About the Residency
Who we're looking for
We are actively seeking the needle in a haystack- a perfect fit resident to live in the apartment on the land in exchange for working part time with Joseph on the land stewardship and forest management of our 65 acre family farmstead.
We are looking for a couple or individual (male preferred) who are willing to learn and work under the guidance of Joseph while also being self directed and proactive. We value privacy along with community and are hoping for a balance between aligning with our family, enjoying each other’s company in the garden or over a shared meal, and also valuing the autonomy and spaciousness we all need to be in harmony.
Ideally, this would be a highly valuable, hands-on learning experience providing you a beautiful place to work, play, and contribute and you would have supplemental income to offset living costs not covered in the residency.
We are looking for someone with good communication skills, a good sense of humor, curiosity, respect for the natural world, reliability, self motivation, common decency, and an easy going temperament.
Interested? Keep scrolling to learn more details and apply!
What you'll learn and contribute
Length of Residency: April - October
For the right fit, we will consider long term residency opportunities
What you will learn:
From Joseph: I have farmed, gardened, designed, installed, taught - and…stumbled, bumbled, re-designed, failed and thrived - in locations throughout a significant portion of the Western hemisphere for the better part of 23 years. To say I have experiences in different biomes and ecotypes is a considerable understatement. I draw on these experiences each and every day of each and every calendar year, and, yet, I am very very very much consistently humbled and still learning. May this never ever end. I will share and teach from these previous and ongoing learnings and lessons as we effort and toil in our small but challenging demanding ways together. And, I would be remiss if I did not add: I certainly welcome the opportunity to learn from you and your experiences and learnings - mutual reciprocity will feed our journey.
To that end, things you can expect to encounter, consider, learn, and re-approach on a regular basis here while we pluck away at the Grumpy Rooster:
Activities
- Sidereal and Bio-Dynamic calendar observations and practices
- Soil Building and Nutritive Regenerative practices
- Landrace crop (annual and perennial) development
- Regenerative Forestry -there is endless forest and tree work here. Trust me.
- Chainsaw (gasoline and electric) use and maintenance
- Bio-Swale Design and construction
- Pocket Pond siting and construction
- Living Dam, Check Dam, Natural Fascine siting and construction
- Perennial, Functional and Edible plant corridor design, establishment, and installation
- Rotational Pasturing - design considerations and implementations
- Vermiculture and composting- in its many forms and uses
- Basic annual and perennial gardening - techniques, practices, etc.
Hours of commitment:
Flexible hours and days, approx. 15-20 hours per week. We can work together to create a good balance and rhythm to your contributions. Flexible time off for tending your life as needed with good communication and advanced notice.
What we offer
- Private, furnished apartment on property (valued at $1500 w/ utilities included)
- All utilities included (internet, well water, electricity, trash/recycling)
- Large windows w/view of the wildlife pond, meadow, and Mt. Spokane
- Includes kitchen and private bathroom with shower
- Food and herbs from the garden including farm fresh eggs
- Access to miles of private trails on the land
- We are willing to discuss additional compensation during the residency
- We are open to opportunities for year round residency or multi-season internship learning through immersive demonstration for the right fit.
The Ravenhill Stewards
Our Family
Our busy little family loves to laugh and play and we are constantly learning. We love to be outside hiking the trails, tending the land, kayaking at local lakes, as much as we love to cozy up indoors, cooking, reading, creating art or doing crossword puzzles with eclectic music or a children's story podcast always in the background. We each have unique personalities, are wonderfully sensitive and complex, and are united by a great care and respect for the Earth.
We have a full life caring for each other, our land, animals- including pups Jack and Floki and Clover the cat - and especially our bright, creative, full powered and precious 6 year old Esme. We are looking forward to finding an aligned landmate for our residency and farmstead internship opportunity to help tend & cultivate the land - as Joseph has his hands full and Mama Jamaica works full time running an organization dedicated to supporting bioregional projects focused on regenerative agriculture, ecorestoration, civic infrastructure and community resilience along with production of several impact events each year.
We value mutual respect, self awareness, an open mind, critical thinking and willingness to question assumptions, kind heartedness, curiosity, personal accountability, a voraciousness for learning, equal parts reverent & irreverent and a good sense of humor to laugh at it all.