Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Community Development Plan for Masonite Site (Part 9)

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From TIM EASTERBROOK; EARL BROWN contributing

May 18, 2009 Ukiah, Mendocino County, North California

An integral aspect of the Eco-Village and a sustainable future will be re-cycling. This is not limited to today’s meaning of separating the tin from the plastic, the green glass from the clear, and the paper from the rest; this is waste separation, re-cycling will take on a deeper and broader meaning as we move into the challenging years ahead.

Waste separation is an aspect of the process of recycling, yet, most importantly in the process is using the end waste product, or products, from one industry to feed a part, or parts, of another; re-using, possibly for reasons other than originally intended; re-manufacturing new materials, or structures from part, or parts, of the waste stream, and reclamation of usable components (oils, water, chemicals, nutrients) from objects and solutions before their final (for us) resting, composting, place.

By building “Zero Waste” into our planning as an ideal to work toward, while understanding we are in a transition phase and unlikely to achieve such a lofty goal quickly, we can open our individual and collective creativity without thinking we have to have all the answers before beginning.

Being in transition means action; something is happening and movement is involved. In Mendocino County we can feel the burden of the past blurring into a questionable future and wonder what we will transition into; a peaceful, sustainable group of interdependent communities living within their means, supporting each other through the lean times, celebrating the abundant, or, the opposite. Climate chaos, economic collapse, civil strife, or a number of other causes, which may be beyond our control, may make our future choices futile and meaningless; moot. Localization, now, is our best, most logical course of action and it is time to ask ourselves which of the options above we want to transition into.

We, in Mendocino County, may not be able to provide all of our wants, but we can certainly see to our needs. Fulfilling wants before needs has gotten us into this mess as much as greed, political incompetence, and ignorance. It is time for a transition and we need to decide which way it will go.

Only a certain amount of fiber can be extracted from the forests without depleting the soils. Until our forests have recovered we need to develop other means of supplying ourselves with fiber from alternative sources. Mendocino County can support the production of fiber in many forms; wool, wood, plant fibers, bamboo, willow, fungi, all grow well in Mendocino County and in Northern California. As the health and productivity of our forests decline and the threat of catastrophic forest fire increases these other fibers will become more valuable and necessary in our area. As work is done in the watersheds that helps the natural healing power of nature rehabilitate the landscape— returning streams to natural functioning capabilities, and, as the larger trees mature, the removal of small diameter poles and understory fuel loads to supply a source of useable building materials, bio-fuels, and fiber— the amount is limited by the need to re-cycle nutrients in the forest soils to maintain fertility. Other sources of fiber will need to be developed, many of which we already know and which have higher fiber content that provides superior structural strength when compared to traditional wood sources.

This post explores the use of several plant sources of fiber and gives some background of their use and properties. Below I list Bamboo, Kenaf, and Hemp. Other forms of fiber, such as wool, straw, fungi and willow are also good sources of fiber and vital to a sustainable future, although I do not include them here to save space. For the Bast plant section below I am quoting sections from the 1996- Bast Fiber Applications for Composites Report, authored by, Erwin H. Lloyd (biocomp@comcast.net) and David Seber (organic@organicseed.com). This 1996 document does not look at Bast fiber in terms of clothing and fabric but for composite (wood and plastic) building materials which are very strong for their weight.

Bast fiber plants, as well as other fiber producing plant species, provide a means to supplement for traditional forest products and even capture new markets through the use of alternative raw materials which possess unique and beneficial properties. Bast plants include flax, kneaf and hemp, and have been used by many civilizations for a period of at least 4000 years. Fibers such as bamboo and hemp are also exceptional for clothing yet I only make short reference to these uses. This “Potential Community Development Plan” is not intended to be complete but to stimulate community dialogue.

From the 1996- Bast Fiber Applications for Composites
“Bast fibers have been grown for centuries throughout the world. Bast plants are characterized by long, strong fiber bundles that comprise the outer portion of the stalk. Bast plants include flax, hemp, kenaf, sunn-hemp, ramie, and jute. The focus of our research has been on the species that can grow in temperate regions of the world, namely flax, hemp, and kenaf. These fibrous plants have long been noted for their exceptional strength in cordage and paper.

The word “bast” refers to the outer portion of the stem of these plants. This stringy, vascular portion comprises 10 – 40% of the mass of the stem depending upon the species of bast plant, as well as the particular variety, or cultivar, within a bast plant.
The remainder of the stem inside this bast layer is a different type of fibrous material, which has different names depending upon the species selected. This inner material is known as shives when referring to flax and sometimes hemp, as hurd in the context of hemp, and as core when from kenaf. For the purpose of simplicity and consistency, we will use the word “core” when discussing this portion of the bast plant.”

Overall Advantages of Bast Plants
“In general, bast plants possess the following benefits:
1. High tensile strength in bast portions, especially in fiber varieties.
2. Bast plants have a relatively low specific gravity of 0.28 – 0.62, yielding an especially high specific strength, i.e. strength to weight ratio, (Kozlowski, Mieleniak, Przepiera, 1994).
3. Generally high fiber productivity rates, rivaling and even surpassing that of the most commercial tree species.
4. Potential for even greater productivity, bast portions, and mechanical properties through focused genetic breeding.” (I hope they mean hybridizing, evb)

Overall Limitations of Bast Plants
“In general, bast plants also have the following limitations:
1. Rotations at least every other year generally required.
2. Limited research for composite applications in North America.
3. Lack of related agricultural infrastructure in North America.
4. Relatively high absorption of moisture in core portion.
5. Diminished board properties when using core for particleboard.
6. Difficulty in handling long fiber bundle lengths for processing.
7. Difficulty in applying binder to long fiber bundle lengths.”

Hemp
Advantages of Hemp:
“Hemp shows the following strengths:
1. Hemp requires less moisture to grow than kenaf.
2. Hemp’s fiber-bundles are stronger and tougher than those of kenaf, generally comparable to varieties of flax, and most other known fiber species.
3. Hemp is generally pest resistant, drought resistant, and light frost resistant.
4. With proper leaf removal, hemp has low net nutrient requirements and requires minimal cultivation.
5. Hemp provides greater fiber yields in areas generally north of the 40th latitude than most other fiber crops, generally surpassing flax by 10%.”

Disadvantages of Hemp:
“Hemp also has the following weaknesses:
1. Restrictions of its growth and cultivation in North America, especially in the United States.
2. Lower fiber yields than kenaf and other tropical species in the warmer portions of the United States and more southerly regions.
3. Lower bast fiber portions relative to kenaf and flax.

Table 1 compares the chemical composition of these bast plants with that of wood.

Table 1: Comparative Chemical Composition:
FIBROUS MATERIAL:    CELLULOSE    HEMI- CELLULOSE    LIGNIN    EXTRACTIVES    ASH
FLAX     78.5    9.2    8.5    2.3    1.5
HEMP    68.1    15.1    10.6    3.6    2.5
KENAF (bast)    60.8    20.3    11.0    3.2    4.7
CONIFEROUS    48.0    15.0    25.3    11.5    0.2
DECIDUOUS    52.8    21.8    22.3    2.7    0.4
Source: Danforth International, and TAPPI

Table 5 illustrates the fiber bundle tensile strength properties of the various bast fibers are significantly higher than those of wood species. (Douglas fir, Southern Pine, Aspen vs. Hemp, Kenaf, Flax). In light of this issue, higher structural applications appear the most promising. This value is an excellent measure of the structural performance we can expect in a particular size and configuration of a product.”

Table 5: Comparative Mechanical/Physical Properties of Bast and Wood Materials:
FIBROUS MATERIAL     DENSITY (g/cm3)     LENGTH (mm)    DIAMETER (um)     L/D RATIO    TENSILE STRENGTHS (psi)
FIBER    BUNDLE    RANGE     AVG    RANGE    AVG
FLAX    1.51    1.2    10 – 65    32    10 – 25    18    1,778    51,000
KENAF (bast)    -    1.2    1.4 – 5    2.6    14 – 23    21    124    58,000
KENAF (core)    0.31    -    0.4 – 1.1    0.6    18 – 37    30    20    -
HEMP    1.48    1.2    7 – 55    25    13 – 30    18    1,087    118,000
S.Y. PINE    0.51    -    2.7 – 4.6    3.7    32 – 43    38    97    11,600
D. FIR    0.48    -    2.7 – 4.6    3.7    32 – 43    38    97    15,600
ASPEN    0.39    -    0.7 – 1.6    1.2    20 – 30    25    48    7,400
Sources: Wood Handbook; Danforth International; W.S.U., WMEL; Columbus, 1996, Institute of Natural Fibers, U.S.D.A., A.R.S.; The BioComposite Center.
KENAF:

Kenaf
“Kenaf, Hibiscus cannabinus, originating from Africa, has traditionally been a source of bast fiber in India, China, The Commonwealth of Independent States, Iran, Nigeria, and Thailand. Kenaf is a newer crop to the United States that shows good potential as a raw material for use in composite products. Presently, around 4,300 acres of kenaf are cultivated in the United States. 2,000 acres are grown in Mississippi, 1,200 acres in Texas, 560 acres in California, with lesser amounts in Louisiana, New Mexico, and Georgia. Traditionally, kenaf has been known as a cordage crop or jute substitute. Research on kenaf first began in the United States in 1957 and has continued sporadically since that time, (White, Higgins, 1964). Newer advances in decortication equipment which seperates the core from the bast fiber combined with fiber shortages has renewed recent interest in kenaf as a fiber source.”

Advantages of Kenaf:
“Kenaf possesses the following benefits:
1. Excellent yields in southern regions. For example, 15 tons/acre were grown at College Station, Texas in research plots, (Berger, 1969). Actual production yields of 7 -9 bone dry tons/acres can be expected in the warmer regions of Texas.
2. Low harvested whole stalk costs in favorable climatic regions such as southern Texas.
3. Genetic strains have been developed which yield 35% or greater bast portions. This is a relatively high proportion.
4. Considerable progress has been made in developing nematode resistance in the Texas growing region. Nematode susceptibility has long been an encumbrance to the viability of kenaf development.
5. Is competitive showing favorable weed control characteristics.
6. Is viewed favorably by the USDA as a prime candidate for alternative fiber development and has consequently received greater research funding.
7. Strong federal political support.”

Limitations of Kenaf:
“Kenaf also has the following limitations:
1. Low productivity in cooler climates. Its growing season can be as short as 90 – 120 days, and consequently it will grow in almost any region of North America if sufficient moisture is available. The yields of kenaf in Rosemount, Minnesota, south of the Twin Cities, yielded only 2.5 tons/acre in a research plot, compared to the 15 ton/acre yield in College Station, Texas, (Le Mahieu, Oplinger, Putnam, 1991; White, Higgins, 1964). Actual production yields are roughly 60-70% of those in test plots, (Blodsoe, 1996; Cook, 1996).
2. High moisture requirements. 600 mm, (23.6 in) of water is preferable during its growing cycle of 120-150 days, (Vannini, Venturi, 1992).” (end quotes)

Bamboo
Bamboo is actually a grass that grows to a harvestable height of 60 feet in about three to five years and can grow as much as two feet per day. It has an extensive root system that continually sends up new shoots and does not require replanting. Bamboo, as the Bast plants mentioned above and other fiber sources, holds the promise of sustainable, cost effective and ecologically responsible alternatives to short sighted management and the clear cutting of our timberland. Bamboo can be spun into yarn, or processed as a fiber. It has a unparalleled micro-structure of pours that absorb human sweat rapidly. If left in it natural state, not roasting it to change the color (caramelizing the starches and sugars), the fiber makes a pleasant green colored fabric that is bio-degradable, cheaper than cotton and wears as well, or better.

