Welcome to Jenny and Eleva, our new DFS Work/Studys!

Here is a little bit about them:

Eleva Potter (Bemidji, MN)

I grew up in Northern Minnesota where I spent my childhood exploring the swamp around my house, building forts, and getting swarmed by mosquitoes. Growing up in a rural and wild area helped foster in me a love of nature and a passion for conserving natural areas for everyone to enjoy. My connection to and concern for the natural world led me to major in Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Studying environmental issues for five years led me to the belief that in order to not harm other living things and the planet humankind must take drastic steps to live more sustainably and understand the repercussions of their actions on an ecosystem and planetary level.

After graduating in May of 2009 I decided to try to find a way to live that has no negative impact on the world around me. My search for this way of life first brought me to the study of permaculture and I took the first Permaculture Design Course offered in Madison, WI. My next stop lead me to Aprovecho Sustainability Education and Research Center in Cottage Grove, OR where I participated in a two month Sustainable Living Skills internship. The internship consisted of daily classes centered around organic gardening, eco-forestry, and appropriate technology with many other one day courses on such topics as fermentation, herbal remedies, human-powered machines, whole food nutrition, and food preservation. After the internship ended I decided to stay at Aprovecho to take part in a Green and Natural Building Work-Trade where I learned how to process wood harvested on the land, put up tongue and groove ceiling boards, and apply earthen plaster to walls.

My very positive experience with the work-trade program at Aprovecho lead me to search for other work-trade programs in which I could continue learning sustainable living skills while helping those who are willing to share their knowledge. I found many such programs but the one that stood out to me the most was the work-study program at the Driftless Folk School. While living in Madison I had been able to visit the Driftless area and I quickly fell in love with the pastoral beauty of the rolling hills and winding rivers. I was also very intrigued by the idea of helping a family on their homestead and I was ecstatic about being able to learn so many new skills that I saw listed on the webpage.

Now that I’m here it’s even better than I imagined. In my first week I learned how to make and apply staw-clay infill, put up barbed wire fencing, take care of chickens, goats, and horses, and forge a steel hook. I feel right at home here in the Driftless area and as the summer unfolds I can’t wait for the challenges and rewards of living a sustainable lifestyle and learning countless traditional skills that will allow me to be more self-sufficient and less environmentally destructive. As I continue my quest for sustainable living skills I welcome any and all sharing of knowledge and skills and deeply hope to be able to contribute to the passing down of this way of life as I learn how to live it.

Jenny Monfore (Anchorage, AK)

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for over a month already, time flies when you’re pulling weeds and stuffing straw clay walls! I never thought I’d find myself in Wisconsin, out of all the exciting destinations I had on my adventure travel list, but when I found the folk school online, I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for in my young life.

I then went to Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina for a year and, after racking up over $10,000 in student loans, realized I didn’t want to be in debt for the rest of my life and a conventional four year degree wasn’t for me. I fell in love with old time music down there, picked up the banjo and fiddle and started clogging, and realized I wanted to live how old timey folks lived but didn’t exactly know how to go about doing that. After hearing about the John C. Campbell Folk School, I began researching similar organizations with a focus on basic homesteading skills and wall-ah, here I am!

I’ll admit, the work here is harder than I imagined and I’m still adjusting to the rustic farming lifestyle, but I’m already feeling stronger and gaining confidence helping with projects like building a barn, gardening, taking care of animals, communicating with my host family, and taking part in the development process of the folk school in it’s still early stages.

While I’m here I would LOVE to play music with people and am happy to trade massage for any kind of interesting skills folks have to offer! Please get in touch with me, I’m looking forward to a great summer!

Check out the article on “Learning to Live a Self-Sufficient Life” by DFS Registrar and blacksmithing instructor Robert Schulz in the April/May 2010 edition of “Mother Earth News” at http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/Learn-To-Live-A-Self-Sufficient-Life.aspx

The Driftless Folk School is proud to announce it has joined the Alliance Program of the Small Farms Conservancy. We feel the mission of the SFC is consistent with our own and that the alliance will benefit both organizations. The mission of the Small Farms Conservancy is to protect, sustain, and inspire small farming worldwide. As with DFS, education is central to the work of SFC. We encourage all supporters, instructors and students to learn more by visiting the SFC website www.smallfarmsconservancy.org

The Spring/Summer 2010 Driftless Folk School Catalogue of Classes is available now. Check out course descriptions , course schedules , and instructor bios here on the Web.

Or download the catalogue here.

Or call or email the Registrar to get one with full graphics in the mail.