Consulting Services
Our unique approach to watershed restoration is based on indigenous values and practices that allowed the original inhabitants of Turtle Island to respond to a changing climate since time immemorial.
We offer targeted grant-cycle friendly watershed restoration services so you can gain the knowledge, training, documentation, and support you need to build your capacity to implement erosion control, home-scale water harvesting and small watershed restoration projects.
Our services are comprehensive including survey, design, training, implementation support, and community outreach. We have designed these services based on our success in restoring degraded elements of a watershed while also restoring the ability for tribal staff and communities to steward their waters using indigenous knowledge and best practices.
Currently, we are offering consulting services for the demonstration project scale and home-scale rainwater harvesting, erosion control, and ranch-scale watershed restoration. As communities gain the knowledge, tools, and practice with hands-on implementation, we will be able to offer more advanced restoration techniques and tools so you can deepen your relationship with Water as you gain the confidence and skills needed to restore ecological function to the watersheds you care about.
Rainwater Harvesting
We can help you restore watersheds to ecological balance by giving you the training and support necessary to help return water to the natural water cycle. Rainwater harvesting methods based on indigenous water wisdom can support watershed restoration efforts. At the beginning level, we will help you learn and implement demonstration-scale or home-scale projects to build your capacity to help Water return to a balanced cycle. Earthworks such as Rain Gardens, Bio-swales and Hugelkulture Berms help to catch and store the precious rain our Mother Nature blesses us with, improving watershed health and ecosystem vitality.
Erosion Control
We can help you learn low-tech Indigenous-inspired methods to slow rushing waters and reduce erosion. We can help you create river rock structures that “teach running water to walk.” The damaging effects of erosion can cause increased water pollution, decreased infiltration into aquifers and increase flooding risk in a watershed. Simple rock structures such as Zuni Bowls, Rock Mulch Rundowns, and One-Rock Dams slow the rushing waters, reduce incision, restore ephemeral stream beds, reconnect the channel to the floodplain overtime and allows vegetation to re-establish, improving watershed health.
Peacemaking
We believe in Indigenous peacemaking to help people return to harmony, often an important first step in restoring a watershed to balance. Using the teachings of Mohawk Chief Jake Swamp, we foster and facilitate productive circle dialogue that allows us to restore community trust, common vision and bear witness to our humanity and potential for deep healing. Water management often becomes fraught with conflict causing good work to come to a halt and creating deeper divides within a community. Restoring trust through communication is an indigenous peacemaking way that can help a community move toward a healthier watershed for everyone.