Composite products for building materials made from the plants mentioned in this post include, but is not limited to: Low-density insulation boards, Ceiling Tiles, Substrate for lightweight furniture, Components in manufactured housing, Office partitions, Core materials for doors, and particleboard. These plants offer reinforcing fibers to other materials such as concrete, wood, straw, pultrusion products; reinforcements for thermoplastics and insulation; and cordage, especially jute, sisal, and hemp, has historically been strong. Fabrics for clothing, bedding, drapes, upholstery and more can be added into the value items for these fibers. This also does not include food fibers and their benefits to the human body.

There is a great deal of creativity in our area and much we could do to supply our local fiber needs with a fiber processing and manufacturing facility as a foundation of the Eco-Village/Transition Park concept.
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A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8→
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
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Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Community Development Plan for Masonite Site (Part 8)

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Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill and Post and Beam Structure Fabrication

From GOVINDA DALTON; EARL BROWN contributing

May 12, 2009 Ukiah, Mendocino County, North California

If we are not careful we will end up where we are headed ~Ancient Chinese proverb

Planning often works better if done before hand ~Anonymous

The purpose of this post is to demonstrate, in general terms, how the health of our forests contributes to the health of our communities and to the quality of our lives. In fact the forests contain some of the keys to our sustainability and to our collective future.

A vast number of jobs have already been created by past logging and timber management practices and they are just waiting for attention. Our timberlands provide jobs, skills training (personal, life, technical, and social), space for scientific study, development of meaningful environmental curriculum for schools, colleges and universities, recreation opportunities, ecological tourism, tranquil space for reflection, and much, much more.

A healthy forest protects us from fire, infiltrates rainwater into aquifers, catches fog, moderates our local climate, and provides building material, fuel, and homes for thousands of non-human species. There are thousands of jobs available now in repairing the damage of the past, and  repairing the damage, as much as we can, takes us into the future.

We propose to look at many of the dysfunctions and problematic issues facing Mendocino County, with somewhat of a Homeopathic thought ….. “like cures like”. There are a number of social issues that can be addressed within the context of a small diameter pole mill with an adjacent fabrication plant: sustainable local economies, catastrophic forest fire, water supply and quality, forest health, money leakage (leaving our area), garbage disposal, recycling, wastewater treatment (grey water, black water and industrial waste), lack of affordable housing, honest, meaningful work and land use as it applies to industry, to name a few. Environmental issues such as riparian restoration, healthy fisheries, watershed restoration, bio-remediation, zero waste and The Precautionary Principal, can also be addressed within this context and in the eco-village/transition park model in general. By using the problem (catastrophic fire) as the source of the answer (reduce fuel loading) we learn to work with the natural environment for the betterment of all.

A part of the village will become a staging area for small diameter pole processing and utilization; poles will be twelve inches in diameter, or less. This location would include truck unloading, storage area, debarking equipment, grading area where the poles are evaluated for structural strength and best use, and cutting/sizing equipment. Adjacent to this area would be the fabrication mill where various structures are engineered as “kits” (homes, garages, sheds, gazebos, etc.) and a retail space open to the public. This mill could also provide raw material for the nearby furniture manufacturer; the wood chips could be used to produce alcohol, wood pellets for fuel, compost for gardens, bio-char fuel or, other wood products. Buildings, such as offices in the complex, would be made with the post and beam construction (probably needing a code change in building materials) so visitors and prospective clients can view and feel the structures. Having a quality kit home saves the homeowner some of the permitting process and expensive change orders during construction, as well as giving them emotional security by knowing it is structurally sound. Ecologically minded tourists can visit the site to see a creative community working together to resolve its issues as well as learn innovative techniques for localization and sustainability.

Small diameter poles have been utilized here before and between 1952 and 1968 there were several small diameter pole mills in Mendocino County. J.H. Baxter & Company extracted poles and delivered them to mills located in Willits, Hopland and Point Arena, where the poles were debarked and shipped to various locations for treatment. There is currently a functional pole mill in Potter Valley, however it is no longer operating, and there is likely to be usable equipment available from other lumber mills, now closed down. Gathering, refurbishing and installing this equipment would create jobs in themselves and these people may move on to operator, fabricator, or other position in the business. With all of the forestland needing fuel load reduction several of these mills would be necessary to process the available poles. As the forests regenerate, mills that take larger trees can be re-opened under sustainable timber harvest practices providing more jobs, in perpetuity. It has taken 150 years for the forests to unravel to the point they are and it will take sixty to eighty years to regenerate a healthy stand of mature trees ready for sustainable harvest.

With the recent Mendocino Lightning Complex Fires we were given a first hand example of how fire moves through dense forest growth. In fact the Greenfield Ranch community is being considered as a model of citizen response for forest fire, per private discussion with a CDF official. Now is the time to capitalize on this exposure and make some bold moves. A hundred years ago an average forest contained roughly 25 mature trees per acre and was relatively open. The same forest today may contain as many as one thousand trees and is tightly packed with shrubs and undergrowth as well. These are called ladder fuels. The trees in these dense stands are smaller, weaker, more disease prone and more susceptible to insect invasion. Current fuel loading practices include cutting down small trees, brush and other ladder fuels — but without removing, or chipping the slash. The downed wood, left this way, becomes as much a fire hazard as standing dead wood. A wide ranging fuel load reduction campaign coordinated with an equally ambitious thin and release program is not only desperately needed, but is a source of jobs, training, education, building materials and revenue.

Except for the land, the major costs for homes are the construction, the mortgage, and energy for heating and cooling. Leakage, a word used to indicate money leaving an area, or region, is a term the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors favored during discussions about needing more box stores in our area. The Energy Working Group, a citizen’s action group, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, identified the two leading means of money loss, or leakage, from our community; energy and mortgages for our homes. By using material that is on-hand, material that is actually a nuisance and fire danger, and by focusing on new insulation methods, the cost of home construction is minimized (lower mortgage) and the need for heating and cooling can be greatly decreased (lower energy costs), thus minimizing the “leakage” from our county. The combination of using post construction and alternative forms of insulation makes the price of one of these homes affordable to low income families. Given the lack of affordable housing and the expected cost of energy in the near future, post and pole construction makes a lot of sense, and by bringing conservation back into the conversation we will contribute in a wiser way to the visioning process.

Post and beam construction is an innovative means of structure and home construction. There are many examples of post and pole construction, from the Earth Lodge model to the Yellowstone Resort. Most of the high end ski resorts employ pole construction as a common theme for all of their buildings. Infill of the walls (insulation) can be from a variety of strategies now in vogue, straw bale, cob, synthetic sheathing, and traditional framing, to name a few. We would like to propose “Papercrete” as one solution for this need. Around 60% of the waste stream going into the transfer station is some sort of paper product that can be turned into Paper Crete, a kind of super paper-mache, which has an R factor higher than straw bale and other insulation materials. All of the paper waste headed to the transfer station would go to the Re-Manufacturing Facility at the eco-village for processing into Paper Crete and then utilized as insulation for the post and beam houses. Go to http://www.livinginpaper.com/index.htm for more information about Paper Crete.

These homes end up being very affordable, some designs cost less than $20,000. A cooperative agreement between landowners, the mill operation and funding entities initiates the process. Ten years ago the Forest Service paid around $300 an acre to have trees felled to the ground and the landowner matched this with $100.00 per acre. This still left the dry down wood as fire fuel. Lets suppose we charged $500 an acre to remove the usable poles and chip the rest (simulating fire/nutrient recycling). The faller and chipper crew would get $25 an hour $200 would be allocated to transport the poles out to the processing mill. The trees/poles are not purchased, or sold, per say, but it is the value added in the labor that is the commodity. The labor involved in transportation, debarking, grading, sizing, cutting for the kit and packaging the material for shipment represents the basis for the cost of the kits. With another investment of between $10,000 and $20,000 a complete solar/hydro/wind system could be added and roof rainwater catchments would be implemented into the building plans (and building codes) making these homes not only state-of-the-art and energy efficient, but costing $40,000, or less, complete.

Fire is a natural recycler and we live in a fire dependent area. If this land does not burn every 15 to 30 years (approximately) then the fuels get out of control and wild fire ensues. Human intrusion into the timberlands, with their fear of fire and economic loss, has acerbated the problem of past land management practices and now the system is desperately out of balance. We cannot eliminate fire without taking measures to recycle a portion of the woody debris back onto the forest floor to create humus and fertilizer for future generations of trees. This could be done by chipping, or possibly by control burning of the slash given proper weather conditions and location. Without this nutrient recycling our hillsides would soon run out of fertility and the ability to support a healthy forest. This is similar to the need for salmon and steelhead fish to return to our streams; they bring nutrients that have washed down to the ocean and bring them back up into our mountain streams, spawn the next generation and then die, leaving their carcass’ to be eaten by the forest critters and spread back upon the land as fertilizer. Without the fish we loose a huge portion of the nutrients leaving out forests and watersheds; without the forests we do not have the habitat required to support the fish. If we loose either one we are likely to loose both and we will be diminished as a community and have fewer chances of survival given dramatic changes climate, the misfortunes of war and/or the collapse of industrial society.

The existing California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP) guidelines are in a document that directs forest stand improvement and can be utilized immediately (Go here to learn more about CFIP). The point is there is an existing program and guiding document that is accepted by regulators and that has the funding stream and accounting resources to allocate money to private landowners for forest improvement practices. With President Obama’s stimulus package we will be seeing a lot of “green job” money intended to put people to work. Small diameter poles have been avoided because extracting them is labor intensive given the existing commercial market for poles. Peeler poles are the common item and are inferior in structural quality than a hand peeled natural shaped pole. With the current state of the economy, the rising rate of unemployment, the affordable housing crisis, and the need to restore our forests, we need to do something quickly. CFIP provides a mechanism for landowners to be able to afford to enter into forest health management practices and if we had a small diameter processing mill and the ability to make buildings, homes and household furniture with the poles make this a community endeavor worth pursuing.

Although not adequately addressed in this proposal, there is a need for hardwood management in the forests. Unrestrained after the removal of the taller conifer trees hardwoods such as Tan Oak have created large, thick, stands of sick and diseased trees. As part of a comprehensive forest management plan these hardwoods can be thinned, utilized for building materials, chipped, burned, or turned into a bio-fuel such as wood pellets, or used in some other process such as tanning of leather. Trees left standing will mature and become usable for hardwood flooring, cabinets, furniture and other wood products manufactured at the Eco-village. Diversity in the forest, in our community, in our creativity and in the products we produce, will give us an economic base that will not be as susceptible to manipulation from outside sources and provide for a standard of living as good, or better, than what we enjoy now.

