permaculture

[Rain Tenaqiya <raincascadia@yahoo.com>]

Moving out into a rural place and trying to grow your own food helps to 
ground theories and desires created in an urban environment.  I've been 
wrestling with killing animals in order to maintain the plants in my garden, 
as well as the rest of my home (mice and voles eat through everything).  Some 
of these animals can be fenced out, some just have to be trapped, or eaten by 
other animals we introduce into our evolving permaculture.  In some cases, 
these animals are worth eating, and as long as the yield is sustainable, this 
is usually a good idea for those willing to kill animals.  At this point, I 
am not willing to kill anything larger than a gopher, though I am starting to 
invite friends to kill the wild pigs and deer around here.  There are so many 
deer around my place that there are virtually no shrubs or trees regenerating 
in this oak woodland/savannah.  And the wild pigs are ripping apart the 
native grassland.
   
  As far as sharing with wild beasts goes, there has to be a balance.  Think 
of the black bears in Yellowstone.  The Womon Who Married a Bear myth is a 
recurring theme around the world, according to Gary Snyder.  He also tells a 
tale about coyote breaking apart upon hitting the ground after trying to be a 
falling leaf.  The recent film about the grizzly researcher (don't know the 
name) is another poignant reminder about maintaining appropriate boundaries: 
go too far and you will get eaten.

                
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.