What does it mean to go back to the ground and learn the fading skills necessary to work the forest with our hands? To read the land assisted by tools we sight with our own eyes? To create new visions of old roles, such as a land steward or cottager?
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I explore those thoughts and more with my guest today, Hazel, who some of you may know as Tom Ward. A long-time permaculture practitioner, he remains one of the few people who I feel comfortable calling an elder in the community. As you’ll hear during the conversation today, he carries an impeccable reputation and is known for his respect for people and respect for the land. Ask around among your circles, and you’ll likely hear this echoed by someone whose life was impacted by Hazel’s work as a teacher and storyteller to generations of permaculture practitioners. Which is funny, because, in this digital age, he’s not always the easiest person to find. Drawing from his breadth of experience, Hazel shares with us the importance of putting away gadgets and technology and embedding ourselves in a deep sense of place. To listen and be part of the land around us, and to work with those who are ready.
You can find out more about Hazel and his work, including upcoming social forestry and optical surveying classes, at siskiyoupermaculture.com.
If you have any thoughts or questions from this conversation with Hazel, leave a comment below.
Resources
Siskiyou Permaculture
Social Forestry Course
Optical Surveying Course
Hazel's Collected Videos and Recordings
Heartwood Institute
Brock Dolman - Occidental Arts & Ecology
Traditional Aboriginal Burning (Cool Burning)
Recommended Reading
Beyond the War on Invasive Species by Tao Orion
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Daughters of Copper Woman by Anne Cameron
Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Brown
Keeping it Living by Nancy Turner
The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram
Tending the Wild by Kat Anderson
World Without Mind by Franklin Foer