Diary of a water restoration design and install

Oliver

2 years ago

The heavy expansive clay looks cracked and dry on top, but still holds a decent amount of moiture below

First day we’re all excited to get started and go over the plan for the day on the topo map, but then…

…Jake checks the laser level and it’s not working!

I learned fast to protect myself against the sun, even if I look rediculous

The first day we had the buldozer, we got right to work building ponds

This project was full of learning for all of us. Here Rodrigo is getting eperience marking out a line on the property with the laser

The first pass with the dozer marks the rough line and the following passes shape the terrace

We were very fortunate to have such an experienced bulldozer driver in Julio Lopez

Plan, replan, and revise the plan.

When there’s a broken belt in the dozer, all we can do is be patient and wait for a replacement.

Nothing but gratitude for such a capable, knowledgeable, and patient team lead. Looking forward to more collaborations already! Thanks Jake. This is us tried and sunburnt, but proud of a job well done at the airport on the way home

Welcome to the first epsiode of season 7! So much has happened in the month between the last episode where I introduced my partner Alba and our new home and farm in Spain. There have been a lot of projects both inside the house, out on the land, and within our own businesses. One of the new developments that came up is that I was invited to assist on a watershed restoration design and install project with a company that I’ve admired and looked up to my whole career, Restoration Agriculture Development (RAD). RAD is the design and project installation company founded by Mark Shepard, the legendary farmer and author who has helped to define the ambitions through his work and writings such as “Restoration Agriculture” and “Water for Any Farm.” Though Mark wasnt involved with this job directly, I got to work with their team lead, and accomplished farmer in his own right, Jake Takiff from Cedar Springs farm in Hotchkiss, Colorado.

In this first episode, I’ll be trying out a new format in which I’ll bring you along for the duration of this project and give detailed updates about how work is moving forward, what we’re learning in the process, and the main takeaways. If you enjoy this format, please let me know, since I have a lot of potential jobs lined up, farm visits, workshops and my own projects at home I would love to share with you. As always, the best way to get in touch and have your voice heard is to connect via the Regenerative Skills Discord server. You can sign up for free below.