About me

I grew up on a small farm in a small town on the amazing Oregon Coast. My parents taught me how to fish, garden, take care of animals, kayak, gather mussels clams and oysters and what berries and plants in the coastal rainforest are edible.

I went to college in Bend and then Western Oregon University to pursue Art and Painting. During my college years I read his first Tom Brown Jr. book which was a great inspiration and led me to pursue a lifestyle and set of skills that would be more akin to a core purpose of being caretakers of this amazing planet.

After college I started gardening again on the Oregon Coast and got introduced to Permaculture by friends at the Portland non-profit City Repair. I then Moved to Portland to pursue a new passion, Urban Permaculture, with the hope to remediate and make the city yards and open spaces more productive in terms of growing food.

There I found my community with TrackersNW and rekindled past skills and passions to become a Boat Builder and Permaculture Instructor. I have traveled to Australia and studied under Geoff Lawton at the Permaculture Institute of Australia to learn how to teach Permaculture Courses. I also splits my time at the farm that I grew up on on the coast where I am getting the land and infrastructure back in shape for a sustainable model of a productive permaculture farm and running TrackersNW programs out there.

News:

1/24/2010 New photos sets on the photography page

~2 upcoming kayak workshops

  One begins April 10, 2010 5 weekends 9am-6pm

and the other is

  May 14-May 24, 2010 11 days 9am-6pm

  go here for more info and to sign up

  Ray makes a traditional Aluet Paddle

November Biadarka Kayak Workshop Highlights