Seeking Visionaries

Mountain Gardens is seeking a director for a nature education center / school currently under construction on a half-acre property located between M.G. and the National Forest (Woody Ridge trailhead at the end of Shuford Creek Road). The facility will include a classroom / library, outdoor kitchen, an airstream trailer to serve as office and residence for the director, and about a dozen simple shelters (huts, lean-tos, tipis, etc.)

We anticipate offering week, two week or even longer classes in Paradise Gardening / permaculture, herbalism, native plant communities and useful plants, wild food harvesting and processing, medicinal herb cultivation, harvesting and processing, etc. We also anticipate renting this facility to herb schools, university classes, garden clubs and other interested groups. The situation is also ideal for nature meditation (forest bathing) and wilderness retreats.

The property is never farmed woodland; we will be making a clearing to allow for photovoltaics and to develop a Paradise Garden / permaculture demonstration featuring particularly wild foods, perennial vegetables and medicinal herbs, both native and Asian; and to provide logs and poles for construction. The work will be done by the students.

The director will oversee and participate in the design and construction of the facility, installation of photovoltaics, water system, humanure, etc. as well as the development of the gardens, nursery, compost making, etc. The creation of the facility will be a large part of the curriculum of the school. The director will participate in the development of the curriculum and teaching, which will be shared with other residents of Mountain Gardens who have, collectively, expertise in all of the various aspects of the program.

All of the income generated will be reinvested in the center; this will include the salary for the director, which will be some to be determined percentage of the income.

Photos of the property: