A Chance to Dig For Permaculture Gold in Tasmania with Paul “Ringo” Kean (February 2015) by Rhamis Kent I first met Paul “Ringo” Kean sometime during the early portion of 2009 while staying at Zaytuna Farm. That year, we had the good fortune of being given the opportunity to take a number of courses being offered with both Geoff Lawton & Paul Taylor as instructors. From my time becoming acquainted with him – and in particular, his professional background working as an earthmover in the mining industry – I could immediately recognize that he had a very unique & valuable skillset to put to use as a permaculture designer& field operator. Earthworks as applied within the confines of permaculture as a practical pursuit is one of the topics most people who have taken a design course find most challenging – both large and small scale. There is certainly a technical aspect of this specific facet of the design system many people are uncomfortable with or (at the very least) aren’t terribly confident in implementing. One would think any chance given to develop improved hands-on understanding of how to more effectively utilize earthmoving technologies – and potential work capacity they represent – would be very welcome. That opportunity is now provided through a series of courses being given at Ringo’s Tiger Hill Farm in Buckland, Tasmania this upcoming February 2015. I’m quite confident in saying that it would be difficult to find someone who combines the combination of field experience Ringo has to offer within this course. DETAILS: Permaculture Earthworks Introduction, Specialized Earthworks Course and Earthworks Work Experience permaculturenews.org/coursedetail.php?page_id=195&scheduleid=620&classname=Intro%20to%20Earthworks,%20Specialized%20Earthworks%20Course,%20Accredited%20Excavator%20Operator%20Training%20with%20Paul%20Kean%20and%20David%20Spicer%20at%20Tiger%20Hill%20Farm,%20Buckland,%20Tasmania Hosted and facilitated Paul (Ringo) Kean of Tiger Hill Permaculture, Tasmania, David Spicer of Permaculture Works and Rick Birch of Creswick Forestry Training. Tiger Hill Permaculture is pleased to announce the inaugural Specialized Permaculture Earthworks Practicum to be held at Tiger Hill Farm in Buckland, Tasmania from 20th February 2015 - 3nd March 2015. Tiger Hill Permaculture is offering 10 Excavator Operator Training placements during the practicum which will be held over a full 12 days from 20th February 2015 through to 3rd March immediately after the 2 week residential Permaculture Design Course conducted between 2nd and 15th February 2015. The first 2 days – in which participants arrive Friday night for 9am weekend start - are for an Introduction to Earthworks course for those not wanting the full program. Three (3) full days dedicated to Excavator Operation Training and Assessment to be conducted on Day Four (4). An annual licensing issuing fee of $50.00 (to R.T.O) is required after the completion of excavator training and assessment. Placements are also available for the full course and work experience program only. Typical Excavator Earthworks/Civil Training could normally cost up to $2900.00 for four (4) days of instruction. We are offering a unique, hands-on experience enabling those enrolled to get fully involved. We are planning to have an Excavator, Bull Dozer, Grader, Tip Truck and Remote Control Compacting Pad Foot Roller onsite during the program as a requirement for implementation of any planned earthworks. Additionally, this will also serve as a means to provide exposure to a wide range of equipment and activity showcasing what each piece of equipment is capable of. The course gives great value to further enhance any serious consultant’s portfolio. Students will rotate via a series of workstations gaining exposure and experience with the capabilities of each machine, surveying for tree rows, swale road access implementation, drainage, spot cultivating, forestry mound ploughing and retro fitting the spillway of an existing dam onsite. The course is designed to include certified excavator operator training (Commonwealth of Australia National Certification Unit Code RIIMPO320B, Excavator Civil Earthworks) to give candidates a sound understanding of operating techniques and equipment capabilities within a Permaculture context. The course aims to provide students with practical experience to be able to supervise earthworks contractors and is suited for those with a serious interest in advanced earthworks skills to design, manage and undertake Permaculture earthworks themselves, to provide consultation to clients and supervision to contractors, the ability to confidently select equipment