Water Integrated Landscape Design, WILD
August 21 @ 8:00 am – August 23 @ 5:00 pm
Water integrated landscape design workshop
- Fri, Aug 21, 2026 Sun, Aug 23, 2026
- Empyrean Farm (map)
More info and register here
Join us for a unique permaculture water-integrated landscape design and earthworks experience. This workshop gives you firsthand insight into design considerations and principles to empower you to embark on the journey of regenerating water in the ecosystem through hands on experience.
This workshop is taught by two incredible instructors with over 30 years of experience (see biographies below) and is held at a beautiful farm setting in east Whatcom County, WA.
We’ll walk through every stage of the design process: observation, working with the client, developing the final design, and real, live implementation on the property over the course of the weekend. You’ll leave with a working understanding of how water-centered eco system regeneration design actually gets built and implemented.
With the rise of increasing damaging floods and droughts it imperative to understand how to participate intentionally in enhancing our living eco systems that will ultimately protect ourselves and future generations.
Please read more here for a deeper understanding of water and climate.
In this workshop, you’ll learn to:
- Read your land’s contours and water flow patterns
- Design and site swales for effective water capture and infiltration
- Plan ponds that support retention, wildlife habitat, and beauty
- Integrate these systems into food-growing and restoration landscapes
- Apply low-tech, high-impact strategies suited to Whatcom County’s soils and climate
- Incorporating the use of large equipment to form regenerative earthworks in the landscape
Whether you’re a homeowner, farmer, or land steward, this workshop will give you the tools to work with water instead of against it — turning a growing regional challenge into an opportunity for a healthier, more resilient landscape.
Who is this workshop for?
- Property Owners
- Farmers
- Landscape designers
- Earthworks companies wanting to expand their horizons
- Anyone interested in regenerating living eco systems
Course Agenda
Introductions and an overview of the design considerations and the scope of the project. We’ll walk the site to assess information on, water, soils, access, structural positions, slope, orientation, zoning and sectors
Learn how to work with earthworks machine operators to achieve desired permaculture design goals. Exercises in designing watersheds and a variety of strategies for water retention
Fine tune aspects of the project and install cover crop and some of the food forest guilds
Participants are allowed to camp out on the farm the last night if they choose and leave the following morning
Bonus Option! Continue your hands on experience to install ponds and swale system on another property in Whatcom County the following weekend. Please reach out to Brian Kerkvliet directly for more details