We can also use this worldview of sustainability, equity and connectivity to recognize and honor the land management techniques of the original indigenous inhabitants of this area. Many tribes of First Nation People have held and practiced techniques such as separating plant clusters to spreading a usable variety, prescribed burns for vegetation control and to generate forage for grazing animals, painting oak tree trunks with ashes to prevent beetle infestation — just scratching the surface of their knowledge. A powerful healing between our nations could come out of a mutual cooperation to restore our forests with Native American People and vocational programs such as the one administered by Pinoleville Band of Pomo’s. In addition to working with local Native programs there are job and training opportunities for disadvantaged youth, at risk youth, and summer youth programs. Intensive hand labor jobs are perfect because of restrictions concerning under-aged (less than 18 years of age) using power tools. The use of non-powered hand tools is acceptable for the younger and suitable for working in small groups with the smaller diameter poles. Workers and students eighteen years and older will go through a training program in the use of the various pieces of power equipment and be certified in their use. Being responsible stewards of the land, working together, learning from each other, modeling healthy relationships and working toward a sustainable future will bring us closer into harmony with Nature and with each other. We will become a community in the deepest definition of the word.

As this plan comes into fruition Mendocino County becomes a focal point for models that deal with job creation, housing, catastrophic forest fire, forest health, waste management, reducing greenhouse gasses, and sustainability. This automatically kicks in another sector of the economic development strategy: creating a learning environment for various peoples from around the world to come and see how it’s done, e.g. tourism. As the reality of conscious implementation of practical ideas come into being, such as those contained in the Eco-village/Transition Park Proposal,  Mendocino County would be transformed and become wealthier than imagined. We will learn that quality of life and authentic community are beyond monetary value.
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A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8→
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
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Food Processing Facility – Community Development Plan for Masonite Site (Part 7)

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From EARL BROWN

May 4, 2009 Ukiah, Mendocino County, North California

In Mendocino County alone, every year, there are hundreds of tons of grapes, pears and apples that rot on the ground for lack of a market; in some years there are thousands.

Add Lake County and the figure may double. Prices for wine grapes, packer and canning fruit (apples and pears) fluctuate and the price for juicing fruit is basically non-existent. This leaves a vast amount of fruit lying on the ground at the end of every season.

Although the fruit composts and becomes fertilizer for the next crop it is an economic loss as well as a loss of food. At a certain point it is not economically feasible for the grower to pick and process the fruit so it rots. This wasted fruit could be processed into a number of products that could be utilized locally, by a number of entities, benefiting the local farmer and the recipients of the products. At a minimum the fruit could produce methane, or alcohol, to be used as fuel.

Along with fluctuating market prices another factor in the wasting of this fruit is the cost of transportation. The nearest juicing facility is in Watsonville and the cost of fuel to deliver, process and pick up the product is greater than the money received for the sale of the product. The cost of transportation, in and out of the county, will rise in the near future and eventually become economically impossible (peak oil) unless we develop a local, sustainable, means of fuel and power production. When it costs more in labor to pick the fruit than the fruit buyers are paying (not considering the cost of transportation and processing) the fruit stays on the ground. To grow, process, utilize and export the excess of our production, with locally produced, or collected, power would be a giant step toward sustainability.

The list of potential uses and products that can be made from local fruit is substantial; juices, jellies, jams, puree, sauces, fermented vegetables, soups, fruit wine, fruit brandy, cider (with and without alcohol), chutneys, dried fruit, dried fruit puree, frozen fruit bars, and more. Products such as pear puree and fruit concentrates can be used in the manufacture of other products, such as granola and power bars, and is used in institutional cooking (schools, prisons, hospitals). Combined with the development of local fuel supplies (solar electric, bio-fuel, methane, ethanol) the fruit could be collected and processed here, without the expenses to take it elsewhere and to our benefit.

Market is still an issue, yet the challenge would not be selling the fruit to the canning and packing houses, but getting the value added products into the food distribution system, both local and out-of-county. The organic leftovers of the production process would be composted for fertilizer, and the wastewater (attachment 4) can be cleaned and used for irrigation, wildlife/ornamental ponds, or released directly into the environment; zero wasted. A local processing facility would fill a vital need in our ability to provide sufficient food, at an affordable cost, to local residents, visitors and guests, helping to stabilize our economy.

Fruit crops are not the only food crops that can be grown in Mendocino. Much of our river valley soils are perfect for row crops and there is a multitude of varieties suitable to our climate. The floodplains are not locations for buildings and rarely for permanent tree crops. Russian River water quality, stream channel stability and riparian habitat would be better served if the floodplains were re-established (where possible) and turned into seasonal row crop production. The river would replenish soil nutrients with the winter flooding, sediment would be deposited where it belongs (on the floodplain) improving water quality, reducing the amount of sediment clogging the Russian River, benefitting fish, wildlife and humans equally. Herbs, vegetables and other row crops could be sold fresh, or processed into a myriad of edible products and made available to local markets. A diversity of food crops would strengthen Mendocino County and a food processing facility would make this possible.

Another fruit and food source is urban landscaping. There are fruit trees, plums of many varieties, apples, cherries and other fruit producing trees and shrubs. As we walk down our Ukiah sidewalks, during harvest season, many times we walk on fruit dropped on the sidewalk and left to rot. If landowners knew there was an outlet for the fruit, or if they were willing to let others pick the fruit, as much of it may not be wasted. Urban fruits and vegetables could be processed into usable products, or turned into bio-fuels. This would encourage empty urban spaces to be turned into gardens increasing local crop biodiversity, remove rotting fruit from our streets and sidewalks, making food available to local markets, including the Food Bank and Plowshares. Unused, open, urban spaces could also be utilized to grow crops suitable for bio-fuel thus augmenting local power production and self-reliance.

A large part of local self-reliance is providing as much of our own needs as possible, using local resources and living within the carrying capacity of the land; not living beyond our means as if there were no limits. It means growing, processing and supplying local markets with a diversity of food crops; gaining rational control of local governance, economy, and fuel supplies. It means growing crops for fiber and developing the means to manufacture fabric from these crops. Cottage industry is a key to the success of any localization effort in our area. Cottage food industries would mean that landowners with only a little space could grow a crop, or crops, and have them processed into a value added product, or fuel. Also, many local people have their own, or family recipe, for a food product that if there was available production space they could manufacture and sell locally. The current issue is that each person would have to supply their own raw product, buy extra ingredients, have a commercial kitchen, supply all of their accounting, shipping and receiving, electric, and other expenses. This is beyond the means of the average citizen and is a barrier to the development of sustainability. Rentable commercial kitchen space, equipment and storage would go a long way to helping cottage industry grow in Mendocino County.

The Masonite site is central to the valley growers; it has easy access to the freeway, access to the NWPRR (train) track and space for the facility. The facility fits well with the eco-village, sustainable community concept, has sufficient agricultural, open space and landscaping uses for treated wastewater to be used constructively and on-site. A food processing facility for locally produced crops is needed, it would provide meaningful employment, provide healthy food at an affordable price, be a training ground for skills development, summer youth jobs and have multiple other benefits to our community.

Facility overview:
The facility would be capable of crushing whole fruit (apples, pears and grapes) with a hammer mill, or stemmer crusher, and equipment for separating the juice (bladder press, basket press). It would have all of the pumps, hoses, filters, heat exchanger, chillers, fillers, other small processing equipment and cool storage capability. Washers and scrubbers for vegetables will be available for tubers and other tough skinned veggies. Solar fruit dehydrators could be developed at this site or in another location depending upon space and type and size of dehydrator.

The main building would consist of at lease three separate commercial kitchen units available for locals to rent to prepare their food items; open production space for equipment (fillers, bottle-line), cold storage space with a freezer unit; warehouse space, shipping and receiving dock, office, meeting room and possibly public retail space. The facility could be operated as a collective and users of the facility could have a vote in the operation of the management of the facility. Large food retailers such as Trader Joes will buy truckload lots of food products, paying COD. Diversity means a wide variety of products without too much of any of them. These large retailers will take patchwork lots of products providing they are consistently good and sold at a reasonable price.

The facility could be a source of job training, seasonal employment as well as provide some permanent employment for skilled people. Working with organizations such as the Mendocino Private Industry Council (MPIC), Employment Development Department, The Arbor, and others, the facility could be a valuable resource for job training, skills development, internships, and summer jobs. There would also be a need for professional jobs requiring an education in management, marketing, distribution, alternative power, microbiology, brewing, fermenting, and others as the facility develops.
~

A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8→
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
~~

Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Community Development Plan for Masonite Site (Part 6)

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From EARL BROWN

April 27, 2009 Ukiah, Mendocino County, North California

Healthy communities depend upon healthy natural environments. We cannot survive long without water and the systems that keep it fresh and flowing.

Rivers and streams are full of sediment from timber harvest, mining, agriculture, urban development, and mostly roads. It is essential that the public be educated in natural systems and what a healthy watershed is. In the past one hundred years human encroachment into our watersheds has created many negative conditions that are now the jobs of the future. The salmon (Coho and Chinook) are listed as either Threatened or Endangered, under the Endangered Species Act, in many watersheds and in some areas the steelhead trout is listed as well.

The polarity between agri-business and environmentalists, between politicians and environmentalists, between business and workers, resource exploitation and making a living is pulling at the fabric of our communities and stimulating division, fear and aggression.

A public access center where information regarding Mendocino County’s stream, rivers and watersheds would be kept and made available would be a valuable asset for the community is several ways. The collection, synthesis and dissemination of information to the public would increase voter awareness of environmental issues; The Center could be a training center for unemployed and displace workers; it could provide Summer Youth employment and entry level skills building jobs for those just starting in the working world; work closely with Employment Development Department, MPIC, and other job training and placement services; help create and test environmental curriculum for local schools and beyond; provide landowners with information and other services to meet their environmental needs; and provide civil leaders with current and meaningful information on environmental issues. Repairing the damage to our watersheds, streams and rivers is a source of many jobs in the near future.

There is a dearth of environmental training opportunities from qualified sources although some advancement has been made in grades K-8 for nature based curriculum. In his book Last Child in the Woods Richard Louv coins the term Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD), noting the trend of children spending less time in nature and an increase in behavioral problems. Jane Goodall’s program Roots to Shoots is being taught in many impoverished areas of the world and is now making its way into American schools. An example of good environmental curriculum, based in local watersheds is A Child’s Place in the Environment and can be found at Lake County Office of Education. Other curriculum such as Project Wet and Re-Leaf are good for urban areas where access to natural areas is limited to parks, urban streams, and field trip to “the country”. Even with programs such as school gardens and fish in the classroom it is not enough. There is a dire need for the development of additional curriculum for environmental education in our schools, more opportunities for children to be out in full sensory contact with nature and more support for teachers and administrators seeking to bring nature back into our schools.

