve been sweating like a greased pig and I have yet to
split and stack.
-—Michael Phillips
Michigan Land Trustees
Report from the Chair
It has been an eventful year for the Michigan Land Trustees. The
saddest event was the passing of Sally Kaufman. We also miss the active
participation of Swan (Al) and Rhonda Sherman-Huntoon since their move
to North Carolina.
The Board authorized various improvements for the MLT homestead. The
main one involved renovating the downstairs bathroom. The kitchen also
has a new floor. This corning year we will need to do something about
the roof on the homestead building.
Earth Day in different communities became an occasion for MLT to give
people trees to plant. One hundred trees were given out in Bangor, two
hundred in South Haven, and in a most busy day, six hundred in
Kalamazoo. The trees were accompanied with an “adoption
form” giving the new care givers instructions on its proper care
and feeding.
MLT decided to join with a number of the citizens groups in a regional
coalition which is seeking environmentally sound approaches to solid
waste management and opposing dangerous incineration schemes.
Proposed projects for the coming year include: 1) once again giving out
trees on Earth Day; and 2) working with the Kalamazoo Valley Habitat
for Humanity to develop a permaculture plan for one of their sites (see
The Greening of Habitat).
We hope you will record your needed support of these efforts by
renewing your membership in MLT. Our budget is now at a very modest
level and gives us relatively little surplus to undertake new projects.
Ken Dahlberg, Chairperson
MICHIGAN LAND TRUSTEES
Annual Farm Report
1990
This year it was a near perfect growing season at the Land Trust Farm.
The three cuttings of hay more or less filled the barn. The cattle are
grazing on the eight foot tall corn. Potatoes are the size of footballs
(well...almost).
Last year, and the previous fall, we planted 200 filberts, 200 pines,
and 200 mixed oak and nut trees in the front and back permaculture
areas and also along the south border of the property. Filberts should
be especially valuable since the adjoining property has been sold to a
blueberry grower. Most of these seedlings took hold well because of the
good weather and regular rainfall.
It has been interesting to watch the new pond ecology develop in its
two years of existence. Plant life has been diversifying with
multi—cellular green algae, pioneering cattails, and a lot of
willow and cottonwood. Watching the myriads of tadpoles develop into
myriads of frogs, toads and salamanders has been worthwhile. The effect
of these predators on the neighboring garden is undoubtedly beneficial.
Other wildlife seen were great blue herons, ducks, geese and deer.
Our priority for 1991 is going to be the house. It needs a new roof,
eaves on the north and south, and some new windows. Tree planting this
year will be minimized to covering losses. We will focus our financing
and energy on these projects.
This year and next, I (Jon) am also focusing on nursing school, but life on the farm will be as usual...productive.
——Jonathan Towne
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Annual Meeting of the American
Community Garden Association
In October I attended the American Community Garden Association (ACGA)
meeting in Milwakee. Often against great odds, these “practical
idealists” seek to create community gardens in urban areas.
Sometimes there is some sort of backing for these efforts - for
example, in the twenty-three cities that receive federal support for
developing community gardens. These cities, no more than one per state,
are those with high poverty ratios. In those cities, the USDA Extension
Service has extra funds to promote community gardens along with their
“master gardener” and “master composter”
programs. However, the USDA has no great interest in these programs and
there is a battle each year to keep these funds for the program in the
USDA budget (after all, USDA wants to focus on real agriculture -where
you use big tractors, hybrids, lots of fertilizers, etc.).
In some states, community gardens are promoted by state horticultural
societies or botanic gardens. In others, there are non—profit
groups which have grown out of local attempts to grow gardens and
community.
The community aspect is very important. In fact, in one workshop on
community food gardens in public housing units, it was pointed out that
this was one of the few activities where the residents really come to
have a sense of empowerment -that they can really do things by
cooperating and other types of organizing result.
Among others, workshops at the conference included the following
topics: composting; lots for tots; “Life Lab” science
education programs(where students use gardens to study biology);
gardening to protect water resources; community gardening with a
homeless shelter; horticulture therapy; and gardening and crafts for
youths.
We also had a nice (but rainy) tour of nine different community gardens
in Milwaukee. These were various sizes -from about one lot to the 30
acres on the Milwaukee County Grounds which have been made available
for garden allotments (there are over 700 30’x30’ garden
plots) and various demonstration gardens (intensive vegetable, a herb
garden,a butterfly garden, and a composting site).
Overall, I was most impressed at the great potential represented by
this group/movement-—both in terms of creating greater community
and more self—reliance. One thing that struck me was the number
of blacks, Asians, and women involved. Also, there was a full age
range-although it is clear from some of the workshops on children and
community gardens that once they reach puberty, peer pressure
significantly reduces participation in community efforts.
Next years meeting will be in Cleveland. If anyone else is interested in attending, please contact me.
--Ken Dahlberg
The Greeningof HABITAT
This autumn, MLT has held a number of exploratory conversations with
the Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity about the possibility of
developing a permaculture site plan for one of their houses. They have
been receptive to this idea and we hope to proceed shortly.
While Habitat stresses the idea of self-reliance in terms of people
contributing quite a bit of “sweat equity” towards the new
or rehabilitated houses that Habitat works to build, the organization
has not seen the potential for greater self-reliance in the landscaping
around these homes. Obviously, increasing the amount of “edible
landscaping” would move these from simply being houses towards
being more self—reliant homesteads.
While the potential will vary depending upon the new residents, and
whether they are interested in “low,” “medium,”
or “high” involvement landscapes, we think there is great
potential for collaboration between the two groups. It will enable the
MLT to add an urban dimension to its rural focus
We will have more details on the site and the type of plan being
developed in the next newsletter and may well be asking for your help
on a “work day” as well as for additional financial
resources to fund the plantings that will be required.
--Ken Dahlberg
* * * * *
Notices
Throughout the upcoming year we will continue to keep you updated on
the Land Trust Farm Permaculture efforts, The HABITAT project, and
other MLT activities. The Board of Directors is also considering making
an effort to renovate the park area in Bangor, Michigan where Sally
Kaufman worked to have the peace pole placed. We will provide further
details in our next newsletter, which is due out sometime after the new
year.
The next meeting of the Michigan Land Trustees will take place on
Sunday, January 20, 1990, at the home of Thom and Lane
Phillips: 1730 Forest Drive, Portage. The meeting
begins at 3:30 pm, with a potluck following. All are welcome. Phone
327-5822 or 624-6968 for directions or more
information.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the MLT newsletter over
the past year. As always, your thoughts, comments and suggestions are
encouraged. Also, please feel free to submit poems, essays, book
reviews and personal updates for upcoming newsletters. The ground is
still soft-go out and plant a tree. Happy holidays.
——Michael Phillips, editor