Restoration Forestry Internship
Join Abel and other members of the Center for Rural Livelihoods community for an 8-week internship program. The program will weave together agroforestry, ecoforestry, and ecological restoration practices to tend the mosaic of waterways, oak woodlands, gardens, and forestlands that make up our 40-acre campus. Projects may include riparian restoration, forest gardening, silvopasture and ecological grazing, trail maintenance, ponds and aquaculture maintenance, biochar production, regenerative food production, and mobile milling.
A typical week includes a short presentation and discussion, guided work around campus, time for independent study, and a weekly field day to allied farms and projects to help and learn about their work and how it relates to a broad vision for restoration forestry in our region.
There is no cost for attending this internship. Room and board are provided.
Dates: April 26-June 20, 2026
Application Deadline: March 15, 2026
For more information or to apply, please visit: www.rurallivelihoods.org
Permaculture Food Gardening Webinar Series
Join me and other OSU Permaculture Instructors Marisha Auerbach, Devon Bonady, and Kelda Lorax for a 4 part mini-course on Permaculture Food Gardening!
You will learn how to design a garden that fits your climate, your space, and your goals. Each session builds on the last, helping you make real progress week by week.
By the end, you will have a plan and the confidence to put it into action right away.
Get practical guidance from experienced permaculture instructors, combined with live Q&A and structured mini-course content you can revisit anytime.
The first free webinar is Tuesday May 5 from 4:00-5:30pm PDT. From there, you can decide to enroll in the mini-course, which includes 3 more live webinars and access to gardening resources and a discussion forum moderated by the instructors with students from your climate and bioregion.
On-Farm Fire Resilience Panel at OSU Small Farms Conferece
Tao will be presenting on a panel called Wildfire Resilience on Small Farms at the OSU Small Farms Conference in Corvallis, OR on February 21, 2026.
Grow Your Own Willow Fence
We’ll be planting a living willow fence with Kara Huntermoon on our farm outside of Cottage Grove on Sunday, January 25 from 10-3:30. $50-$100 sliding scale, lunch will be provided.
Email Kara to register: karahuntermoon@gmail.com
Address will be provided upon registration.
World Toilet Day
November 19th is World Toilet Day! Tao will be joining Laura Allen of Greywater Action, Olė Ersson of Kailash Ecovillage, and Kory Russel of UO for this event to discuss all about different toilet systems for residential and commercial use, concerns with conventional sewage treatment, and emergency composting toilet systems.
We’ll be talking about this fascinating and important subject from 6:00-8:00pm at Whirled Pies in Eugene. Come join us for pizza and some good old fashioned toilet talk!
More information can be found on the event webpage.
Agroforestry Series: Agroforestry Farm Tour
This workshop will feature a tour two farms in the southern Willamette Valley that have implemented agroforestry systems. After the tours, there will be an evening gathering at the Center for Rural Livelihoods where we’ll be showcasing the forthcoming videos and agroforestry handbook that are the culmination of our 3 year SARE grant. Sign up here.
Agroforestry Series: Introduction to Silvopasture
Join Abel for the fourth workshop in the Agroforestry Series at the Center for Rural Livelihoods for an introduction to silvopasture systems. Silvopasture is the intentional integration of trees and pastured animals, which boosts productivity and biodiversity on farms. These workshops are by donation. Sign up here.
Indigenous Agroforestry Gathering
Abel will be participating in the Indigenous Agroforestry Gathering in Portland, OR on August 13, 2025. This is an annual gathering hosted by the Indigenous Agroforestry Network.
Agroforestry Series: Forest Gardening
Join Abel at the Center for Rural Livelihoods for Part 2 of the Agroforestry Series. This workshop will focus on forest gardening - creating perennial ecosystems to provide food, medicine, craft materials and more. All of the workshops are by donation - sign up here.
OSU Small Farms Conference
Abel will be coordinating a panel of farmers practicing agroforestry at the OSU Small Farms Conference. More information and registration here: https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/smallfarmsconference/
Tilth Conference
Abel will be presenting about designing for resilient water systems in agriculture along with Michaelene Fowler. Register here.
