Mission

Ecology:

 

Soil & Sky is located in the beautiful, wild, and ecologically rich land of the Klamath-Siskiyous   nestled in the valleys of southwestern Oregon. At Soil & Sky, ecology, or the study of interactions of living organisms with each other and their environments, is broadly defined in order to acknowledge the multiplicities of nature.  It is not a study that is limited to the trees, water, and soil; it extends to the human mind, body, and spirit.   The Land acts as a living microcosm to learn of life’s processes, ranging from the solely biological such as weather systems, biological succession, and fire and flood cycles, to the more ethereal and poetic questions of the human-nature relationship, and how the human ability to live with intention shapes our perception of the natural world.  Soil & Sky understands ecology as the study of process and relationship, of watching and listening, of rhythm and chaos.  It is the study of life and all its teachings.

Areas of Focus:

• Watershed protection

• Fire regimes

• Monitoring native and endemic plants

• Sustainable land management

• Stewardship and the human-nature relationship

 

 

Research:

 

Soil & Sky will provide a space for researching ecologically sustainable and regenerative technologies and lifestyles. We will provide a research center for ongoing education in the laboratory classroom that is the land. Letting nature be the teacher, we will co-create how to be responsible, healthy and regenerative stewards of the earth. We dream of establishing a laboratory where we can quantitatively and qualitatively observe life on a microscopic and macroscopic scale, monitoring phenomena such as the land's ability to sequester carbon and store water through soil biology.  We strive to establish partnerships with academic bodies which will allow us to host students of all ages while they conduct hands-on research, and learn sustainable practices.  

Areas of research:

• Agroecology

• Carbon Sequestration

• Sustainability

• Bioremediation

• Bioregionalism
   

 

Embodied Education:

 

An Embodied educational environment is one which allows an individual to explore the intimate connections of the body and the mind, the body and the heart, the body and the spirit and to help one see the entire being as nature.  The programs at Soil & Sky merge multidisciplinary healing modalities with nature based practices.  We also place a special emphasis on bio-regional medicine with the intention of creating a framework that can be adapted and applied anywhere in the world.
 

With the practice of embodied education arises two key questions: What health and cognitive benefits do we experience when we engage with nature? And how do daily lifestyle practices engage the union of the body, mind, and spirit within us?  Soil & Sky believes it is in this deep engagement of both self awareness and nature awareness that we begin to embody medicine and live out our core values and dreams.

 

Areas of Education:

• Herbal Medicine

• Bio-regional Ayurveda

• Yoga and movement therapies

• Cultivating personal expression

• Ceremony

 

 

Rural Community Development

 

coming soon...