Quail Springs Permaculture

Quail Springs accomplishes its mission through youth and adult programming, maintaining an example of high-desert regenerative human settlement, and partnerships with for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

Located in Southern California, we draw students from our region as well as from around the world to learn from our educational site—from South India, where international development workers are organizing farms for children and adults orphaned with disabilities, to Oakland, where urban gardeners employ formerly incarcerated youth to use regenerative design in cityscapes. The places, the people, and the stories are diverse and inspiring.

Our ongoing publicly offered programs consist of two Permaculture Design Certifications (one specifically focused on international development), natural building, ancestral skills, youth leadership (ecological and social justice oriented), and youth empowerment events in the local Cuyama Valley. Additionally, Quail Springs hosts a variety of private groups and schools – from elementary and high schools, to colleges and universities – to other nature connection, tracking, and youth-oriented organizations holding their own programming. In 2016, over 800 students and visitors passed through Quail Springs through our multiple program offerings. Quail Springs provides generous scholarships to ensure the inclusion, participation, and leadership of underrepresented voices. Our constituencies receive many unique and practical benefits, including: classroom and hands-on experience working with developing food systems, regenerative living design, and community and land stewardship skills.

We do this work because we are passionate about restoring our planet and we believe that these times offer us a call to action to live regeneratively – not just sustainably. As climate change and environmental conservation move to the forefront of the world’s consciousness, growing numbers of people are looking for ways that they can make a positive impact. Quail Springs is an important hub for people to share and discover ways of deepening their understanding of regenerative living. Our various offerings train individuals to be leaders in developing agro-ecosystems and communities that are culturally vibrant, socially just, ecologically equitable, and natural capital rich. Many of our course participants have realized that sustainability starts at home with the necessity of deepening their connection with their families, communities, and the land. We recognize and acknowledge the different paths each person takes toward living regeneratively. Quail Springs attracts people who choose to more deeply examine their role in the health of their communities and the planet. We receive overwhelming confirmation from participants that Quail Springs offers a transformative immersive experience.