EcoVillage at Ithaca, Inc. is a nonprofit that manages 145 acres adjacent to the EcoVillage at Ithaca cohousing community. A couple of small farms practice annual agriculture on some of this acreage. Most of the remainder is degraded agricultural land where invasive shrubs have taken up residence over the last 25 years.
This Spring, EVI, Inc. will be starting the process of restoring this land to productivity, beginning with an earthwork installation at the end of April. Effective water management is the foundation of a balanced ecological system that produces perennial staple foods for both humans and wildlife. By investing in the creation of a diverse ecosystem we set the stage for long-term sustainability.
We are working with Mark Shepard and his consulting company, Restoration Agriculture Development, to design and implement a water management system that optimizes the flow of water through the landscape. The resulting network of channels will conduct water slowly through the landscape, improving infiltration, filling ponds, and storing water in the soil.
Situated as we are at EcoVillage at Ithaca, which every year offers tours to hundreds of people from across the country and around the world, our project has the potential to spawn regenerative agriculture projects far and wide.
Because of all the earth that has to be moved, installation of a water management system is expensive. But it only has to be done ONCE! With minimal maintenance, water will continue to move along pathways established at time of installation for generations to come.
in getting this project off the ground by making a tax deductible donation to EVI, Inc.
NOTE: If you send a check, thus eliminating PayPal fees, your donation will go further. Please make your check out to EVI, Inc. and mail to EVI, Inc, 100 Rachel Carson Way, Ithaca, NY 14850.
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