for projects as well as to improve employment prospects in an ever-changing economy. The course is to be finalized in time for all to attend the 2015 Permaculture Convergence in the north of Tasmania, held from 7th – 15th of March 2015. The course will be fully immersive and hands-on. It comprehensively covers the implementation of water harvesting, storage strategies and forestry earthworks from start to finish including the following course/learning outcomes: • Excavator operator training (Commonwealth of Australia National Certification Unit Code RIIMPO320B, Excavator Civil Earthworks) • Dam (Reservoir) design and water harvesting strategies • Dam (Reservoir) implementation including implementation of lock pipe and siphon • Surveying landscape using basic and advanced survey tools and equipment • Roadway/swale access design and implementation, including drainage strategies across site • Methodologies and construction • Keyline strategies/Keyline ploughing • Forestry earthworks implementation; mound ploughing on contour and spot cultivation • Dam spillway retrofitting The Practicum includes all training resources, all meals semi-catered/shared meal preparation and camping accommodation. Bunk-style dorm accommodation (shearing shed and Tiger Hill Chalet) is available at an extra charge (bed linen not supplied). Additional bed space is available in the main house at extra charge. Local accommodation can also be sourced individually but participants are encouraged to stay on site to get involved in the community spirit. A Specialized Earthworks Course kit, including surveying tools and resources, will also be available for purchase during the course. Advanced orders are required. Further information is available upon request. About Paul “Ringo” Kean Paul Kean has been developing Tiger Hill Farm as a demonstration site based around Permaculture Design Principles after purchasing the property 4 years ago. With 25 years of experience in the civil earthworks and mining sectors in Australia and overseas, Paul has extensive knowledge of earthworks and heavy equipment training. He also serves as a professional heavy equipment trainer assessor. From 2005 to 2010, Paul was involved in numerous projects globally including Greenhand Field School, Tsunami Zone Aceh (Indonesia); Forestry Science Institute, Vietnam; Fuji Eco Village, Japan; Point Return, India; Sadhana Forest, India; Ananda Pune, India; Permaculture Institute Afghanistan, Afghanistan; and Tanjung Sutera Resort, Malaysia. His activities were primarily focused on designing, supervising and implementing water harvesting strategies. Paul has previously undertaken a wide variety of Permaculture training including; partial Cert4 in Permaculture Design, 2 X PDC’s, Permaculture Teacher Training, Permaculture Aid Worker Training, & GIS Training. Paul holds Australian National Certified Licences for Excavator, Bull Dozer, Front End Loader, Grader, Skid Steer/Posi-Track Loader, Compacting Roller, Scraper, Bulk Dump Truck (O.H.T), and Heavy Combination Highway Truck (Semi) operation. Over the past four (4) years, Paul has been quietly observing, designing and developing his vision for Tiger Hill Permaculture predominantly on his own - with the occasional help of WWOOFers as well as with local and international volunteers. The long term goal of the project is to align with the Permaculture Research Institute’s Master Plan program intending to create an educational community to train skills in Permaculture, sustainability and self-sufficiency. tigerhillpermaculture.net ringospermaculture.blogspot Facebook: Tiger Hill Permaculture About David Spicer David Spicer’s approach to design and education is based upon a proven emphasis on practicality, having over 15 years’ experience in Permaculture education working and teaching with Bill Mollison at the Permaculture Institute (Tasmania) and Geoff Lawton, the managing director of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia and Zaytuna Farm. He is renowned for his ability to explain concepts and ideas simply, getting to the basics. David previously worked as farm manager of the renowned Tagari Farm and Zaytuna Farm in northern New South Wales. He has taught and worked extensively within Australia and internationally on various projects, covering five (5) Australian states, Morocco, Jordan and Palestine covering a broad array of different climate zones. David is a valued member of the permacultureconsultants team headed up by Geoff Lawton. He has the distinction of being Registered Teacher #5 with the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia. David currently serves as Lead Consultant and Educator for permacultureworks.org PermacultureWorks Facebook Permacultureglobal About Rick Birch Rick Birch, a native Taswegian, has been involved with earthworks and forestry for 15 years. More recently, Rick has bas been coordinating training programs on behalf of Skilling Tasmania with a focus of providing training for youth to enter the workforce. “I have been a trainer/assessor in the field of Forestry/Civil Construction for the past fifteen years. Some of the competencies that I deliver in training/assessing are Chainsaw Operations, Tree Falling, Excavator and Wheel Loader in both Forestry and Civil applications, also in addition to various Fire Management areas. This only covers a portion of the areas that I can assist in.” Rick is a Forester/Fire management Officer and has worked extensively throughout Tasmania in these areas. He holds Certificate IV Forest Operations, Certificate IV OH&S, Certificate IV Training and Assessing and a Certificate IV Public Safety Fire Fighting Supervision. Rick has been a Volunteer with the Tasmania Fire Service for over twenty five (25) years. Course outline for Introduction to Permaculture Earthworks session and areas of experience gained during Earthworks Practicum. Earthworks are much like the skeletal frame of our bodies they support the system allowing us to fill the body or land with a living muscle and skin Hardware and software, when designing it is always essential to keep in mind what will run water off called hardware e.g. roads, roofs will give almost a 100% run off and what will absorb water software forest, healthy soils, and gardens. We are always looking at hardware as water harvesters to divert to our software, water storages. Thinking Earthworks When thinking about earthworks design the aim is to keep water as high and as long in distance and time in the landscape as possible. Water and the water’s edge is 30 times productive than land, having the classic edge effect. Earth works are major elements in design; we are all ways starting with water in any design. Planning of Earthworks It’s best to plan all aspects of the earth-moving process before the machines or labourers arrive. 1. Peg out site using a level (laser level, dumpy level, a-frame, bunyip level) Making the final decision of placement of dams, roads, swales ect. 2. Test soil by auger holes, soil samples and soil pits to check if suitable for your needs (ie. Dam needs at least 30- 40% clay). Seek professional advice or do more research before deciding conclusively.eg test holes 3. Quantify volumes of earth to be moved, to hours of machine hire to give you real figure of cost involved. 4. Plan a space to store all the TOPSOIL. Never allow it to be mixed. Remove carefully to be returned later as growing medium. 5. Have on hand as many seeds and plant material as is needed to immediately cover disturbed soil. Earth moving machines types and uses There all sorts of earth moving machines finding out what’s best for your job can save you $1000’s Surveying Learning how to survey is a simple process once you have been shown using water levels/bunyip levels to the high tech laser levels Dams Barrage/valley dam, consist of constructing a compacted earth wall across the valley. Keypoint dam is the same as a barrage dam but much higher in the landscape constructed so the high water mark is at the keypoint of the valley, it is the most economical dam to build also using the natural ley of the land to harvest water. Contour dam is as the name suggests it is constructed on contour of usually gentile country with interlinking swales or diversion drains to fill the dam. Ridge point dams are constructed at the end of a ridge usually it’s the highest dam on a farm. Saddle dam is similar to a ridge point but much cheaper to construct as there is less earthmoving required it consists of constructing 2 walls either side of the saddle on the ridge. Turkey’s nest or ring dam is mainly constructed on flat country as an open earth tank for either flood irrigation or water storage for stock. Compacting Is Carried out by tracks on machines generally but some cases you will bring a sheep’s foot/pad foot rollers Compact only 15-30cm of soil at a time. Even largest machines cannot do much more than this. Level sill spillways Are a insurance policy to gently allow the over flow of any dam or swale to passively exit the site. Free board Is where we construct the wall of the dam or swale so there is an insurance that water will not go over the wall or swale mound in the event of a major rain event. In dams we want a minimum of 700mm of free board, swale free board is determined by slope or amount material excavated and