OAEC supports diverse communities to design their own regenerative systems at the regional and local scale.
Our cookbook is a collection of inventive recipes inspired by seasonal eating from our biodiverse Mother Garden, orchards and Wildlands Preserve.
Experience the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center through beautiful slideshows of our Guest Houses, Meeting Hall, Kitchen, Garden, Wildlands and more.
OAEC serves as a retreat center for networks, public agencies, foundations and other groups working towards social and environmental change.
Our 100% Certified Organic plant nursery specializes in open-pollinated perennials including edible landscaping plants, rare and endangered food crops, drought tolerant ornamentals and habitat plants - all tested in our onsite gardens and appropriate for our bioregion.
OAEC offers the longest consistently running two-week Permaculture Design Certification course in the West. Immerse yourself in information, ideas and inspiration on how to design sustainable, regenerative systems in balance with your home ecosystem.
James Pelican (He/Him) is the Facilities Manager as well as the producer of the Chautauqua Revue and other theater related events. He has been overseeing the facilities department since 2001. Since 2009, he has managed the upgrading of OAEC’s facilities, including construction of the new Guest Housing buildings, the Meeting Hall, and the Upper Nursery. Major remodels have included the main office, the kitchen and dining rooms, the dormitory yurts, the barn, and the old meeting room/studio building. He and fellow staff member Jim Coleman built the North Garden Theater. He delights in bringing a sense of whimsy and beauty into the facilities work. When not taking care of the built environment of OAEC, James lives a double life as a clown and actor. Besides his theatrical adventures beyond the borders of OAEC, he originated and continues to produce the Chautauqua Revue, the annual fall show that has thrilled audiences since 2003.
On Staff Since: 2001 Email > Phone: x108
James oversees the maintenance and development of all of OAEC’s buildings and infrastructure. He also manages the theater.
He worked on farms for much of his twenties, then fell in with a construction contractor, Kirk Hopkin, in 1999. After a couple of years learning which part is the business end of a hammer, the Facilities Manager position came up at OAEC. He’s been at it ever since. He thinks he’s starting to get a handle on it. Theatrically, He didn’t get back into theater until after he had arrived at OAEC. He studied clown at the Dell ‘Arte School of Physical Theater and that set him on his path. Besides his staging of the annual Chautauqua Revue, he acts and directs with local theater companies. He is also part of a clown ensemble, Clowns On A Stick, that has worked together since 2003. Besides performing short bits as part of variety shows, they have performed several full length shows including To Bury A Cat, Tasty Bites, and A Rhapsody of Fools.
Theater, tap dancing, gardening, and, of course, my wife Jules and our cat, Daisy Mae Peacock.
I love my work. The OAEC is getting some good work done in the world, my projects are interesting, and I get to teach folks some skills.
The theater world constantly inspires me. Acting is the greatest thrill ride I’ve ever known. The creativity and bravery of my fellow actors and directors continually inspires me.
A few years back, high upon on a Sierran peak, I sat in a rock portal, as the wind howled through. The land for a hundred miles composed itself before me.
“Lovergirl” by Teena Marie