Tend the Earth's demonstration site is located on a 15 acre parcel that is in the midst of a forested wildlife corridor just 17 miles from Yosemite National Park in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Sustainable educational programs are offered that are designed to inspire, raise awareness of permaculture design, create community and CULTIVATE LOCAL RESILIENCE.

Mapping the Design

Design Elements

1. House
2. Garage
3. Barn
4. Chicken coop
5. Greenhouse
6. Commons area/sit spots
7. Carport
8. Raised bed Garden ( annuals)
9. Buddha Garden (some in ground annuals/mostly perrenials and fruit trees)
10.Vineyard/grape arbor/Paula’s Path
11.Food Forest/ permaculture guilds
12.Water catchment/rainwater harvesting 7500 gal.
a. Above ground water tank storage
b. Bio swales
c. Greywater remediation
13.More water catchment 150 gal.
14.Wood storage
15.Potting and tractor shed
16.Propane tank
17.Access roads
18.Parking areas
19.Composting area
20.Seasonal stream
21.Small Solar voltaic panel for electronic devices
22.Mason bees
23.Bird baths



Also:
Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers' Herb spiral on Buddha garden
Wildflower garden on Buddha garden
Urbanite retaining walls in food forest and Buddha garden

Plant List

To view plant list, click here

On-site Photos

Site Assessment/Sector Analysis

Watershed: The Fresno River, located in Central California, is the most southerly of the major east-side tributaries of the San Joaquin River. It rises on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and flows in a southwesterly direction through the mountains and foothills and across the valley floor via the eastside bypass to the San Joaquin River. Tributaries that feed the Fresno River include Lewis Creek, Nelder Creek, Redwood Creek, China Creek, Oak Creek, Miami Creek, Petersen Creek, Crooks Creek, Carter Creek, Spangle Creek, and Coarsegold Creek. The demo site parcel is closest to Oak Creek tributary.

Soils: Our area predominantly contains decomposed granite and range in depth from shallow at high elevations to moderate at low elevations. Vegetation ranges from relatively dense, coniferous forests to oak woodlands to open grasslands. The demo site parcel consists mainly of oak woodland, and forest leaf litter has contributed to accumulations of rich sandy loams in certain areas where undisturbed soils had a chance to build up over time.

Climate: The Fresno River Basin has a temperate, semiarid climate characterized by cool, (sometimes) wet winters and hot, dry summers. The weather at the demo site will range from just below freezing to 100 degrees. We have four real seasons, but most of the time temperatures are moderate with extremes short lived (hopefully). We get a taste of snow each winter and average rainfall of 20 – 30 inches per year. Summer brings warm days in the upper 90’s and cooler evenings in the 60’s to 70’s. Winter is cold with lows just above freezing on average and 50 to 60 degree days. About ninety percent of runoff-producing precipitation occurs during the period from November to April. Due to location and topography, wind is minimal. On average, there are 263 sunny days per year in Oakhurst, CA.

Here is the rainfall data collected at the demo site (Elevation: 2500’) for the past years:

2009-2010: 60 ¼”
2010-2011: 52 ¼”
2011-2012: 21”
2012-2013: 22"

2013-2014: 16"

2014-2015: 18"

2015-2016: 39.5"

2016-2017: 54.5"

2017-2018: 

Wildlife:  The surrounding oak woodlands supports biodiversity including deer, wild turkey, coyote, bobcats, mountain lions, bears, raccoons, badgers, and a huge variety of winged ones and insects, and reptiles (frogs, snakes, lizards).