how much water we hold in the swale floor and the height of our level sill spillway insuring we have enough free board in major rain events. Keyways When constructing a dam/pond, excavate below original ground level for the keyway much like a woodruff key on a drive shaft it locks the wall in place also excavating below ground level you stop water from leaking under the wall. The key way is constructed with the best quality material you have from the site. Keypoints Keypoints are where the land form goes from convex to concave, the point of transition, the highest economical place in the landscape for dam placement, not all land forms have them. Its only in the humid climates they are formed. Locking pipes Are a system of baffles connected to a pipe to draw water from the bottom of a dam/pond, the baffles play a very important role in that they stop water from moving along the outside of the pipe [ which if happens will lead to failure of the dam wall ]. Diversion drains A maximum fall of 1m in 400m or less, for every meter it falls 2.5mm which is hardly perceptible but enough to make water move to a point usually storage point e.g. Dam/pond but not fast enough to erode or carry sediments. Swales A water harvesting ditch on contour, swales are a tree growing mound and have multiply benefits. Aid the reforestation of landscape through the rehydration of soil across a section of land and providing seed for dispersal by wind or gravity. Flood proof and drought proof land Swales can be link to dams/pond to help charge the dam once full, plus act as an emergencies back flood system for the security of the dam if swale is link to the dam spillway. Swales don’t work if there are no trees they become a contour drain. It is essential that swales are planted out with a mix of tree species which aid in the water peculating into the subsoils through the roots of trees. Swales help clean water before leaving the site allowing sediments, manures, detritus to drop by gravity to swale floor fertilizing trees and anything else below. Roads as water harvesters Roads can cause erosion and concentrate over land flow of rain events to culverts/pipes where the water is speed up when forced through the pipe coursing more erosion. But they can be a great source of hard ware to harvest water from, in farm roads where possible we can design roads with a 1m in 400m fall to harvest water to charge dams, we can get multiply functions from a road ease of access water harvesters, fire breaks ect. Dam sealing Sealing of problematic dams that are leaking, with gleying, manurial pugs or bentonite. Dam wall and spillway repair and retrofits Often exciting dam walls don’t have enough freeboard and the spillways are badly place, it’s really a simple matter of raising the wall height and fitting back flood swale and a level sill spillway Minor land forming for benches, house/shed sites, terraces etc. Weather your retrofitting or building new infrastructure installing gardens there is allways minor earthworks to be done Our aim with this Intro course is to skill you up and give you the confidence to go out and install well designed elements in your property or clients More Details about Course and Practical Experience on offer Steps for Dam (Reservoir) Implementation: 1. Theory, Keyline/Keypoint and catchment identification 2. Site history /future 3. Bill of Quantities/Materials 4. Survey 5. Strip topsoil 6. Excavate keyway 7. Fill keyway and compact 8. Install lock pipe and siphon and compact 9. Fill wall and compact 10. Install overflow 11. Cover with topsoil 12. Rock placement Retrofit of Existing Dam (Reservoir) Spillway Steps for Forestry Implementation: 1. Keyline in Forestry 2. Survey tree rows on contour 3. Hook up mound plough/Yeomans Plough/Flail Mulcher 4. Plough mounds with tractor 5. Spot cultivate steep country with excavator Course Fee Structure: Introduction to Earthworks Course - 20th and 21st February. Price: $300 +GST Specialize Earthworks Course and Work Experience, including Excavator Operator Training Program - 20th February to 3rd March. Price: $2500.00 + GST Early bookings 2 months prior to course start $2350.00 + GST Specialized Earthworks Course and Work Experience - 20th February to 3rd March Price: $1200.00 +GST permaculturenews.org/coursedetail.php?page_id=195&scheduleid=620&classname=Intro%20to%20Earthworks,%20Specialized%20Earthworks%20Course,%20Accredited%20Excavator%20Operator%20Training%20with%20Paul%20Kean%20and%20David%20Spicer%20at%20Tiger%20Hill%20Farm,%20Buckland,%20Tasmania
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 03:58:20 +0000
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