Not only children, but adults, need environmental education and direct sensory connection with nature. Adults as decision makers regarding environmental issues are uninformed, disconnected and unaware of how natural “living” systems work and therefore are incapable of making correct choices. Raised to see the board feet in a tree rather than the tree itself has left people incapable to see the other services a tree has to offer. As the sensory connection with nature deepens within the individual the more they understand we are all connected in inexplicable ways, to each other and to nature. This increased awareness of the importance of naturally functioning ecosystems combined with their own direct experiences with nature gives our voters and civic leaders the information needed to make wise choices concerning development, water usage, pollution enforcement, resource extraction and law enforcement. Awareness of how natural systems work and our dependence upon them also leads to the realization that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to protect, enhance and rehabilitate our watersheds.

Repairing the damage done to our watersheds and natural systems will require the work of thousands, if not millions, of people trained to work in and with natural systems. In Mendocino County alone there are years of work, for hundreds, if not thousands of jobs for properly trained people, in ecosystem management and restoration. Between the years 2000 and 2004 the Mendocino County Department of Transportation, via the Board of Supervisors, participated in a revolutionary study with five other counties that ignored political boundaries and based a drainage survey of their county road systems (not state highways or freeways) for sediment delivery into watercourses. The project was grant funded and titled, “The 5 County Effort” involving Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Siskiyou and Del Norte counties. The results for Mendocino County are complied in the “D.I.R.T. Database” and kept at Mendocino County, Department of Transportation. Over 8000 individual “sights”, or places where sediment was transported to a watercourse via the road drainage system, were identified/located, assessed for past, present and future sediment delivery with individual data forms, located with a Global Positioning System (GPS) for electronic mapping and given a specific treatment to eliminate, or minimize, the sediment delivery at each site. Material alone, to refit Mendocino County road drainage systems to meet, not exceed, environmental law is over fifty million dollars, not including labor and administration.

As large a number as eight thousand may seem, while conducting this surveyors (myself) witnessed tens of thousands of sediment delivering sites from private roads, residential and industrial alike. Much of the sediment from private property is conducted to watercourses by the county road drainage system. Dirt roads are responsible for up to 60 percent and more of the sediment reaching stream channels. Due to human impacts soil loss has become accelerated to the point of becoming an environmental hazard, as outlined in Section 303-d of the Clean Water Act. This sediment is filling in the pool habitat in streams, reducing flow capacity and increasing the frequency of flooding, removing deep cool water increasing water temperature, clogging spawning gravels and adversely affecting aquatic macro-invertebrates, which help form the base of the riparian food chain and necessary for healthy naturally functioning watersheds. Even if the County’s road system was hydrologically invisible (zero negative impact- no delivery) there would be no visible, or I believe measurable, difference in the quality of our rivers and streams; the magnitude of sediment from private property far exceeds that from the county roads.

This is not to support the County’s refusal to fix the road system but to identify a job source for the next one hundred year, or more. Soil loss due to timber practices, mining, construction sites, agri-business farming, fire fighting (fuel load management), and more contribute to the degradation of our watersheds and rivers. Many jobs in the future, if we choose healthy natural systems and communities, will be in healing the damage caused by short sighted plans and goals. In order to properly address the environmental health of Mendocino County and build a job base upon watershed protection and rehabilitation we need to change local governance. The old paradigm of growth and consumption as a way to economic health is quickly being shown to be the fraud it is. We cannot grow our way into the future and only a sustainable worldview will buy us the time to develop new methods and institutions that will preserve future generations. This also indicates a need to localize our economy and develop alternative currencies and barter systems. We need to demand local democracy and not be satisfied with the “for sale” pseudo-democracy we constantly have to watch-dog with the “I want to be somebody” politicians we try to hold accountable. We need leaders who have a long range vision, an appreciation for life and at least some connection to future generations.

A watershed center could gather, organize and disseminate reliable, non-biased, information to civic leaders, social groups, activist groups, schools, business leaders and interested public, leading to informed local management and purposeful voting on issues. It could be the hub of “green job” creation and coordinate with schools, local service agencies such as the Mendocino Private Industry Council (MPIC), the Arbor, and the Employment Development Department (EDD) to provide education programs, on-the-job training, work crews, summer youth, youth intern opportunities and much more. Work in our urban streams, the Russian River, county and regional parks could also be aided through the watershed center. It could be an attraction for visitors to the area wishing to learn about Mendocino County watersheds, eco-tourist destinations, and other ecological interests they may have.
~

A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8→
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
~~

Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Community Development Plan for Masonite Site (Part 5)

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From EARL BROWN

4/21/09 Ukiah, Mendocino County, North California

The development of the Masonite property into a sustainable eco-village will include its own waste water treatment system, an autonomous waste water treatment system (awwts). An aerobic digesting system (or systems) specifically designed for the site will treat the waste water, without odor, be a model of how small communities can meet their waste treatment needs and save money.

These systems are modular, autonomous (stand alone) systems, use high concentrations of specifically cultured, naturally occurring bacteria, take up very little space, costs a fraction of what current municipal systems cost, re-claims water and provides a useable product at the end of the process. In an era of drought, unsustainable development, and irresponsible water use, systems such as these will become a necessity as communities strive to afford effective waste water treatment.

An aspect of making the switch from consumption to sustainability will be utilizing new technologies that provide the same, or better, results than traditional, large, inefficient systems that cost tens of millions of dollars, take years to build and take up large tracts of land. Understanding of how bacteria, fungi/yeasts, and other micro-organisms break down and digest organic and inorganic compounds such as human waste, organic waste from food processing, industrial chemicals, medicines, hormones, harmful anaerobic bacteria and petroleum hydrocarbons has created new innovations in the waste water treatment. Some of the benefits of the digester systems are that they occupy a very small plot of land, measured in square feet rather than in acres, and they are operational within six months of final permitting, not counting time to install the collection infrastructure. The re-claimed water is clear, nutrient rich and can be used it to irrigate the agriculture land, landscaping, open areas and other non-potable water uses. Treated water ran under an Ultra Violet Light can be brought to potable standards and released directly into the environment.

There can be two approaches to the development of the waste treatment needs of the eco-village, one system to handle all of the affluent, or one system to treat the black water (containing human or animal fecal material) and a separate one for all other water treatment needs (food processing, manufacturing). If the two waste streams were to be kept separate then two systems would have to be installed during development. The cost effectiveness of a single, larger, system would have to be weighed against the cost of two smaller systems, the permitting, construction concerns and the ultimate uses for the product water. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. A separate “black water” system could collect the human waste water and transport it to the treatment system where it would be digested then held in a storage facility to be re-used, or looped, through the toilet system. This is to say that once the waste water is treated it could be stored in a holding facility and used to supply the water for the toilet system throughout the village. The “black water” would be collected, delivered to the waste treatment facility where the organic material would be digested and the finished water returned to the storage unit to be used again and again.  If it were deemed cost effective and the toilet systems were plumbed in a continuous loop, where the treated water would be re-used multiple times, this could be a very important feature of the eco-village infrastructure.

With the black water on one system, all of the other waste water could be plumbed into another digester facility. This could be important to permitting as the requirements for grey water is much different from those of black water. Treated water from the grey water digester could be used to irrigate the agriculture land, greenhouses, landscaping, and open/green space. It could also be used to fill ornamental ponds or released directly into the environment. It is to be expected (by me) that the cost of installing two separate digester systems would still be considerably less than the cost of current, large scale, treatment facility.

The space needed for the digester systems is minimal. A system that processes 40,000 gallons per day, continuously, uses approximately 3150 square feet, or a space 100 feet long by 35 feet wide. Also, after the ground work is completed a small crew can install the digester system and have it operational in less than six months. Current municipal systems cost tens of millions of dollars, take large tracts of land, take years to install and in the end the undigested sludge needs to be excavated and trucked to a certified landfill, or other treatment facility. The digesters break the sludge down into its natural organic components reclaiming the water, saving on transportation and labor costs, and all on a postage stamp sized plot of land when compared to current municipal systems.

Single system sizes treat from 22,000 gallons per day, taking up about 0.04 acres of land, to 1,140,000 gallons per day and taking about 0.27 acres of land. Three single systems can be plumbed together with a manifold to make one large system. Three of the largest systems, on a shared manifold, would process over three million gallons of waste water per day and occupy a space of around one acre. Because they are aerobic (with air) none of the odor producing gasses, such as methane, are allowed to develop (they are anaerobic- without air), and the liquid has no “off smell”. The treated water is clear, nutrient rich and could have many applications, saving our precious potable water for other uses. If the treated water was ran through a ultra violet unit to kill any remaining organisms it would be of potable standards, increasing the potential uses for the water.

An interesting potential use of this kind of system is that storm water runoff could be collected, delivered to one of these systems (modified for the purpose) and treated for eventual use in the village; used for ornamental and wildlife pond habitat, or released directly into the environment. Bacteria and other micro-organisms can be cultured (no genetic engineering involved) to address specific pollutants (medicines, hormones, petroleum hydrocarbons), certain harmful bacteria (E. Coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus), and various parasites and micro-organisms. This allows for the fine tuning of the waste water treatment system to meet the needs of each site and use.

The System- an overview:

There are five main parts to each treatment system: the sump, emulsification tank, biological tank, clarifier tank, chlorination/de-chlorination tank, and sand filter. There are six small electric pumps, one in the sump and four above that circulate the effluent through the system. However, the bulk of the effluent moves from tank to tank by gravity flow. The system does not depend exclusively upon the pumps to operate, except to pump the effluent up from the sump into the emulsification tank. A small electric generator is enough for this purpose in case of power failure. The system will still operate without the circulation pumps but the solids will build up on the bottoms of the tanks. The system would work and when power was returned the solids would be circulated and digested.

An Example:
Suppose we have a system designed to process about 68,000 gallons of waste water per day, or about 325 new homes for families of four. The effluent is delivered to the sump at the treatment site and pumped up into the emulsification tank at a given rate, in this case at approximately 47 gallons per minute (the rest is re-circulated in the sump). The bacteria culture is added directly into the effluent in the emulsification tank and a small pump periodically activates and re-circulates any solids that fall to the bottom of the tank, continually agitating the mixture. As more waste water is pumped into the emulsification tank the cleanest water, which is at the surface of the liquid, drops into a stand pipe that leads to the biological tank. The bacteria blend is also poured into this standpipe which then inoculates the biological tank.

The biological tank is where the main bacteria and micro-organism colony lives and does its work. Suspended in at the top of the water in this tank is a “bio-filter” made up of a hard plastic, honeycomb, structure about four inches thick and six inches around, that creates abundant surface area for the bacteria to colonize. A pump circulates the liquid from the bottom of the tank to the top of the bio-filter where it flows, by gravity, down through the colony back into the tank basin. There is a pump that periodically pulls any solids from the bottom of the clarifier tank and puts it into a sand filter, where another pump then re-circulates it to the top of the biological tank to pass through the colony once again. In this way nearly all of the solids are broken down and the sand from the sand filter is removed once a year (under most circumstances) and taken to a composting facility.

