Section 1 - You and Your Site

Personal Details

Name: David Belliveau

Choose Your Site

What kind of property are you designing on?

Other: Land held in trust for 7 First Nations

Identify Your Client's Brief

Describe the intended use of the property, i.e., the design brief provided by the client: (aim for under 500 words)

This design is an aspirational exercise to show what could be possible on this 78 hectare block of land. It is being delivered as an potential design to the Fort Folly Habitat Recovery Core Group. Some in the group have discussed the creation of a food forest, some have discussed the development of a learning centre. Some have noted that there needs to be security on this and nearby lands to prevent unauthorised access and harvesting.

This design will attempt to satisfy the following requirements:

Off-grid shelter(s) for caretakers who will provide security and productivity for this and nearby lands owned by the group.
Off-grid public building/area for educational purposes such as interpretation and permaculture/caretaker training.
Facilities for care of small livestock (poultry, rabbits, etc.)
Facilities to propagate plants for this site and other lands owned by the group.
Facilities for equipment & machinery.
Infrastructure to provide on-site generated energy.
Infrastructure to provide clean water.
Infrastructure to provide water management for growing plants & livestock.
Infrastructure to provide suitable access to the extents of the site.
Waste management systems.

This property will primarily serve:

Other: The members of the 7 First Nations Communities.

Identify the level of food self-reliance required:

"The goal will be to meet (All, Most, Some, Few, None) needs on site."

Specify the client's priorities: (rank 3-5 specific needs or goals in order of importance to the client). Any special requests, special limitations or special needs can be generally listed here.

Security
Biodiversity
Food for humans & animals
Continuous increase in abundance
Education delivery opportunities

The client values visual privacy: (Select One)

Not at all
Very Little
Some
A lot
Total Seclusion
It was not mentioned (go ask them now)

The client has specific dietary restrictions affecting the design:

List each here with a brief (max 1 paragraph) explanation)

There will be a large number of people who will be consuming the production of this property. Their dietary needs will be varied, therefore what's a restriction for one will not be a restriction for many others. The goal is to provide a wide variety of products to satisfy most everyone's needs.

The client has specifically requested that the design provide: (list as appropriate)

As stated above, the Core Group outlined several suggested paths to travel in planning for the future of this site. They are:

Security
Food Forest
Education/Interpretation Centre

What structures exist on site that we will not be designing and placing as part of the design? (list as appropriate)

There are no structures currently on the site.

What drives, roads, paths, or other access exist on site that we will not be changing or placing as part of this design? (list as appropriate with brief description if appropriate)

There are no roads or paths that exist on the site. There is a right-of-way that splits the property, but no improvements have been made to where the right-of-way is designated.

We will be designing and locating: (select all that apply)

Home(s)
Outbuilding(s)
Fence(s)
Earthworks
Water Storage
Roads/Paths/Access
Non-Visible Hydrological Solutions
Other (Specify)

Client Notes

Known advantages, resources, or limitations: (list as appropriate)

For example: budget advantages, clay/sand/gravel/good soil on site, no clay/sand/gravel/good soil on site, friend drives a dump truck and may help transport material, no design/change will be allowed to swimming pool & pool deck, tractor and bucket on site, etc.

The problem is the solution on this site. A high percentage of the land has been clearcut, which is undesirable. The good news is that every permaculture design element that is applied to this land has the potential of making it better than it's been for nearly 2 centuries. Other than a bit of riparian zone along the Joe Buck Brook, this land should be considered a blank slate.

Beneath the thin cover of humus that remains is sandstone. Quite a bit of the sandstone will be friable, which will make it a good roadbase and a good base in swales that are traversed by machinery/equipment. In the lower elevations, not far from the Joe Brook, there is some clay. The depth is currently unknown. The slope in the southwest portion of the site is quite low, with a few hectares that might have a pretty good deposit of clay.

Several of the band members have experience operating heavy machinery, dump trucks, and other equipment. Many of the members have worked in outdoor oriented jobs in either environmental work, habitat recover, forestry, fishing, etc. There are many band members who are hunters, fishers, gatherers. There's not a lot of fear of the great outdoors, for the most part.

There may be monies available to develop this site according to this design. The Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) has provided funding for various forestry activities. This design is expected to be within the limits of the funding guidelines of programs such as the IFI. As well, funding may be available from the Science and Technology (S&T) Internship Program - Green Jobs program. The Two Billion Trees program may also provide some funding opportunities on this land.

More dollars may be available from the federal Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative. Although funding is currently closed, the Local Food Infrastructure Fund may get funded again in the near future. The AgriDiversity program appears to be accepting applications for funding various projects.

It would be recommended that the client contact the Indigenous Pathfinder service to see where assistance for the funding of this design might be available.

The above programs are Federal. Provincially, the Indigenous Agricultural Development Program may be able to help with funding and access to capital. Again, the client will connect with the appropriate contact people for these programs.

What is the largest limitation or obstacle related to this site that will need to be overcome as this design is implemented? (Provide the single example, followed by a paragraph summary explanation of details and preliminary solutions)

It is worth noting that there is almost never "no limitation", and if you find yourself considering writing this, you may want to seek help from your classmates or the TA team on this.

Winter. Winter is the largest limitiation and obstacle to any design component on this property. Winter brings long periods of freezing temperatures, significant snowfall, and variable duration. It brings ice storms, blizzards, extreme cold snaps, high, cold winds from the west and north, and indeterminate duration (with some winter seasons being only 3 months, some 5 months).

What specific skills, abilities, or resources does the client personally bring to the situation, if any? (list, or brief paragraph)

Is it possible that the client does not have special skills in this way, but certainly experience gardening, an orchardist, or other similar expertise would be noteworthy here if it changes how you approach the design, or conversations about the design with the client.

Members of the Core group have experience conducting field studies, implementing habitat recovery and species restoration activities, proposal development, land acquisition activities, intergovernmental relations, heavy equipment operation experience (one member even drove the largest trucks on the planet, the CAT 797 hauler for a little while) as well as gardening, plant propagation, medicinal plant identification, harvest, and use, fishing, and hunting.

The designer (David Belliveau) is part of the client group. He brings GIS capabilities, some gardening experience, and has spent the past decade studying agriculture, permaculture, food forestry, perennial crop production, aquaculture, apiculture, maritime climate, wind energy, environmental impact assessment design and application, and proposal development for government and private industry. As well, he has experience running heavy equipment and farm equipment.

This client's familiarity with Permaculture is: (Select One)

Low
Medium
High