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United Indian Health Village - Ecosystem and Community Restoration in Arcata, California, USA
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| Overview | The United Indian Health Village is an integrated landscape and health clinic, designed to restore native plants, wetlands, and garden food production to the landscape and to nurture the health of the region's Native American population. |
| Scale | garden, village, community, population, region |
| Location | Arcata, California, USA (40.54°N,124.05°W) |
| Elevation | 0 to 150 meters |
| Climate | Marine West Coast (Cb: Trewartha), Mediterranean, Cool dry summer, wet winter (18.3°C average temperature, 1,016 mm average annual rainfall) |
| Agricultural Region | Dairy Farming (L) |
| Population Density | 1 - 2 persons / square kilometer |
| Principle Crops | Abbreviated list... Wild foods: assorted berries (Thimbleberry, salmonberry, currant, elderberry, strawberry), Rose (Rosa californica), Bullrush (Scirpus spp.), Brodiaea (Brodiaea californica & elgans) Minors lettuce (Claytonia sibirica); Medicinals: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Oregon grape (Berberis nervosa), Vine tea (Satureja douglasii); Herbs, Cover Crops, Basketry plants: Hazel (Corylus cornuta), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), Willow (Salix sp.), Bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax), native ferns (several sp.); Garden & Orchard Crops: Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), Corn (Zea mays), Cucumber (Cucumis sativa), Squash (Cucurbita sp.), Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), Garlic (Allium sativum), Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum), Beets (Beta vulgaris), Peas (Pisum sativum), Strawberry (Fragaria anasa), Apple (Malus pumila), Pear (Pyrus communis), Plum (Prunus domestica). |
| Domestic Animals | None (years 1-3 of the project) |
| Soils | Ultisols (U). Specific: Ferndale silt loam (medium textured, very dark grayish brown of alluvial origin) |
| Natural Vegetation | Needleleaf evergreen trees (E ) (Redwood, Sitka Spruce), Deciduous (Alder, Willow) |
| Ecoregion | Mediterranean province (H11); coastal influenced temperate rainforest |
| Basic Principles addressed | Conserve Resources, Adjust to Local Environments, Diversify, Empower People, Manage Whole Systems, Maximize Long-Term Benefits, Value Health |
| Page Author and Date | Susan Ornelas, as the Permaculture Designer for Humboldt Water Resources, 1999. |
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The United Indian Health Village is a 16 hectare (40 acre) site located in northern California that integrates a modern health clinic with a native landscape and organic gardens. The health village will serve over 13,000 Native American clients, predominately tribes from the north coast of California including Wiyot, Yurok, Wylacki, and Tolowa, and the greater Arcata community, to demonstrate and encourage 1) a healthy integration of the community with their landscape, 2) native landscape design inspiration, 3) cultural pride, 4) a source of native plants for basketry, food and medicinal harvest, 5) an organic garden and orchard, 6) wetland enhancement and 7) community involvement in landscape restoration. Wildlife anticipated on the site includes deer, elk, gophers, quail, bats, songbirds, neotropical migratory birds, sparrows, ducks, egret, hawk, and great blue heron. No domestic animals are included in phase one development (year 1-3), but the mature system may include domestic chickens, ducks, sheep if desired for production or ecosystem management purposes. The project includes educational programs in traditional native plant use, landscape restoration practices, organic gardening and healthy dietary practices. |
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The health village is still at an early stage of development, so there are many lessons yet to be learned. Lessons that have been learned include: 1) the community impacted by the project should be included in the design phase (in this case Native Americans and concerned neighbors), 2) the existing plant community should be surveyed before altering it - as both a reference point and to assess subtle ecosystem variances, 3) restoration should be planned in phases, taking on more complexity as the system develops and the managers understand the system, 4) community members should be invited to volunteer in landscape installation, to assist them in taking ownership of the system, 5) communication through pictures and casual conversation is at least as important within the Native American community as scientific data. |
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Conserve Resources Rainwater from buildings and landscapes is conserved using constructed wetland technology. The landscape plan incorporates mostly local native plants, conserving local genetic resources that are disappearing. Adjust to Local Environments The project design uses native plants important to local culture to guarantee that plants are adapted to local conditions. Diversify Over 120 different plant species are represented within a diversified landscape design. Empower People The project was developed with native elders as consultants and offers the native community a chance to teach and educate about their indigenous knowledge of plants and to demonstrate their ecological understanding. Using a highly visible inspirational landscape, Native Americans and others will increase their knowledge of organic farming practices while increasing the awareness of others about the local Native American tribes in the region. Manage Whole Systems The health village integrates human communities, culture, and a complex landscape including native plants, orchard and garden production and the "natural" world (insects, animals and birds). All of these systems are essential to success of the health village and will be managed to develop emergent properties from the complexity of the site. Value Health This project emphasizes community health by integrating a modern health clinic with native medicine, cultural celebration, healthy food education and ecological restoration. |
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