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
General
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
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
Who’s at OAEC? Bay Area Land Justice Convening
A powerhouse group of some of the leading thinkers on land access came together at OAEC for the Bay Area Land Justice Convening in April co-organized by staff at Sogorea … Read more
KMUD Interview with Kate Lundquist on the Benefits of Beavers
Listen to this interview with WATER Institute Director Kate Lundquist on using beaver to restore endangered salmon in California. Beaver dams slow down the flow of water off landscapes, … Read more
Nursery Season Opens April 6th!
Happy Spring! We are so thankful for the generous rains that have invigorated our gardens and promise an explosive Spring of extravagant growth and abundance! Our nursery tables are packed … Read more
Congratulations Doug for 30 years at the Food Bank Garden!
For over 2 decades, OAEC has had a deep collaboration with Food For Thought (FFT), a food bank in Forestville that serves over 700 clients living with HIV/AIDS and other … Read more
Beaver Restoration Assessment in the North Fork Kern
Given the potential benefit of beaver to mountain meadow restoration and related focal species, OAEC WATER Institute conducted a beaver restoration feasibility assessment to aid in the Prioritizing Meadows for … Read more
Bring Back the Beaver Campaign: Spring 2019 Events
Want to learn about all the amazing benefits of beaver for California watersheds? Join WATER Institute Directors Kate Lundquist and/or Brock Dolman at these upcoming events: February 19-21 – State of the Beaver … Read more
Localizing CA Waters Conference Report Back
On November 7-9, 2018 a diverse group of water professionals and activists including water agency staff, government regulators, engineers and designers, plumbers and landscapers, indigenous water protectors, community action groups, … Read more
Compost Toilet Project: Pleasing Government & Grandma!
Compost Toilet Research Project Update: Pleasing Government & Grandma! Since we embarked on this journey to introduce Ecological Sanitation principals into the mainstream, our mantra has been to “satisfy both … Read more
2018 End of Year Update
When you close your eyes and imagine a more just and sustainable future, what does it look like to you? We bring this question to life every day, at OAEC … Read more
Living with Lions: Event FULL – Please carpool!
This event is FULL due to limited parking (Our overflow parking area is too soggy.) If you have already RSVP’ed, please consider carpooling! Downtown Occidental is a great place to … Read more
Tending the Oaks
What’s wrong with this picture? The beautiful view of the OAEC backcountry from our new Meeting Hall deck is a lovely place to enjoy the sunset, but seen through a … Read more
