Organic Orcharding, Edible Landscaping, & Permaculture Design

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About Long Branch Environmental Education Center

Location:

278 Boyd Cove. Rd. POB 369, Leicester, NC 28748, US

Mission Statement

To deliver educational services to the public on matters of sustainability, conservation, ecology, design, demonstration, advocacy, research, and restoration.

Description

The Long Branch Environmental Education Center, Inc. is a small educational institute in Buncombe County's Newfound Mountains, about 18 miles northwest of Asheville, North Carolina. Set aside in 1974 as an ecological sanctuary and land trust, it has developed into an educational center for sharing positive strategies of local self-reliance in the areas of environmental design, organic food production, renewable energy, shelter design and construction, appropriate technology, resource conservation, recycling, wildlife protection, and improved environmental quality. The Land itself is 1635 acres of rugged wilderness and farmland ranging in elevation from 3,000 to 5,152 feet. Over sixteen hundred acres are mostly eastern hardwood forest, bisected with several mountain springs and streams where rare, threatened, and endangered native plant species are conserved. Twenty-five acres are managed in a Permaculture design of small scale organic gardens, crops, orchards, vineyards, and rainbow trout aquaculture in an integrated edible landscape. STRUCTURES ON THE LAND include three passive solar staff residences with three attached solar greenhouses, three composting toilets, one passive solar conference center, a traditional 1917 farm house with a state-of-the-art energy conservation retrofit, an old tobacco barn converted into a rustic dormitory, and miscellaneous out buildings, including a secluded retreat shelter. OBJECTIVES of the Center are: 1) Conservation -- promoting the stewardship of natural resources within the Southern Appalachian bioregion including its land, wilderness, topsoil, plant and animal species, air and water quality, and allgenetic resources; 2) Research -- experimenting with strategies of environmental design and Permaculture, organic farming and orcharding, aquaculture, passive solar shelter design, attached solar greenhouse construction and horticultural use, domestic solar water heating, micro-hydropower systems, recycling, composting, and waste utilization, and compost toilet systems; 3) Education -- sharing these strategies with the public through demonstration programs, conferences, seminars and workshops in order to promote self-reliance, appropriate technology, and environmental integrity. PROGRAMS revolve around sharing Long Branch -- the place, the people and their skills -- with youngsters and adults from the general public. Long Branch is open to the public daily; general visitors come to hike the trails, birdwatch, visit the demonstration passive solar residences and greenhouses, and to observe (and often participate in whatever is going on at the moment, whether it is gardening, building, or a migratory bird census. Each spring through fall a series of weekend workshops and longer programs are held, on topics ranging from organic gardening, fruit and nut-tree grafting, wilderness survival skills, environmental design and edible landscaping, citizen environmental action, Appalachian geology, aquaculture, beekeeping, small animal husbandry, recycling and waste utilization, solar food drying and preservation, masonry wood stove construction, solar greenhouse and low-cost solar hot water system design and use, to micro-hydropower. Throughout the year, day-long visits by school and college classes are welcomed. An internship program is also offered year-round. Long Branch staff are involved with speaking in the greater Southern Appalachian area on topics ranging from environmental action to resource conservation to alternative energy, and cooperating with othergroups and organizations to futher public awareness and understanding of the need for resource conservation, renewable energy and environmental integrity. MEANS OF SUPPORT for all programs include private donations, seminar andworkshop fees, small grants, and consulting services. Long Branch is aprivate, non-profit educational organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, tax-deductible status.