40 Years in Land Management

I was raised in the NC Piedmont in the 1970’s. My father was the head of the City and Regional Planning Department at UNC. Mom taught kindergarten at a progressive Quaker school and she frequently reminded me that her work was more important than dad’s. As a toddler I could be found hiding in the bushes, digging in the dirt, and talking with bugs. I started landscaping neighbors yards at age 12. High school horticulture class sealed my interest in garden ecology and led me to a life long passion for plants and the natural landscape.

At 18 I began homesteading in the Pacific Northwest, a glorious and inspiring place. The back-to-the-land movement was well underway. My older bother inspired me with visionary authors like Wendell Berry, and Helen and Scott Nearing. We planted trees, improved the soil, built farm structures, and climbed mountains. That was my first introduction to permaculture though we didn’t have that label yet. Eventually North Carolina called me home. I missed the feel of crunchy deciduous leaves, of an oak-hickory forest on a frosty moonlit night. My cohort of grade school musicians were central in the vibrant Southeast music scene. I rejoined the band and spent 10 years touring and making records with the Flat Duo Jets and the Chicken Wire Gang. My 2001 solo project can be found at Tone’s Bittersweet Review.

Life on the road wore me out. I wanted to settle down so I took up carpentry. Those 15 years year were good, running construction jobs and developing rural properties. Each parcel I improved was a unique artistic expression. I built homes from locally milled lumber and innovated with earthen materials. I restored beautiful old farmhouses and promoted the ecological health of the land. Developing land does not have to be bad. In contrast, the environmentalist, leave-it-alone ethic is outdated. It leads to neglect. With humble awareness people can improve on natural processes. If that idea is challenging, check out William Cronon’s “The Trouble With Wilderness“.

My son Jasper was born in 2003. His presence is my greatest experience in life. He grew up while I was studying botany. I taught him everything I could and learned as much from him as well. Now he’s off into his adult years performing in NCSU timber sports.

Since 2004, I immersed myself in academia, first studying medicinal plants at my community college with, then botany, horticulture, and landscape design at NC State. In 2017 I acquired my M.S. in Ecology at UNC. My research focused on environmental education and developing a theory of “garden based eco-pedagogy.”

 

I worked in the Chapel Hill School System, and Elon University, before settling in at Hawbridge School. That job allowed me to develop as a teacher. My style is based on honesty, connection, collaboration, and buy-in from students. In 2023 I took a break from teaching to rejuvenate myself and start a new project developing youth stewardship aimed at a sustainable future.

I have little faith in national leaders. Information does not change peoples hearts nor their minds. Technology is not the solution. This moment requires a concerted, collective effort to create our livelihood that works with nature. We need radical action because our society is off course and out of time. I’m creating a curriculum for idealistic and at risk youth. Its based on real solutions: regenerative agriculture, appropriate technology, and student development. The sooner we get started with Thomas Berry’s Great Work the better.