Future Fundamentals: Agroforestry
Join Abel on Sunday September 15 for a free workshop on agroforestry at the Center for Rural Livelihoods. A tour of the site starts at 12:30, and the workshop starts at 2. Please register at rurallivelihoods.org
Silvopasture in Oregon
Join Abel Kloster, Mark Batcheler, and Don Tipping at Seven Seeds Farm for an in-person event discussion silvopasture in Oregon. More information and registration here.
Silvopasture in Oregon
Join Abel Kloster and Mark Batcheler of the USDA National Agroforestry Center for an evening webinar on silvopasture in Oregon. Presented by OSU Extension - Southern Oregon. More information and registration here.
Future Fundamentals - Ecological Forestry
Join Abel Kloster and Matt Hall for an afternoon discussing ecological forestry at the Center for Rural Livelihoods. We’ll talk about the principles and practices, as well as policies that would bring this approach to land stewardship further into public discourse.
PLUG Oregon Site Tour/Future Fundamentals Workshop #1
Join Tao and Abel for a FREE tour of the Permaculture water earthworks at the Center for Rural Livelihoods. We’ll talk about the design, implementation, and permitting process for water harvesting in Oregon. This tour is sponsored by the Permaculture Land Users Group of Oregon - PLUG-Oregon and is the first of four free workshops taking place at the Center for Rural Livelihoods called Future Fundamentals.
Ecology and Permaculture
Join Marisha Auerbach and Tao Orion for an exploration of the science of ecology as it relates to Permaculture systems. Together, we will look at the intrinsic characteristics of ecosystems, including the other species that reside in our home habitats, to highlight how these relationships bring stability and resilience. After the workshop, you will be able to bring these insights home to help you enhance the quality of your permaculture designs and your care for your landscape.
Topics covered in the course include:
What is Ecology?
Bird Language
Food Webs
Succession
Phenology
Ecosystem Restoration
Ecological Functions and Services
Observation Practice
Integration in Permaculture systems
Cost: $300 including food and lodging
San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit
Tao will be leading a hands-on field workshop called “Permaculture Land Management: Learning from the Land to Tend a Resilient Future” at the San Juan Agricultural Summit on Friday March 8 from 1:30 - 4:00 pm. More information about the workshop and the summit can be found here.
Ecology and Permaculture
Join Marisha Auerbach and Tao Orion for an exploration of the science of ecology as it relates to Permaculture systems. Together, we will look at the intrinsic characteristics of ecosystems, including the other species that reside in our home habitats, to highlight how these relationships bring stability and resilience. After the workshop, you will be able to bring these insights home to help you enhance the quality of your permaculture designs and your care for your landscape.
Topics covered in the course include:
what is ecology?
bird language
food webs
succession
phenology
restoration
ecological functions and services
observation practice
integration in Permaculture systems
Cost: $375 including food and lodging
Oregon Country Faire
We’ll be hosting the Permaculture Booth at the Oregon Country Faire this year. Come visit and say hi in Energy Park!
Regenerating Landscapes, Restoring Relations
Regenerating Landscapes, Restoring Relations: A FREE 6 part webinar and in-person workshop series on Indigenous management and ecological restoration.
Dawn of Everything Discussion Panel at the oxford Real farming Conference
Tao will be participating in a discussion about David Graeber and David Wengrow’s book The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity at the Oxford Real Farming Conference in Oxford, England.
She joins co-presenters Dr. Khalil Avi and Chris Smaje, author of A Small Farm Future, to discuss the relevance of Graeber and Wengrow’s work to the modern movement towards a regenerative agroecological future.
Building Climate Resilience
Tao will be speaking about building community climate resilience at the Florence Unitarian Universalist Church in Florence, OR.
See you at the Oregon Country Fair
We’ll be staffing the booth with the Center for Rural Livelihoods in Energy Park this year. Stop by and say hi!
Lane County Farmer’s Market Pavilion grand opening
Tao will be speaking at the Grand Opening of the Lane County Farmers Market Pavilion in Eugene.
Cottage Grove Climate Action Town Hall
Tao will be speaking at the Cottage Grove Climate Action Town Hall at the Cottage Grove Armory Saturday May 14.