Jesse Labbe-Watson will lead an online presentation via Teams called, Permaculture Design for Agroforestry Systems, on Tuesday, May 5, at 12 p.m., hosted by Merryspring Nature Center. 

Come see how a permaculture design process can be helpful for farmers and homesteaders considering agroforestry practices for regenerating land, water and climate. The presentation will show examples of the design process using Erickson Fields farm as the case study in Rockport. Perennial tree crops, windbreaks, livestock integration and more will be highlighted. 

"Permaculture is much more than an ecosystem design tool," said a Merryspring news release. "While most people understand that permaculture can be used to design an edible landscape, garden or farm; the potential impact is much greater. We will begin by asking: how can we grow our own food and heal ecosystems at the same time? And we will dare to imagine ecosystems designed to produce food and other useful products for all species." 

Jesse Labbe-Watson operates Midcoast Permaculture Design. He has been doing landscape design, farm planning and construction contracting work for residential and farm clients since 2009. He has taught Permaculture Design Certification courses in partnership with the Resilience Hub and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association since 2012, and co-founded the Maine Ecological Design School in 2021 which is the new home for Maine’s PDC programming. He has served on the board of the Permaculture Association of the Northeast, and holds a diploma of site design from the Permaculture Institute of North America. He was instrumental in passing a Food Sovereignty ordinance in his town in 2018, and lives with his family in Rockland on their rewilding one-acre demonstration site that incorporates small-scale agroforestry, annual and perennial polycultures, small livestock, hunting and foraging. 

This talk is part of Merryspring’s Spring & Summer Talk series, generously sponsored by Camden Riverhouse Hotel.  

This talk and others can be viewed from the comfort of home. On some devices, especially if older, download the Microsoft Teams app and use Meeting ID: 939 801 137 154 83 and Passcode: 3mQ9tK to join the talk. 

If you prefer to watch as Merryspring broadcasts live on the big screen in the conference room at Merryspring Nature Center, 30 Conway Road in Camden, please plan to arrive before 12 p.m., to avoid noise interference during recording. 

Thanks to the generosity of the Cascade Foundation, the talks will also be recorded for future viewing on the Merryspring YouTube channel.  

Join Merryspring each week at noon from April through October for the Spring & Summer Tuesday Talk series. The link to Merryspring's online talks can also be found on its website homepage and in each event on the calendar or you may request the link by sending an email to info@merryspring.org.   

Merryspring is your community nature center offering walking trails, cultivated gardens, wildlife, and ecology and horticulture educational programs all year round. The park is located at the end of Conway Road, just off of Route 1 in Camden behind Hannaford Shopping Plaza. For more information on this program, please contact info@merryspring.org or call 207-236-2239.