Again, the cleanest liquid is always at the top of the water level and there is another stand pipe, or drop inlet, at the waters surface. As new effluent comes in from the emulsification tank the cleanest water falls into the stand pipe in the biological tank and is taken to the clarifier. At this point the liquid is opaque and nearing completion. There is still an active bacteria culture and the digestion process continues. As the liquid sets in the clarifier tank any suspended particles settle to the bottom of the tank where they are returned, via the sand filter, to the biological tank for another go-through the colony. The water at the top of the clarifier tank is nearly as clear as regular water and as new water comes in, the cleanest drops into another stand pipe and goes into the chlorinator. As the water flows into the chlorinator unit it passes over a cartridge of chlorine tablets and into a series of chambers that is the chlorinator tank. The system is designed to allow a certain flow (47 gpm) which gives the chlorine time to volatize from the water. At this point the water is tertiary treated and ready to be used, or released into the environment. An underground cistern or surface pond can store the water until needed.

There are a few options to the system: One is to place a methane extractor at the front of the system to remove any usable gas. This is costly with today’s technology yet innovations are happening every day and this may soon become an available option. Secondly, an ultra violet disinfection unit can be placed at the end of the system, to replace the chlorinator, and the water can be brought up to potable standards.

As the financial crises mounts small communities will be forced to find new, appropriate, methods of waste treatment. The system mentioned above would cost a couple million dollars, compared to the 30, or 40, million dollars a conventional system would cost. Our community could use the extra millions to better our health, education and self-reliance.

Advantages of this system:
A fraction of the cost of conventional systems
Takes away very little land
Has no off odors
Does not use chemicals (is organic)
More efficient treatment than septic (minimal sludge)
Produces a usable product (water)
Can stand alone, or augment an existing municipal system
Can be used in combination with waste ponds for food processing, wineries, fruit packers
Requires very little energy and is solar friendly
Can be used with an underground, drip, discharge system for parks and open space
If a spill happens the bacteria continues digesting the waste
The treated water can be used to treat contaminated soil and reclaim it for use

Disadvantages of this system:
Requires more maintenance and supervision
Requires electricity
Pumps can break down
Pipes can break
~

A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8→
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
~~

Rail to Trail – Community Development Plan for Masonite Site (Part 4)

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From EARL BROWN

Apr 15, 2009, Ukiah, Mendocino County, North California

Non-Motorized Access to the Eel River Canyon

The North West Pacific Railroad system up through Sonoma County, from the Bay Area, has been shut down for years. North of Willits the track runs along the edge of Outlet Creek to the confluence of Outlet Creek and the Main Stem Eel River, eight miles north of Highway 101, on Highway 162. At the confluence of Outlet Creek and the Main Stem Eel River the track turns north and follows the Eel River to about 3.5 miles north of the confluence where a large landslide is covering the track. The track is then closed for over 50 miles of “wild and scenic” wilderness river canyon to Alder Point, northeast of Garberville. The track north of Alder Point is either open, or easily re-opened, to Eureka and Arcata. Due to the cost of the work needed, the impact it would have on threatened and endangered species, the minimal amount of natural resources left to extract, the cost of on-going maintenance, and the political battle it would take to get permitted, the canyon will not be re-opened for train traffic.

Although there has been considerable effort and money spent on trying to get the Eel River Canyon re-opened with the fifty plus mile stretch deemed “within our technological ability” to re-open, it is not within the “public good” to do so. Much of the Eel River Canyon is comprised of the Yorkville soil series, Blue Goo, anaerobic blue clay that is completely unstable, commonly found with Serpentine outcroppings and slides naturally. The train track is constructed at the bottom of the canyon walls, just above the high water mark of the river, cutting away the toe (base/bottom- like cutting off your foot at the ankle) of the hillside destabilizing the slope even more. Blue Goo is like axle grease when wet, travels for miles in the water column and has particles so small they are among the last to settle out of the water column covering the spawning gravels. This, and other, fine sediment fills the spaces between the gravel and restricts fresh water to the eggs so they rot and/or it entraps the salmon and steelhead fry that do hatch under the sediment and they suffocate (lack of fresh water). A better use for the land can be imagined that creates multiple benefits to the people of Mendocino County, the Eel River, the landowners, and nature enthusiasts everywhere.

This plan suggests that a suitable use for the Eel River Canyon rail right-of-way is a wild and scenic, non-motorized wilderness trail. Dos Rios to Alder Point is forty seven river miles, traversing many habitat and geology zones, passing through many tunnels, including the one-mile long Island Mountain tunnel, once the world’s longest man-made tunnel. This section of rail is a natural “Rails to Trails” project, with huge benefit to the environment and could be a huge economic boon to Mendocino and Humboldt Counties. As the consumer economic structure collapses people will be looking for meaningful, nearby, enjoyable, memorable vacation experiences. Not everyone will want to walk, or bike, or raft, forty seven miles through the wilderness yet it could be the crown jewel of Northern California’s natural adventures for those who do. With the rail open up to Willits, residents and visitors to Mendocino County could choose to spend their vacation experiencing the Eel River Canyon.

There are forty seven miles of twin steel rails that could be utilized for bridging side streams and natural drainages that are tributary to the Eel, some of which are historic salmon and steelhead spawning streams. There are numerous box cars, track, washed out culverts for stream crossings and drainages, bridge sections from the old Island Mountain trestle, and a locomotive engine scattered in the river. All of this material needs to be removed from the river channel. The cost of removing this debris from the canyon would be very expensive. However, it could be cut up into smaller sections and removed from the river and taken above the high water line. An intriguing idea is to take these odd, irregular and often twisted pieces of metal and commission modern sculptors to create art along the trail where it was removed. This would save the cost of removal and create novelty and curiosity along the trail as additional attractions.

The tunnels along the track could be fitted with solar panels and be turned into wilderness hostels. They could have fold-down sleeping platforms anchored to the walls with twelve volt lights run off the solar and be emergency medical and communication capable. The tunnels would provide shelter and protection form the elements, docent quarters, information kiosks and more as the project is developed (an added attraction would be if landowners allowed limited access to points of interest along the trail). The community of Island Mountain could become a destination in itself, developing camping, river support service and supplies, hunting and fishing guides and other attractions to be developed.

From the eco-village in Willits, a small solar, or bio-diesel, shuttle train would take ecologically minded tourists and their equipment out to the Tunnel One reception center for staging for the wilderness trail. Some will be walking the trail, some biking, and others rafting or kayaking. There would be a mix of people, visitors and locals, going to the river for a day of picnic and river recreation, and a chance to interact with like minded people. The shuttle would pick up any visitors coming down the trail from Alder Point and take them back to the Willits eco-village to connect with a south (Ukiah), or west (Fort Bragg), bound train, for more fun and excitement.

For example:
People interested in spending the weekend in Mendocino County would get on the eco-train in San Francisco, or Sacramento, take a dinner ride up to Ukiah Friday (or Thursday) after work and stay at a comfortable Hotel, or Inn. On the train there is a diverse group of people coming to Mendocino County, each for their own reasons. Some are coming for a weekend wine tasting, some to take in a pleasant bike ride around the valley or maybe some mountain biking, others might rent a kayak on the Russian River, take the Skunk Train to Fort Bragg, or continue up to Willits. Some are headed up to Covelo and the Yolla Bolly Wilderness and need a shuttle from Willits; others are bound for the Eel River Canyon and the wilderness trail to Alder Point. While in Mendocino County the visitors would stay in local hotels and Inns, eat in local restaurants and purchase locally produced products. After a relaxing weekend enjoying the Mendocino County out of doors, the leisurely train rides through interesting landscapes, good food, good entertainment and friendly people, they take their experiences back home anticipating their next weekend get-away.

If the community of Alder Point joined in to became a support community for eco-tourism and localization, they could enjoy many of the same benefits, much of which would come from Humboldt and Trinity sources. A few, maybe more, of the visitors to Mendocino County may be touring the West Coast and after hiking/biking/rafting the wilderness trail they might take the train north from Alder Point to Eureka and points beyond. We live in a beautiful region with multiple attractions for visitors and residents alike. This plan lays out the basic concept of the Eel River Wilderness Trail, a few things that could happen during its development and a few potential benefits of doing so. The concepts are offered in simplistic form so people unfamiliar with eco-tourism can get the overall idea without being bogged down by details. There is considerable work to do in fleshing out the skeleton idea presented.
~

A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8→
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
~~

Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Community Development Plan for Masonite Site (Part 3)

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From Earl Brown

Apr 10, 2009, Ukiah, Mendocino County, North California

Ecologically Oriented Tourism, or Eco-Tourism, is quickly taking root in the American mind. More and more people are seeking recreation activities and vacation destinations that are close to home and in rural to wilderness areas. People are seeking connection to wild nature for the thrill of it, for the beauty of it and for the soul stirring awe one can feel when faced with a mountain panorama, or ocean sunset, or simple animal experience. Mendocino County is the interface between the remaining wild-lands and the urban sprawl reaching up from the Bay Area and Sonoma County. Among this population there are many people who want wilderness experiences yet lack knowledge of a destination with support facilities. As fuel prices and the awareness of the hidden costs of oil exploitation (war, oppression, racism) cut into people’s desire to burn fossil fuels they will look for suitable alternatives closer to home and that are reachable by mass transit.

Mendocino County is on the fringe between the urban and the wild and is blessed with a splendid variety of landscapes, wilderness, coastline, rivers, people, towns and businesses. Somewhere in Mendocino a visitor can hike, bike, ride horse, raft, kayak and swim. There is fishing (ocean, fresh water), hunting, hang gliding, boating, 4×4 jeep and motorcycle trails, and sight seeing. One can enjoy organic wines, nature photography, rock and mineral hunting, native plants; learn about native cultures, alternative energy, sustainable organic farming and bio-dynamics. We have the Russian River (West Fork, East Fork, and Main Russian) the Eel River (Middle Fork, South Fork, and Main Eel), for people looking for water sports, and the Yolla Bolly Wilderness and the Lost Coast, for those wanting the quiet serenity of the wilderness with its many benefits. We, in Mendocino County, are uniquely situated to broaden our economic base by protecting and enhancing our wild lands and rivers. As increased ecological awareness spreads through the mass population Mendocino County could become a model of localization and self-sufficiency, and with an economy based upon healthy naturally functioning ecosystems.

In the Ukiah Valley there would be investment needed into urban stream restoration and walkways and bike paths, walking and bike trails along the Russian River, removing safety hazards in the river channel, campgrounds, and safe transportation. There is the regional park being constructed along the Russian River at the east end of Gobbi Street to complete; water activities at Lake Mendocino (non-motorized) can be developed. Road and mountain biking is gaining popularity and many of our rural roads are suitable for bike traffic and some bike paths will need to be built. It is possible that as the area’s popularity for weekend getaways increases, shuttle services to nearby points of interests — like Vichy Springs Resort, Orr Hot Springs, Montgomery Woods, Clear Lake, Lake Pillsbury, wineries, breweries — would be needed. Organized bike trails around the Ukiah and Hopland Valleys could link organic wine grape vineyards and wineries, tasting rooms, organic farms, river access and other attractions yet to be developed.

