Roger Pye wrote:

>
> Ah, but they won't follow it, not unless you involve them in the mapping
> and testing and designing. Maybe what you need is a Landcare group
> concept. Let me think about this.

Roger, I just have to spend more time trying to entice people to be on a Landcare 
group to manage our
right-of-way.   It's really hard to get people out to do this and I dread going 
door-to-door or calling
people.  They don't respond to signs at the Pack River Store and people who do 
volunteer can't ever work
at the time you call.  Do you have a good model for this?  I have read Allan Savory's 
book on Holistic
Management and used his model for the planning meeting that we had at the beginning of 
the season.  But
the people who came to the meeting weren't necessarily people who would be able to to 
handwork on the
road...most were the old and infirm, had cancer or were very busy with their own home 
business.  Living
here is no shoo-in and people are busy.

>
>
> >My desire to make Rapid Lightning a sacred road.
> >
> 'Sacred' means different things to different people - to some
> 'untouchable'. But maybe it already is sacred - or was originally. Do
> you know its history? Could that be used as a motivating tool?

Rapid Lightning was first settled a generation ago by hardy people who were on their 
own for everything.
Then it got a reputation as a hippy hideaway.  Now we are dispelling that reputation 
with our work on the
right-of-way and the county really did a good job asphalting and building up the road 
bed on the gravel
part.  We are mostly working families, not farmers.

>
>
> Re the dowsing, I'd like to try something. You can't send soil or plant
> stuff to OZ so say you take a handful of soil from the draw from a good
> bit (growing plants), liquidise it in some rainwater, saturate a piece
> of absorbent kitchen paper with it and put the paper somewhere it will
> dry naturally. Then do it again with a handful of soil from a bad bit
> (growing nothing). When the papers are dry, put a piece of each in an
> envelope and snailmail it to me at 4 Kauper St, SCULLIN ACT 2614
> Australia.  I'll dowse them here, you can dowse them there and we'll
> compare results.
>
> roger

Thanks Roger.  I hope I can get out on the road soon.  It's five miles to the test 
plots and we only have
one vehicle now.  It's hunting season too, but I'll get there.  It's warmed up again 
and rained today.

do a good bit (growing plants)  Do you want me to go off the right-of-way into a part 
that has not been
disturbed--a pristine woods part-- and get that sample or do you want it from a 
noxious weed stand on the
right-of-way?

Best,

Merla

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