Nathaniel Nordin-Tuininga grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s living off the land with his parents on an intentional community in Western Oregon. In 2020 he returned to his roots, parking the tiny house he’d built on the edge of the meadow at the Lost Valley Ecovillage and Educational Center.
In the late eighties Lost Valley founders began work restoring 87 acres of logging land to its native oak savanna glory. One of the first communities in the US to experiment with permaculture practices, they created ponds and swales to redirect water through the property and used techniques like selective thinning of forests and controlled burns to recreate meadows and grasslands.
Today, the property has gone from a monoculture of Douglas fir to a rich variety of oaks, conifers and deciduous trees. The property is now a maturing food forest feeding residents, as well as all types of wildlife. There are also organic vegetable gardens, a native plants nursery and fruit trees that feed both inhabitants and the local community.
Nordin-Tuininga spends most of his days barefoot, loving the feel of “forest bathing” and being in direct connection with nature at as many nerve endings as possible (he also still climbs trees). His tiny house is not just off-grid, but unelectrified so he can follow the natural rhythms of the day. He uses a cooler as a refrigerator and simple meals, but he can fall back on the community kitchen when necessary.
The ecovillage has about 30-50 residents at any given time, but it stays open to short-term residents with social forestry camps, permaculture design courses and a “Holistic Sustainability Semester” for anyone interested in integrating into the community for 3 months while learning about regenerative agriculture and permaculture, medicinal and edible wild plants, rewilding and the teachings of the natural world.
Nathaniel wants to make clear his gratitude towards all Indigenous peoples to help create the community and regeneration projects at Lost Valley, “References to Indigenous practices of the past are shared with the awareness that many such practices have been carried forward and others are in the process of revitalization. Lost Valley Education Center is in active partnership with members of the Kalapuya and other Native teachers to support this process”.
https://www.lostvalley.org/
Thank you Chien Escalera Duong for the drone and other footage: www.HeyItsChien.com
On *faircompanies https://faircompanies.com/videos/wasteland-becomes-clever-restorative-ecovillage-before-after/
47 Comments
it must be noticeable to be away from all the bombardment of communication frequencies!
Really amazing! I have the female equivalent to him here in the Southwest of Ireland near my place. I don’t know how many thousand trees she planted the the last 30 years, she grows many of them from seed. She even shows off climbing onto an oak which started as an acorn when she took over the overgrazed farm. Now it’s a quite diverse forest. And she too is grazing all the time while she shows people around. She eats all the weeds, berries and twigs from here trees.
In Australia it's important to walk with sound so that snakes move out of your path. I didn't wear shoes as a kid and had a thick layer of fat under my feet so could walk on bindies (prickles) with no problem.
If you really want to restore the savanna habitat, stop with the burning and re-introduce the animals that eat the dead grass and poop out fertilizer (herbivores), and build lakes (beavers).
Brilliant presentation and keep speaking up about the importance of fire and the importance of diversity.
19:00 and 29:24 ~Taxis Granfolia? Trees whose bark can cure cancer, but just a vertical strip is taken from a tree, which then grows it back, in order to not kill the tree.
Fantastic
I loved this one!!!!! I'm in Canada in last of the Garry Oak Savannah ecosystem left on Vancouver island BC and I work with Native plants. Just love what these folks are doing, and Nathaniels connection to the land. I feel hopeful seeing people working on restoration throughout this very special ecosystem (and all ecosystems of the world really) Thanks for all your videos!
Some of this is probably a bit too new(old?)-think for me, but I appreciate that there are people out there putting in the time and effort to create areas and communities like this, and be willing to share their knowledge with others.
This guy sure makes alot of rules. I'd have more freedom living in NYC.
Lovely! I live near several Garry Oak meadows, southern Vancouver Island. The camas in the spring are stunning—I recommend returning in May to film the bloom. It is spectacular. Watching them use the fire in a controlled and intentional way was fascinating.
Love your channel, so many awesome videos. Thank you.
With the right ideas, tools, actions, love and some patience nature will take care of you! Lovely video!