The Russian River from below Coyote Dam to the Talmage Road Bridge is a calm, class 1 stream, suitable for families and youth to kayak. With the removal and replacement of the Norgard Rubble Dam (safety reasons), at the end of Norgard Lane, south Ukiah, and the removal of the old car bodies and failed steel erosion control structures from the river channel, the river is a day kayak float to Hopland. The Russian River, south of Hopland to north of Cloverdale is another challenging, class 3, river with potential portage at Squaw Rock, for novices, or at low water flows for everyone. The removal of the safety hazards and maintenance of the river channel for navigation would open this up fairly easily to moderately challenging sections of river for commercial and recreational use. Wineries could put picnic areas along the river to promote their products and encourage visitors to their facilities.

McGee Park, on the East Fork Russian River, along Eastside Potter Valley Road to Potter Valley is undeveloped and closed for several months during the winter. The East Fork Russian is a challenging Class 3 (advanced level) stream and a fun kayak run down to Lake Mendocino, as well as a local swimming and fishing destination. Development of day use facilities, barbeque pits, picnic area, and river access would make this a meaningful recreation spot and encourage visitor use. This could be combined with a rental concession at the north boat ramp on Lake Mendocino.

North (non-motorized) and South Cow Mountain (motorized) is a multiple use attraction for off-road enthusiasts, mountain bikers, hikers, and rough-it campers. This is some of the only camping available, other than at Lake Mendocino ($20/night), in the Ukiah area and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

A little farther out is Lake Pillsbury, more off-road trails, hunting, fishing, camping, access to Covelo, and the Yolla Bolly Wilderness. The Eel River down to Pillsbury is a class 3 river and has camping at Trout Creek, a few miles upriver from the Eel River Bridge and Van Arsdale Dam. Below Van Arsdale Dam the Eel River is suitable for commercial river trips to Alder Point, some seventy miles of river. Mountain biking from Lake Pillsbury to Covelo could take several routes and side routes that would take multiple trips to see completely. Also, Hull Mountain, below the fire lookout tower, is a popular northern California handg gliding destination. Thermal currents take fliers up to around 10,000 feet, nearly out of sight, and they land on the airstrip near Oak Flat Campground.

This is just scratching the surface of the local attractions for out-of-doors activities in Mendocino County. In fact it would be a lengthy endeavor to list all of the possible outdoor attractions here in Mendocino County and this is to our benefit. We are primely located to utilize ecological tourism as a sustainable economic resource and job base.
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A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8→
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
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Image Credit: Kayak Mendocino
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Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Community Development Plan for Masonite Site (Part 2)

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From Earl Brown

4/3/09 Ukiah, Mendocino County, North California

The success of this mixed light industry, agriculture and eco-village is largely dependent upon the re-opening of the North West Pacific Rail Road track to Willits. There has been some investment into the rail system in Sonoma County and the Cloverdale rail station has been rebuilt. The track coming up from Cloverdale is open, or can be opened easily, to Ukiah. The track from Ukiah to Willits is open except for where it slumps crossing the top of the slide zone on the Willits Grade; this could be fixed with minimal time and expense. In fact, it would be a simple effort (non-politically speaking) to get the rail line re-opened to Willits. Tourism, particularly eco-tourism, is a virtually untapped economic resource for Mendocino County, utilizing our regions existing natural gifts and beauty to attract visitors at no expense, or investment. However, it does require financial investment into infrastructure (trails, campgrounds, transport), alternative power sources, support industry, and visitor accommodations. The ocean, rivers and mountains already exist we just need to add the tourists and sustainably move them around.

Mendocino County is the interface between the remaining wild-lands and the urban zones reaching up from the Bay Area. Ukiah and Willits are the gateway to experiencing the northern Mendocino County wilderness, the coast and points north. Although U.S. Highway 101 connects us fuel prices and the awareness of the hidden costs of oil (war, oppression, racism) will soon cut into people’s ability and desire to burn fossil fuels for personal pleasure. Affordable mass transit will be a necessity in the future. The existing rail system, to Willits, stands ready to be utilized for commuter transit, transport of local produce and products south, bring needed supplies north, to give tourists, specifically ecologically minded tourists, access to Mendocino County. The rail system can also be used, via the Skunk Train, to Fort Bragg and the Mendocino Coast. Already largely dependent on tourism, the Coast would quickly respond to the additional tourism with pleasure. During transition the train may have to use diesel but quickly fossil fuel could be replaced with veggie-diesel, other bio-fuel and/or possibly by solar power. Increasing eco-tourism brings income into the county, uses existing infrastructure, provides visitors with a memorable experience and educates the populace to the need for healthy ecosystems and communities.

An eco-village at the Masonite site would be a destination in itself and a step off point for local attractions as well as a rest stop on the way north to Willits, or Fort Bragg. Ukiah Valley has Lake Mendocino and the Russian River as its two main attractions. Hiking and biking paths along county roads, urban streams and the banks of the Russian River would add a lot to the local attractions and water sport activities could add to the attractiveness of the area. Although there are currently hazards in the Russian River channel (Norgard rubble dam, metal erosion control structures) between Ukiah and Cloverdale, with effort this stretch of river could be opened to commercial and recreational uses. As well as accessing local sites and businesses a shuttle from the eco-village could also take visitors to Clear Lake, Lake Pillsbury, Cache Creek, Bartlett Springs and other locations in Lake County. Ukiah could be the first destination inside Mendocino County for the Eco-Train with the potential benefit to the local economy.

North of Willits the track passes an old lumber mill and then runs along the edge of Outlet Creek, crossing several trestles, to the confluence of Outlet Creek and the Main Stem Eel River. The track turns north and follows the edge of the Eel River, passing through Tunnel One, a short tunnel through a rock outcropping, to about 3.5 miles north of the confluence where a large landslide is covering the track. The track is then closed for over 50 miles of “wild and scenic” Eel River wilderness canyon to Alder Point, northeast of Garberville. Day use access to the Main Eel River, with proper facilities and picnic areas, could become a popular outing for local hikers, bikers, boaters, and other river enthusiasts, as well as visitors. Willits is the gateway into Covelo Valley, the Middle Fork Eel River, the Yolla Bolly Wilderness, the Sinkyone Wilderness Area, and Southern Humboldt County, all of which has something to offer any visitor and especially eco-tourists.

The old mill site just north of Willits could be turned into another eco-village destination, similar to the Ukiah village and be the end-of-the-line for the typical visitor. A previous stop at the Willits Station could be the connection to the Skunk Train and the Mendocino coast. The Skunk Train ridership is about 60,000 people per year and stands ready to accommodate many more. With an increase in Skunk ridership the City of Fort Bragg could afford to create additional attractions for visitors to the Coast. From the Willits eco-village a shuttle train (solar or veggie oil) could take both locals and visitors out to the Eel River, along Highway 162, for river day use, hiking, swimming and boating. The end-end of the track would be Tunnel One, which would be converted into a visitor center, hostel and trailhead for wilderness access. The tunnel would be fitted with a solar panel array for power, a re-charging station for the shuttle train, contain emergency medical supplies and limited sleeping accommodations for visitors staging for multiple day excursions. A shuttle to Covelo and the Yolla Bolly Wilderness would be operated out of the Willits eco-village for people wishing for a distinctly remote wilderness experience.

People could get on the train in San Francisco, or Sacramento, take a dinner ride up to Ukiah for a weekend of wine tasting. They may take in a leisurely bike ride around the valley or maybe rent a kayak on the Russian River. They would stay in local hotels and Inns, eat in local restaurants and purchase locally produced products. Some people would continue on up to Willits for a weekend on the river, or to go to Fort Bragg and the accommodations on the Coast. After a relaxing weekend enjoying the out of doors, leisurely train rides through interesting landscapes, good food, good entertainment and healthy communities, they take their experiences back anticipating their next weekend get-away.
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A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
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A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site (Part 1)

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["Where there is no vision, the people perish." This could not be more true for what our community is facing. Without a clearly thought-out viable plan that is well along in community acceptance, and documented evidence of funding potential (including property purchase), our community risks losing the battle to save the Masonite site for the future economic health of our community. Ukiah Blog posts regarding a community  plan for the Masonite site will be categorized under "Masonite Transition Park". What's your vision? Your own comments and posts are crucial and most welcome. -DS]

From Earl Brown

3/26/09 Ukiah, North California

This post represents a synthesis of viewpoints, conversations and ideas I have had over thirty years of working in Lake and Mendocino Counties regarding self-reliant communities, job creation and healthy ecosystems. Many discussions concerning the environment, living wage jobs, sustainable communities, endangered species protection, watershed management, production agriculture, cottage industry, tourism, and education have contributed, directly, or indirectly, to the ideas contained within this post. Some people who read through this will see their thoughts and ideas reflected here. I appreciate their contributions, although I have not tried to duplicate their ideas in any exact way, but blended them into my visioning. My purpose is to present these ideas in a way that helps the reader to see our potential; to open their imagination and begin to envision their own possibilities for Mendocino County; not just the Masonite property, but for our bio-region and beyond.

We are living during a time of great crisis and great potential. I believe that, even with the corruption and abuse of funds that will undoubtedly come with President Obama’s stimulus package, it still represents an opportunity for us to take a little control of our future. It is an opportunity for us, the grassroots people, to express our creativity, our willingness to cooperate, and our desire to create a sustainable Mendocino County. My concept is based upon an “eco-village” approach where businesses, manufacturing and other village elements work cooperatively and with mutual benefit for themselves and the larger community. As a “living systems” thinker it is natural for me to think in patterns and connections; in complexes of relationships that are always in flux, inter-relating and self-organizing. I see human environments the same way and the eco-village concept attempts to establish relationships between our natural environment, local self reliance, mental and spiritual health, and sustainability (responsibility to future generations).

This post is a boiler-plate and not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of potentials for the Masonite property. Here, I have identified sixteen aspects of a potential community development that I believe would enhance our self-reliance, help stabilize our economy and build a stronger network of community. The aspects are not listed in any order of importance or priority and have a brief explanation for each. I have also prepared further posts to expand on several of the themes that I have particular interest and experience in. I invite comments, more ideas, expansion of these ideas, questions, discussion, meetings and I want to hear whatever moves you, including honest, meaningful, insightful criticism. This is not about agreement, but about the discussion.

Once again I want to acknowledge all of the people who have contributed to these ideas and claim no ownership of this material. Step one may be allowing that something greater than ourselves is trying to move through us, that it is not about us, specifically, but about our collective potential; this is certainly larger than me.

The sixteen aspects are: (in no order of importance or priority)

Solar farm with solar charging station
The solar farm would consist of an array of panels linked directly to the charging and distribution system. Roof surfaces of many structures can be fitted with solar collectors and be networked into the main system grid to also feed the charging and distribution center. The charging station would be a service center for locals and travelers with hybrid and/or electric vehicles, including electric vehicles used in the village, and supply the power for the village with the excess sold to the grid to help offset other expenses.

