Take a virtual or in-person garden tour!
After a long Covid hiatus, on-site tours of the gardens led by real live humans will resume this April! Join us 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month at 1pm, starting at the … Read more
General
OAEC Organizes ‘Rewilding California’ Convening
In September, OAEC, along with the Center for Biological Diversity and The Rewilding Institute, convened a virtual Rewilding California meeting that, for the first time ever, brought together many of … Read more
Beyond Defensible Space webinar presentation by Brock Dolman
Wildfire preparedness at the county and state level often focus on defensible space and home hardening… and for good reason! Both are critical strategies when it comes to saving lives, … Read more
Fall Nursery Sale: Nov 7-8 & 14-15
Fall Nursery Sale November 7-8 & 14-15 Everything 20% Off! Wow, what a season! From Covid to wildfires, the Mother Garden Nursery has hit more than a few bumps along … Read more
Story of Plastic Wins an Emmy!
OAEC’s fiscally sponsored project Peak Plastic creates integrated storytelling campaigns to fight plastic production and pollution and to empower global collaborative action. Last month, Peak Plastic founders Stiv Wilson and Megan Ponder and their team won an … Read more
Read the 2021 Update
In these times, OAEC continues to embody David Orr’s assertion that “hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up,” advancing practical solutions at the personal and community scale that … Read more
Peak Plastic Foundation joins OAEC!
OAEC has brought on the Peak Plastic Foundation (PPF) as a new fiscally-sponsored project, continuing OAEC’s involvement in the movement to end the plastic crisis. We are excited to support … Read more
Celebrating Women’s Leadership in Food
OAEC is excited to announce a new partnership with Celebrating Women’s Leadership in Food led by local farmer, author and activist Caitlin Hatchmyer. We are thrilled to support this project as … Read more
Forest Thinning and Gully Repair
‘Slash Ain’t Trash, It’s Beneficial Biomass!’ – Brock Dolman For the past few months, OAEC’s Wildlands team has been working hard applying for permits to restore a number of eroding … Read more
Wildlands Program Builds Local Wildfire Resiliency
October 2021 Though the air has been clean at OAEC the past few weeks, we haven’t forgotten that California is still on the heels of a devastating wildfire season (amidst … Read more
Covid Update
OAEC’s Response to Covid-19 updated August 2020 We at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center are working to make a safe, proactive, and appropriately-scaled response and are committed to following state … Read more
Updated Coho Recovery Display in Downtown Occidental
Now that the Occidental Farmers Market is up and running for the season, we invite you to come check out the newly updated watershed literacy display case near the picnic … Read more
Juneteenth Call to Action
OAEC aligns with the following demands and principles that come directly from the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) around the upcoming Juneteenth weekend. We urge you to read and get … Read more
The Story of Plastic – Virtual Film Screening
Pre-Covid-19, we had planned to hold a screening of this new film at OAEC, but we hope you’ll join us instead for a free on-line screening and Q&A discussion. Watch The Story … Read more
Fire destroys OAEC’s historic barn
Dears, We are so sad to report that our beloved and historic barn at OAEC burned to the ground last night. Everyone, including the animals, is safe albeit devastated. The … Read more
Nursery Updates
YES, we are selling plants – take out style! The Mother Garden Nursery is open for pick up of online pre-orders. Now more than ever, spending time in the … Read more
OAEC’s Response to COVID-19
OAEC’s Response to COVID-19 updated March 16, 2020 We at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center are working to make a safe, proactive, and appropriately-scaled response to the spread of … Read more
Sonoma County Seed Swap – Feb 23rd
Did you know that OAEC hosts three of the biggest seed exchanges in California every year? Learn more about our seed saving program here.
First Compost Toilet Research Samples Sent to the Lab!
January 14, 2020 This week we celebrated a huge milestone in the progression of OAEC’s Compost Toilet Research Project. It has been three and a half years since we … Read more
2019 Update
Dear Friends and Supporters, We are proud of the work we have done this year, advancing bold and successful initiatives and providing a place of refuge and reflection to … Read more
Women’s Earth Alliance Accelerator Program
OAEC is proud to partner with the Women’s Earth Alliance US Grassroots Accelerator for Women Environmental Leaders in helping to develop the first ever accelerator program here in the USA. … Read more
End of Season Plant Sale – Nov 9-10 & 16-17
Our non-profit nursery is far more than a business – it is a mission-driven project promoting biodiversity as nature’s failsafe strategy for resilience both in our gardens and in the greater world. As … Read more
Listening to the Land with The Cultural Conservancy
The Cultural Conservancy’s Vision for a Biocultural Renewal Project in Graton There is a one-of-a-kind indigenous land project happening right here in Southern Pomo Coast Miwok territory and it happens … Read more
#breakfreefromplastic – from straws to pipelines
Shifting the Narrative from Straws to Pipelines All images courtesy of #breakfreefromplastic. Since its launch in September 2016, nearly 1,500 organizations from across the world have joined the Break … Read more
ARTIFISHAL movie – Sept 30, 6pm – SOLD OUT!
Artifishal is a film about wild rivers and wild fish that explores the high cost—ecological, financial and cultural—of our mistaken belief that engineered solutions can make up for habitat destruction. … Read more
WATER Institute on reappearance of beaver around California
Since 2014, a colony of beaver have been observed near the suburban South Bay town of Campbell, and with them, an uptick in blue heron, western tanager, ducks and other varieties … Read more
Soundscapes to Landscapes
Enhancing and securing habitats for biodiversity is one of the core goals of the OAEC Wildlands Program, using traditional knowledge and modern science to tend the 70 acres. The diverse plant … Read more
Farallones Institute Rural Center Reunion
Farallones barn raising 1978. Photo courtesy of Alison Dykestra As we look back on 25 years of OAEC’s history, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the people who … Read more
OAEC Board Members on Resilience – watch videos
Resilience is a concept that we at OAEC think about a lot, even now as this “viral”, often co-opted term has taken on so many different interpretations. Nature’s resiliency mechanisms inspire … Read more
Happy Mother’s Day from the Mother Garden!
Sometime in the late ’80s, the gardeners here affectionately started referring to the “Mother Garden” because of her abundant fertility and the fact that she was providing a wealth of … Read more
