Sepp Holzer-Style Permaculture/Spirit Mountain Design Course

Spirit Mountain Design Course

October 4-7, 2012
Spirit Mountain in Duluth, MN

Come be a part of a very exciting, Sepp Holzer-style, permaculture design course on Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Minnesota, with Team Sepp. Team Sepp are some of his best graduates who will be passing on his knowledge. Learn Sepp Holzer's Permaculture practices including terracing, hugelbeds (giant raised beds), pond building and design, aquaculture, wetland restoration, reading nature, and other earthworks. This is an amazing and affordable opportunity!

Accomplished international designers certified in Holzer Permaculture, Judith Anger and Immo Fiebrig will be our core teachers for Team Sepp. Recently, they co-authored the urban permaculture book “Everyone Has the Right To Grow!" The book's creation was overseen by Sepp, has been very successful in Europe, and will see a 2013 release in the United States. This is the beginning of Sepp’s legacy, as taught by his most intrepid and skilled graduates. They will be accompanied by Johnny Peham, another Holzer Permaculture graduate and expert in seismology (geophysical measurements), Neil Bertrando, Zach Weiss, and Big John Siegmund.

Visiting from the arid state of Nevada, Neil Bertrando will provide support to Team Sepp and offer his skills as a Keyline and Permaculture designer. He is passionate about Agro-ecology and will assist with topographic and vegetation surveys and the installation and planting process. We are also honored to have U.S. designers Zach Weiss and John Siegmund who also studied with Sepp at this last May at the Holzer Permaculture Practical course in Montana. One of Zach's many gifts is greenhouse building and design which require no energy inputs that he has learned from greenhouse great, John Hemmighaus. John Siegmund was Sepp's chief heavy equipment operator in Montana who has special insight into earthworks building and design along with other great permaculture techniques including sprouting animal grains for increased health and reduced costs.


As part of Team Sepp, Judith will give us an photographic insight into recent Holzer projects around the world as well as guidance during the planning, installation and plantation process. Immo will guide a true to scale 3D modelling of the current situation on the land and the planned building transformation using natural material. Together with Johnny we will walk the land and Johnny will show us how to measure up the landscape and how to transfer contour lines onto the plan. Participants may bring maps and plans of their own permaculture project and present it to the audience and Team Sepp for discussion. Immo shall facilitate this session and act as translator for Johnny together with Judith. A lecture with handouts on the characteristic Holzer pond and lake building (“water retention landscapes”) will be held by Immo. Neil Bertrando will share a Keyline Design tutorial and photos of Permaculture projects in the desert.

FACILITIES: We are creating much of the course infrastructure.. We will erect a giant wigwam as a teaching tent, a solar shower, and a kitchen/dining tent. We will be comfortable, warm, with audio/visual capabilities. Generators safe for running electronics and recharging cell phones will be on hand.

FOOD: The kitchen will prepare three meals a day of a mouth-watering selection of food made from primarily local, organic ingredients to satisfy a range of dietary choices; meat, vegetarian, vegan and raw food. Everyone in the course is expected to volunteer some time in the kitchen and some work-trade participants will do extra time there.

DESIGN. Permaculture design and metholology is an integral and important part of the course. Students can design on their own or in design teams and will learn from teacher perspectives and feedback. We will also talk about design ideas for the various sites we see on our field trips. We all learn from Sepp Holzer's design ideas.

There will be lectures—including the use of drawings, powerpoint and slides—balanced with time out in the field. There will also be group discussion, mind-mapping, brainstorming, small groups and other interactive learning methods.

Tuition for the 4 day training is $300. Early registration is $250, if received by 9/07. Tuition for this event includes camping but does not include food, 3 meals/day is $25 and can be paid on arrival.

For information on this Holzer Permaculture project, contact Chad 218-723-8134.
Or by email: dancesonstillwater@gmail.com

Course topics also include:
* Permaculture ethics & principles * Permaculture methodology * Observation skills * Site analysis & design
* Zone & sector analysis * Large property design * Keyline * Ecosystem restoration * Native plant restoration * Sustainable forestry*
* Erosion control * Bio-engineering * Myco-remediation * Gardening * Edible landscaping * Broad-scale agriculture * Soil Building * Hugelkulturs * Sheet mulching * Tree crops * Windbreaks, hedgerows * Agroforestry systems * Livestock raising * *Urban permaculture * *Ethnobotany and ethnoecology * Water harvesting * Ponds and aquaculture * Irrigation * Waste management and greywater * Dry land strategies * Medicinal herbs * Wildcrafting * Weeds and invasive plants *
* Seed collecting * Integrated pest management * Natural building * Appropriate energy systems * Design for catastrophe * Permaculture networks * International resources and much, much more . . .


Spirit Mountain Design Course:
Name__________________________________________ Address________________________________________
Phone(s) _____________________________________
E-mail_________________________________
Which accommodations do you plan on?: Camping_____ RV or live-in rig on site._____ Local Motel_____ Local commute. _____ Other _____________________
Dietary preferences: _____________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
Are you interested in carpooling?____________________
Would you like to be picked up at the airport or bus station ?

Make checks or money order out to
Chad Johnson

Mail to:

Chad Johnson
317 N 17 1/2 Ave W
Duluth MN 55806

As seats start to fill, I should mention that there are only 40 seats available.

It should be around the peak of the fall colors here with the maple and oaks bursting into beauty.

Looking forward to seeing everybody.

To answer someone else's question and maybe yours, yes, you can pay for daily attendance if you can't attend the whole course which would be $80 per day.

Ok, we're half sold out and I'm just getting the poster out, so things look good. Some people are interested in ride share so if you are too, let me know.

Another successful and fun-filled permaculture event! Sounds like Sepp wants to come soon!

When is the next one?

Next one will be announced to our students and anyone on our waiting list and email newsletter at holzeragroecology.com at the bottom of the home page.