Food Processing Facility
This facility is to stimulate a diverse cottage agriculture community by housing the necessary equipment and space necessary to process local fruit and vegetables into value added food items such as jellies, jams, chutneys, sauces, fermented vegetables, soups, juices and more. There would be a crushing capability; hammer mill, stemmer crusher, bladder press; pumps, hoses, filters, heat exchanger, small processing equipment and storage capability. Washers and scrubbers for vegetables will be available for tubers and other tough skinned veggies. Solar fruit dehydrators could be developed at this site or in another location depending upon space, type and size of dehydrator. The building would consist of at lease three separate, rentable, commercial kitchen units, open production space (fillers, bottle-line), cold storage with freezer, warehouse space, shipping and receiving dock, office and public retail space. This facility could be expanded to produce fruit wines, specialty brandies, fruit liqueurs and other specialty products. Local people could use the facility to produce products of their own, or sell fruit to other producers. The facility could be a source of job training, seasonal employment as well as provide some permanent employment for skilled people.

Amusement Center (miniature golf – solar go cart track – skate/bmx park)
This would be the entertainment center for the youth of our area and fun center for visitors. There is room for innovation and creativity here and this could be a real fun addition to our area. The golf course could be constructed from locally harvested alternative building materials, be landscaped with native plants, and watered with reclaimed water from the waste treatment system.

Small Diameter Pole Mill
Fire fuels reduction in our forests is an imperative and there are a large number of small diameter trees that could be milled into alternative building materials for post and pole frame construction. Removing the excess small diameter trees in a thin and release venture could help offset the expense of the work and by mulching the slash back into the ecosystem nutrients will be recycled mimicking a natural fire. Measures need to be taken to assure that this does not trigger more clear-cutting of timber, but is a part of a concerted watershed and forest restoration project aimed at retaining the forest health of Mendocino County. (County building codes will need to be changed to accommodate alternative building materials such as these small diameter poles)

Natural Materials Furniture Construction and Fabrication
A furniture construction facility that uses locally grown willow species, alder and other suitable trees to produce quality, durable, furniture. Planting sections of willows and other usable species on the Masonite property would create green and open space while supplying raw material for the furniture construction facility. Wood chips, bark and other organic waste will be used to generate fuel, or be composted to use on the agricultural land.

Fiber Mill
A fiber manufacturing facility would utilize local wool, hemp fiber, bamboo, willow, and fungi to produce a variety of fabrics for local markets and manufacture.

Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center
This is a public resource center focused on our region’s watersheds, streams and rivers. The Center would be a library of multimedia resources, including written word, video, DVD, photo documentary, maps, and other information regarding our watersheds and their health. This Center could network with schools, adult education programs, employment development projects, and other community service groups to provide job skills training, work experience, social skills and personal life skills as well as a source for outdoor curriculum for schools. A crew, or crews, could be trained and available for contract work through the center which if operated as a not-for-profit could be used to work on both public and private lands for environmental protection and restoration.

Green Zone (community forest park)
There needs to be a good amount of public open/green space in the development. A small mixed forest could grow into a location for summer fairs, outdoor music, picnic and relaxing space. This green space could also include plantings of various willow varieties for furniture manufacture and other usable woody species as needed.

Agriculture land
Land set aside, beyond green space, for the cultivation of specialty willows for furniture, fiber crops, row crops, flowers, and other crops as identified. Solar green houses, mushroom sheds, solar fruit dehydrators and similar production houses may also be considered. Water for irrigation can come from the reclaimed water from the waste treatment systems, as well as any other no-potable water uses.

Housing
Housing for the area would reflect the eco-village approach and be suitable housing for people to live, work and thrive within the village. It is natural for people to live at, or within walking distance, of their work, although modern commuter society has altered this through rapid modes of transportation. In simpler times a person knew and was known by the people in their neighborhood. They knew the land and they knew what else lived there, they were a part of it and interacted with it daily. The eco-village approach encourages people to live and work in the village, to know and support each other and help to collectively keep the security and safety of the village intact.

Bio-fuel generation facility and filling station
This facility would focus on developing local means of power generation. Rendering vegetable oils into bio-diesel, developing a methane extractor for wood and other organic waste, making wood pellets for fireplaces, and potentially extracting combustible oils from forest products, would be included in the design of this element.  A cottage industry could rise by taking small plots of land and growing a bio-fuel crop such as Jerusalem artichokes, corn or other high starch plants for ethanol. Emphasis should be on electric (wind and solar) for most local transportation with bio-fuels augmenting the transition from fossil fuel to sustainable power. Caution needs to be taken so land needed for food production is not lost for bio-fuel crops. Empty, or unused, urban space to small for commercial agriculture could be planted into bio-fuel crops which would give landowners a source of extra income and keep rural agriculture space open for food production.

Small retail
There is room for small retail space such as a deli, restaurant, local products (soaps, herbal essence oils), local crafts (clothes, wood working, and art), wine tasting and other suitable, non-polluting, business. The concept is not to take business, or employees, from existing businesses, but to create new businesses that reflect the nature of our valley and its people; no box stores.

13. Light Manufacture/Business
A recycle-reuse mill that would take what recyclables we can and develop methods of re-manufacturing them into usable products. This would help minimize our waste output to the transfer station, employ a wide range of skilled employees, provide job training opportunities and help raise awareness of needless or careless waste. A solar panel construction business would be a benefit; data storage, alternative building material manufacture and a laboratory for culturing the bacteria and other micro-organisms for waste digestion and soil remediation, are other business possibilities.

Eco-Tourism
This is an eco-tourism business involved in rafting, biking, kayaking, wine/beer tours and other activities for visitors. Two studies, one from the 1960’s and the other in 2008, indicate that with the richness of Mendocino County and the California North Coast tourism is the prime economic resource to be developed. This industry and its economic potential have been completely overlooked by business and civil leaders alike. Eco-tourism has many faces; river rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, camping, sightseeing, rock hounding, bird watching, photography, photo journalism, botany, self-reflection and spiritual experience, to name a few.

Train Depot, or spur to main track
The success of this mixed light industry, agriculture and eco-village is largely dependent upon the re-opening of the rail to Willits. There are efforts within Sonoma County to open and maintain the track to Cloverdale where they have invested in rebuilding their rail station; we should do the same. U.S. Highway 101 connects us, north to south, yet soon, fuel prices and the awareness of the hidden costs of oil (war, oppression, racism) will soon cut into people’s ability and desire to burn fossil fuels for personal pleasure. Affordable mass transit will be a necessity in the future. The existing rail system, to Willits, stands ready to be utilized, with minor investment, for commuter transit, transport of local produce and products south, to bring needed supplies north, and to give tourists, specifically ecologically minded tourists, access to Mendocino County.

Autonomous, Waste Water Treatment System
A stand alone (autonomous) wastewater digestion system will be designed to eliminate liquid waste. Using bacteria, fungi and other naturally occurring micro-organisms (no genetic engineering) to digest the waste material reclaims the water and breaks the waste down into its natural organic compounds. The bacteria blend and the system can be designed to take all of the liquid waste, grey and black water, as well as chemicals, soaps, petroleum hydrocarbons, medicines, hormones, and many harmful bacteria, that may find its way into the waste treatment system. The end result of the digestion process is a clear, nutrient rich, liquid …. water…. that with minimal effort can be brought up to potable standards. This water can be used to irrigate landscaping, agricultural land, stored in wildlife/ornamental ponds, or used in any other way non-potable water can be utilized. In drought conditions, when water is scarce, this system reclaims the usable water and makes it available for uses that would otherwise use potable water that would be better used for human and animal consumption.

Summary
These are my sixteen suggestions for potential uses of the Masonite property. It is a small list and needs to be fleshed out, reconsidered, discussed, added to, and made real. Right now these are just words, yet, with some effort, a grassroots development, not too different than the ideas contained within this post and future posts could come into existence. I will add the other posts as they are developed for your reading and comment, if you choose to do so.
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A Potential Community Development Plan for the Masonite Site – Part 1→
Eco-Train, Rail and Depot – Part 2→
Ecologically-Oriented Tourism – Part 3→
Rail to Trail – Part 4→
Autonomous Waste Water Treatment System – Part 5→
Community Interpretive Watershed and Visitor’s Center – Part 6→
Food Processing Facility – Part 7→
Small Diameter Pole Processing Mill – Part 8→
Fiber Processing and Re-Manufacture Mill – Part 9→
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What is Community? – Part 2 of 2

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From Earl Brown
Part One | Part Two

02/20/09 Ukiah, California
In Part 1 of my discussion of community I stated pretty clearly that I do not believe we live in one. I suggested that a community may not be something that can be defined any more than any other principle, or ideal, and could be viewed as a process, or self-organizing system. We all have our own definition of what community is and I recognize I am no different; my definition is just that, my definition. This is also the point; if we each have a different definition of what a community is then do we really know what a “community” is? If community appears differently to each of us, how do we recognize when we are in one? Do we carry it around with us as a personal viewpoint, or, is it the average of all our viewpoints? In this offering I will attempt to bring additional information and insight into the discussion of community.

To me, a community is more than a given area on a map, or political boundary, such as a supervisorial district, neighborhood, or county, and the people who live within it. I believe this is the general way people think about community, an area and its people, but when they use it in their speech I think they are referring to those who agree with their views and opinions; what I would call cliques and special interest groups. For me, community is relationships. The health of relationships is dependent upon the health of the people having them. Living in a society where depression is the most common condition among its population, where one-in-four citizens have a significant mental disorder, where teenage suicide is at an unprecedented high and political ethics are at an all time low, where business is ruthless on the people, where the poor, homeless and disadvantaged youth are the first to be sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed and excess, I see little of healthy relationships.

What is Community? – Part 1 of 2

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From Earl Brown
Ukiah
Part One | Part Two

There has been a lot of talk about community lately and there is bound to be more as we move farther into the collapse of Industrial Society. There are discussions on its importance, the need for it and the benefits of it, how it is the answer to our problems and how it is the basis of localization efforts. Everyone seems to have their own definition of what community is and we all seem to recognize its importance but, what is it, really? Can community be defined or, is it an ideal than can be strived for yet never achieved, like perfection and democracy? Do we live in one? How do we know? Is it a lump of land and people, a principle, or is it a self-organizing system?

This topic came up while I was driving a home from San Francisco with a friend the other day, just ahead of the northbound, homeward commute. The insanity of the freeway was taking the form of weaving vehicles, angry drivers, tailgating, speeding, but luckily, no accidents. “How would you describe a community”, he asked. “Well”, I said, “take our current situation. Our community is comprised of ourselves, these other drivers sharing the freeway with us and the species of plants and animals in the vicinity. Our car is our local environment and the freeway is the larger environment. Our success in getting home safely, actually everybody’s success in getting home, is dependent upon how we drivers work together, share the road and obey the principals of caution while navigating the environment of the freeway. If any one person, or group of people, chooses to ignore the rules of conduct and act without regard to everyone else’s safety then, collectively, everyone’s chances of getting home would be reduced. So our current community is the drivers and people in the other cars, all the factors and relationships effecting the drivers and how they worked together, or not, moving through the freeway environment, to reach their goal, to get home.” I’m not sure if my friend was impressed with my example but the idea that a community could be described in ways other than people and property lead to fresh ideas and a deepening of the conversation.

