Wet land permaculture

I suggest we start a new forum named Wet Land Permaculture.
'Classic' permaculture handles water shortages intensively but less water being a nuisance or a  difficult partner.  
All permaculture action on land with a water connection would be focused here.
All permaculture action on/in water with a land connection would be focused here.
Wet meadows, river banks, marshes, flood land, even Wetlands with legal implications are the item of discussion.
Aqua phonics is an other forum please, it has no real land connection.
Just a sugquestion.

dirk maes wrote:
'Classic' permaculture handles water shortages intensively but less water being a nuisance or a  difficult partner.

I'm in a region and locale which suffers from periodic extreme drought as well as periodic catastrophic flooding, so I am interested in topics dedicated to water problems - both too little water, and too much water.

I would also be interested in more discussion of how to work with temperate wetlands. It seems, sometimes, that there is a focus on dry temperate or wet tropical/subtropical, but the cool temperate regions with lots of water don't get much discussion.  Ben Falk is a notable exception, working in a cool to cold temperate rain forest.

Personally, this four season wetlands environment is important because the land my wife and I have purchased in Michigan has some areas that tend to be wet and the area gets an average of about three inches of rain per month, year round.
There's even an area on our land where I am thinking about installing chinampas!

I agree that this would be a good new forum, to focus on how to design and work with wetland systems solely.  

Chinmapas are a wonderful idea, but how many people have them?  I think that there are a lot of people who don't know what they are.  I have a few in my head to build on my land, but... then there is access.  The biggest stumbling block with working in wet areas is often that (in Canada anyway) the government is involved in maintaining these systems for wildlife, or pure water standards purposes, and so in many cases the landowner might not be allowed to do any alterations within a certain 'green belt' surrounding a given waterway.  

For instance, though I have water rights on my creek, I am only allowed to have one outlet off the creek, and only so many cubic meters of water diverted from it for my home and agricultural purposes.  It's good to have such regulations in place as environmental protections and protecting other downstream users access to clean dependable water sources.  

If I want to build a hydro electric system, or build a bridge, (both of which I would like to do) this will likely require permits so that I ensure that I am not taking too much water, or damaging the creek bank.  What it all comes down to is that in order to develop wet areas we may have to help re-build the legal framework for doing so (Just as building codes are adapted to new methods, through example and proven projects), so that the powers that be can see that benefits can be gained by such permacultural designs.  

If we have a forum dedicated to such projects, then we can easily find such projects and build a more cohesive and accessible pool of knowledge from which to dive in, and examples of successful projects to give the authorities as specifics when trying to create precedent for our own designed/planned projects.  

Wet meadows, river banks, marshes, flood land, even Wetlands with legal implications are the item of discussion.  

 River banks, and all perennial streams and lakes are subject to some sort of legal framework in Canada, as far as I know.

swamp permaculture?
like this link

market garden site: boggy areas, rushes
like this link

just like this
Wetland Farming

And this one too
swamp permaculture?

This one
Flood plain farming solutions?

the above treads give an idea how much wet land culture is a topic in  permaculture development.
So Forum leaders lets start a new one!
And hopefully it gives   us more insight on how to tackle wetlands.

My wetland problem is the superfluous soft rush.
Anyone a solution?

dirk maes wrote:
Wet meadows, river banks, marshes, flood land, even Wetlands with legal implications are the item of discussion.

Hi I live in South Australia opposite a public park which floods in winter and is baked dry in summer. I have planted swamp mahogany which is a native tree which is growing well. Very much interested in (food) trees which can handle bog in winter with some frost and dry 40 degrees C heat with little water in Summer. I cannot do earthworks or swales due to it being a park and also a floodplain for the surrounding houses but planting trees seems to be ok. The council is mowing around them.

In much of the United States wetlands are similarly protected. I know from experience that a lot of states in the Pacific Northwest, for example, really restrict what you can even do near a wetland, let alone in one. Ditto on streams and creeks, of course. Just something to think about

Janet Reid wrote:
I have planted swamp mahogany which is a native tree which is growing well..

Someone pulled them out =(. Will try again next spring.