This video should be a visual aid for the wikipedia page entitled : " Hipster Doofus "
Society could collapse and I feel like it wouldn't make a big difference to him.
oh yeeees
Watching video is such a soothing experience. I love this guy & his energy is fantastic!! I’m looking for co creators in Arkansas to do the same and feel the similar passion. Great job & thank you so much 💜🌹🦋🧘♂️💃🐸🐝🙏🏼namaste Liana 😊
Love this!
How do these hippies make money with no electricity?
I can't sleep in that teepee with wolf spiders.
He should bury that cooler in the ground with some insulation wrapped around it.
🌸
❤ this, missing this.
Thank you for sharing this video! I had to back up after pulling out notebook and pen! There is so much to learn – but I learn many things every time I watch your videos 💚
What an incredible space to make home. Studying at Lost Valley this summer was one of the most transformative two months of my life. Cold plunging in the creek was always nourishing. Camping along the edge of the meadow waking up with the most gorgeous view. Running barefoot along the trails. Gardening with friends and so on… Study here if you feels the call. Loved every moment of it.
Can I ask, with him going back to indigenous ways, is he giving back to the dwindling indigenous populations that suffer in that area, due to “the white man footprint”? It just seems like something so big is missing from all the wonderful things happening on that land. Is he planning on giving any land as reparation, to the indigenous in that state?
Farms of fast growing straight grain lumber.
Amazing stuff! The simplicity of Nathaniel's house is what amazes me the most
Where's my axe…I wanna chop down a bunch of trees. 😉
What a service you are performing Kirsten — a new deep learning and inspiration every time ❤
The loss of old growth and oak savanna we felt acutely in the 80s. A lived experience that informed our hatred of Reagan and all he stood for. When Clinton was elected and the logging paused a bit we all thought the war was over. Silly innocent kids. Now it pains me to return to the valley, all I see are tree farms choking the hills like golf lawns. Dead zones that look like life to most people. Yes this Nathan fellow is a bit silly and earnest but he’s at least trying to be a positive force. By Eugene standards he’s quite normal and easy going. I’ve lived in punk houses there with stricter rules. We do what we can to live right. Thanks for taking care of that little parcel may it spread the return of the savanna.
I love it
Thank you! Another excellent show, very helpful and informative for those who know we–modern society–must change our collective trajectory toward restoring the Earth.
Wise words: "Permaculture starts with observation."
His observations about how the conditioned personal mind gets in the way of the natural mind's connection with the here and now natural environment is spot one.
I do like his daily commute 🙂
When he showed us his cooler I wondered if they have root cellars or other in-ground food storage.. one of the old ways of storing some foods without electricity
He should use the African lighting using a solar lantern that charges by day and brought inside for night.
LOOOOVE this one. Oh how I wish I had done more of this in my day!
I am sooo very thankful you and your husband do this – i truly love learning throughout your videos! THANK YOU!!!
This is so cool. I live in Eugene and would love to find this gem. I would of course ask permission before visiting, yet what a great place.
Love your videos so much! ❤
He said, "Maybe there's something I havn't learned." That and the Pagan celebration are very telling. This grown man runs around barefoot like a child. He talks non-stop, all about permaculture. He lives in a fairytale existance. I wonder if he recognizes God as the creator and sustainer of all life. I doubt it.
☹👎THIS IS BAD!! So if you plant trees after sequestrating the carbon in timber you can do much worse than burning it?? 🤔
I feel like Europeans are always pushing towards Oak savannah, but Oak Savannah would be limited naturally. Not enough oxygen produced per acre of land.
I live here, and I love it!!! ❤
Such priceless work they are doing… thank you for sharing a glimpse into how they live with nature and work to increase biodiversity in a ravaged landscape.
I grew up in this area, but I've spent most of the past 40 years in Manhattan. This certainly makes me miss Lane County. I used to go barefoot a lot too. Even in winter. People would think I was crazy. They were probably right, but for the wrong reasons. Barefoot is interesting, it's not just a matter of developing calluses. You also become very precise in where you put your feet. After awhile you don't even think about it. Most of our bipedal heritage has been without shoes.
There is a lot of wisdom in this video
MAY~POLE.
I LOVE you Ms Kirsten – your footage inspired me to own a Tiny House – bless your continued travels – what a Wonderful ministry 👍🏽♥
Ingrediably articulate and knowledgable young man! Very enjoyable episode.