Keep reading What is Community? – Part 1→

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In Honor of Fran Macy

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From Earl Brown
Ukiah

On January 20, 2009, after witnessing the inauguration of President Obama with friends and family Fran Macy crossed back into the Great Mystery. Suffering a heart attack after returning home from the festivities Fran passed in his long time home, surrounded and held by family. I understand it was one of the happiest days of his life, which is very meaningful given the fullness of the life he lived. I believe the election and inauguration of President Obama represented undeniable milestones marking the progress of the Great Turning for Fran, symbolic in so many ways of rising consciousness, proving we can choose to generate the political will and create a sustainable human presence on Earth. I am happy he was with his loved ones and he lived to see this historic moment. I already miss him dearly.

To say Fran was a Renaissance man would not be entirely correct, although he certainly embodied this archetype. Perhaps closer to the truth would be that he gives the term a new definition, a higher benchmark, call it a new upgrade in masculine software to, “Renaissance Man, Planet Addition”. Fran was a visionary who saw how life could be, how it was completely interdependent and yet spectacularly individual in creative expression, each Being unique, a whole, a Holon. Giving and allowing were two of his most outstanding qualities for me and he is and will continue to be my role model on how to be a man during these years of questioning, crisis and rebirth. Just by being himself he has influenced thousands. Those inspired by this loving man have in turn inspired countless others and the ripple effect of Fran’s influence will be shared for generations to come. His devotion and love for our planet Gaia and all her children is well renowned. He was a quiet leader, a passionate warrior for truth, a teacher, a compassionate friend, a mentor and probably the most honorable man I have yet to meet.

I have been working with and learning from Joanna Macy for the past five years and Fran has been ever present supporting her and the Work That Reconnects (WTR). It has been inspiring to watch Fran as he quietly and many times humorously supported Joanna, never seeking control, or dominance, yet leading by not taking the lead. Over the past two years I have had the wonderful opportunity and good fortune to work with Fran, Joanna, and some outstanding men, to begin leading men in WTR workshops. Joanna has been brave and courageous to go into retreat with a bunch of men seeking to know themselves and their place in the world better and Fran has been right there all the way. Instead of playing the “facilitator” and staying aloof from the activities, Fran joined us and approached his masculine nature, his wounds, his weakness, his strength and potential, with vulnerability, honesty and in ways that gave others permission to do the same. Men are usually the minority at WTR workshops and intensives, generally about 20 percent of participants, and Fran knew the importance of getting more men into the work. He will live on as an example of how a man, or men, can take an active role in bringing about the Great Turning, to act on behalf of all life and become, or remain, fully masculine.

When they know it is safe men can be very sensitive, vulnerable, compassionate, nurturing. However, as a man I also know we are not very trained in how to handle strong emotions; they tend to overwhelm our meager defenses once we let them in and rend our hearts. Fran showed me this was not only acceptable but desirable. A man who was not afraid to feel could achieve many things and could not be dominated, or deflected, by fear. With a heart opened to the pain and suffering of others, as well as his own, Fran demonstrated wisdom, strength, grace and a passionate fire for justice. Here are a few words from men who attended our last gathering at Land of Medicine Buddha, in the Santa Cruz Mountains this last November:

Continue reading In Honor of Fran Macy→

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The Work That Reconnects – Joanna Macy

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From Earl Brown
Ukiah

We had our first salon introducing the work of Joanna Macy, “The Work That Reconnects” to a small yet enthusiastic group (one person) and we had a wonderful and meaningful conversation. As I was not really expecting anybody at this first meeting it was quite special to have someone there and I am very grateful to that one person for coming. This is how things get started, two people, or a few people, gather to talk from their hearts about what they think and feel.

Over the next few years we will need to learn how to face difficult conditions and unwanted changes that we have no, or little, control over in order to maintain decent living conditions. As much as we claim that we are already working together to solve our problems, it is a false claim. I have been in the “back room” where “environmentalists” argue over who is in control and who is not; who has the “right way” and how all others are wrong. Many meeting go by without the issues at hand being addressed even superficially. Even the Choir is arguing with each other, mostly over power and control, and are unable to truly unite as one concerted body. An example of this is Mendocino County being about 35 years behind our own ordinance to have a viable Grading Ordinance, with nothing meaningful on the horizon. To unite on this level and to make our work as complete, efficient and meaningful, we must learn and experience deep respect for each other and to see the gifts and potentials within our Self, within the Plant and Animal Kingdoms and within Gaia.

Continue reading The Work That Connects→

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Very Cool!! TONIGHT 1/21/09 6pm The UDJ plans to begin Live Blogging the Ukiah City Council Meetings →

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Ancestors

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From Earl Brown
Ukiah

We are the threshold between form and not-form, multi-dimensional in being, poised on the edge of the Infinite and the Void, the event horizon of a conscious Universe.

If you could go backward in time to be witness when our first human ancestors stood at the edge of their forest home, where the protection of the trees and plants blended into the wide expanse of grass savanna, as they saw the great herds and diversity of animals, the vast openness, and hearing the roar of the lions, what might it be like? What would you feel? Would you feel their fear, their curiosity, their apprehension about going “out there” armed only with spears and cunning? Were they in their hearts looking out at their fate, driven by unspoken purpose, or were they in their heads dreaming of conquest and empire? What skills did they have to take with them and what would be discovered out in the great unknown? What pain and suffering awaited them? What joy? Would you, walking forward with their generations, recognize the gifts that were discovered within themselves, or were given by others; by the Spirits, by animals, plants, the Earth and the Cosmos? Could you see how those skills and gifts; fire making, tool making, dance, music, weaving, storytelling, cosmology, agriculture, and more, helped to bring us to this time in place and consciousness?

If you had the opportunity to leave a message for, or speak to, one of your descendents, ten generations in the future, telling them your feelings about war, poverty, wealth, justice, health, sickness, and the dangers of radio activity, or nuclear waste, what would you say? Could you imagine the world in which they must live; tell if their lives were miserable, difficult, or maybe doing well? Would they sing songs to our ability to overcome great odds, or would they be cursing us for using it all and leaving them without? They would surely know about us, about our excesses of power and destructive weaponry, about the poison in the air, water and soil. They would be living with whatever we leave them. What would they say to you, their ancestor? Would they ask how you found the strength and courage to make the needed changes in our society, or would they ask how could you have possibly forgotten them and cursed them with continual suffering?

What if there was an opportunity to be chosen by a non-human entity such as an animal, plant, body of water, or element such as the wind, or sky and speak on its behalf? Could you identify with it deeply enough to allow it to speak through you, listen with its ears (or other senses) and share its wisdom in a counsel of other non-human Beings as well; a “Council of All Beings”? As a surviving old-growth Redwood, a Coho Salmon, Grey Fox, or Polar Bear, what could be said to our Human cousins that would help make a difference, what advice and gifts could be given to help remind them they are not alone, or separate? What inspiration could be left them that would help them to make good choices during this time of great change, this “Great Turning”?

We must hear and feel within ourselves the pain and the suffering of all of the other beings who share this planet with us and even of the planet Itself. This is to say that in order to solve the crises we are in we must find within ourselves our connection to all other things, our “deep ecology”. We must remember we are connected to the Earth, to the plants, animals, and minerals, connected to each other and the cycles of the stars. We are a vital part, or aspect, of the Earth’s body.
Group activities such as “Open Questions” and “Gathering the Gifts of the Ancestors” are designed to help one experience ourselves in deep-time, to feel the connection of our long time association with life on planet Earth. The Earth is now said to be somewhere around thirteen billion years old and having arisen from this planet our history goes back equally as far. All Its potential, including human potential, was created at Its, the Earth’s, moment of conception. Buried deep within our bodies, possibly stored within our DNA, proteins, cell walls, or energy fields, is information encoded from the Beginning. It is there and available to us. This same information is also encoded into everything else, like Pribams “Holographic Universe”, each part contains the knowledge of the whole; we are all connected.

Realizing this deep interconnection we share with all things is critical to the development of strong, healthy, vibrant communities. If we can rest in gratitude we can begin to see ourselves in others as well as in the natural environment and elements. From our stand of gratitude we can allow our hearts to feel and express the truth of how we see and sense the world and our place in it. From there we can see the situation, or event, or crises, from a new perspective having gained information from listening to our individual and collective pain. We can then develop new strategies, methods and means of bringing about the changes we desire from a stand on inclusiveness, cooperation and respect for all Beings.
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On Tuesday, January 13, from 3 pm till 9 pm, above Three Sisters at 112 S School Street, Ukiah, there will be an open discussion, Salon style, about Joanna Macy’s, “The Work That Reconnects”. I will be giving an overview of the work and describing basic concepts, purposes and activities. My purpose is to utilize this meeting space for study/activity groups interested in learning together about ourselves, each other and what it means to be in a meaningful, authentic, community.

Other salon discussions:

Thursday, January 22, from 3 pm to 9 pm- The Intention Experiment and the Global Coherence Inititive. Hear about Lynne McTaggart, science investigator and author (The Field and The Intention Experiment), her research in studies of intention and Zero Point Field Theory and her global initiative called, “the Intention Experiment”. Her work is closely related with the HeartMath Institute, in Boulder Creek, and their Global Coherence Initiative, Learn about coherence, how it helps our physical and mental bodies, how we can build personal and group coherence and how to use it with our intentions to help create positive change in the world.

Tuesday, January 27, from 3 pm to 9 pm- Power vs. Force. Open discussion about how the body with its subtle energies is a reliable information that is always correct and how kinesiology can be used to access this information. “Power vs. Force, the Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior” is a book by David Hawkins M.D., Ph.D., who has been researching and lecturing on human mental processes for years.

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Monumental Times

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From Earl Brown

[Earl Brown, one of our community treasures, has been fighting the good environmental fight for many years at great personal sacrifice. Find him hanging out at Ukiah's Coffee Critic in the mornings, and at the Brewpub at all hours, when he's not off saving the planet. Talk to him. Listen to his wisdom. Feel the passion and commitment of an earth warrior. He is here for you and me and all of us. He cares more deeply about our environmental predicament, and involves himself in living the change without self-aggrandizement, more than anyone I know. The old commercial says "I wanna be like Mike." No thanks. I'd rather be more like Earl. -DS]

We are living in monumental times. There is nothing small about world events and circumstances as we enter 2009 and the challenges we face are going to get tougher and more eminent in our lives. Our political system, long abused by the rich elite and corporate pressure, has succumbed to the fear mongering and manipulation by these special interests, they have bought into perpetual war, the diminishment of civil liberties, environmentally destructive consumerism, religious fundamentalism and the economic enslavement of its citizenry.

It is a good thing that we are monumental Beings, not here to lead “normal” lives. It is a good thing to know, during these time of collapse and re-structuring, that our human-ness, our ability to be human, our Human Potential has yet to be tapped. It is good to know that we are up to the challenges that the knowledge, creativity, imagination and energy exists within us and within all of Life. The question is: Do we have the “will” to come together, to make the little sacrifices in our own lives that are needed to make the changes we know need to be made?

Continue reading Monumental Times→

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