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 land stewardship and forest management of our 65-acre family farmstead.
We are looking for a couple or individual (male preferred) who are eager to learn and work under Joseph's guidance while also being self-directed and proactive. We value privacy along with community and hope 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 while also earning supplemental income to offset living costs not covered in the residency.
We seek 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 management 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, especially focusing on hands-on learning and land stewardship. 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.
Botanical Residency at Ravenhill Sanctuary
Our Family
Our busy little family loves to laugh and play while constantly engaging in hands-on learning. We enjoy being outdoors, hiking the trails, tending to the land through sustainable forest management, and kayaking at local lakes. Equally, we cherish cozy indoor moments spent cooking, reading, creating art, or solving crossword puzzles, often accompanied by eclectic music or a children's story podcast in the background. Each of us has unique personalities, and we are wonderfully sensitive and complex, united by a deep care and respect for the Earth.
We lead a fulfilling life caring for each other, our land, and our animals—including pups Jack and Floki and Clover the cat—especially our bright, creative, full-powered, and precious 6-year-old, Esme. We are excited about finding an aligned landmate for our residency and farmstead internship opportunity, aimed at helping with land stewardship and cultivating our farm. Joseph has his hands full, while 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 producing several impactful events each year.
We value mutual respect, self-awareness, an open mind, critical thinking, and the willingness to question assumptions. Kind-heartedness, curiosity, personal accountability, a voraciousness for learning, and a balance between being reverent and irreverent, all paired with a good sense of humor to laugh at it all, are essential to us.