So...... What Exacly Is A Weir

In last week's post, I implied that our budding Pastured Poultry program operated as a net or trap to capture and retain fertility in the soil of our small farm. It's a pretty straightforward concept, one of the foundation principles of Permaculture: The waste from one activity provides the fuel for another activity. Especially since the majority of our chicken feed is grown in the County, and our birds will feed friends and neighbors in the County, this kind of resource cycle is beautiful in its simplicity.

But what of resources or customers that are outside of that inner cycle? Taran brought several gifts to Llonio's family including that initial flock of sheep and the wind-powered flour mill. Absolutely, Taran was nourished and gifted in return with the experience of a different perspective. He was never meant to stay at the little farm even though what he gave to Llonio's family and received from them would have long-lasting benefit. In our culture of private ownership and individual achievement, how do we make room for assets that aren't meant to be tied down?

Enter the weir. I grew up on the Columbia River so I know in my bones what a dam is. A dam completely, irrevocably alters the environment. A dam changes the nature of the river's flow to meet specific and limited tasks, many times prohibiting all other functions that flow used to serve. A dam must be intensely managed or it ceases to even serve the limited uses for which it was constructed. Mismanagement can have truly catastrophic consequences. Fish ladders, for example, must be integrated into the design and daily operation of a dam or salmon simply become extinct within the Riparian system above the dam. Once a constructed blockage in a functioning system is introduced, the continued benefits of that system are limited to those that can be identified and managed by other constructed means.

This is not a weir. While there are indeed many types of weirs, and technically, dams often incorporate weirs in their design, a weir is all about the laminar flow of water. A weir is designed to increase the time water spends in one place, to slow the flow without creating turbulence above or below the structure. A weir increases the contact time resources have with a specific section of the riparian ecosystem without changing the function of that system. Weirs let the nutrients and energy flow according to greater patterns of the natural system where the river finds its home and simply creates relatively calm spots where treasures (and trash) have a chance to drop out, or be plucked out, of the flow. Conversely, as illustrated by Taran's resumption of his quest, resources can find an easy re-entry into the greater flow from these points.

A weir is the place where the farm meets the greater flow of nature and culture. It's where our Permaculture farm inner cycle makes new Taran-like friends. While the systems of our farm is where we most love to spend our time, this year we will be putting much energy into the Weirs. I'm thrilled to announce one such: I've been hired as the Market Manager for the Wallowa County Farmers Market. While the Markets in Joseph and Enterprise have been operating for several years, this is only the second in which they've had a hired Manager. At my interview, I was not shy about my vision for the gathering of Wallowa County farmers, craftsmen, and neighbors. And oh baby, do I have ideas!!! Stay tuned.......