The Edge of the Village – Permaculture & Ecological Stewardship through Deep Nature Connection

In collaboration with Terra Alta, this hands-on learning day blends sensory immersion with permaculture thinking. We will guide you through core routines of deep nature connection, wilderness skills, and storytelling, with the intention of drawing out the gift that makes you a sensitive, connected, and knowledgeable steward of the land.

Who Should Attend

• Ecological stewards, permaculturists, homesteaders
• Nature‑curious explorers seeking a richer wilderness experience
• Educators & facilitators who want to bring these practices to their groups

You will learn

• A toolbox of sensory awareness routines
• Hazards of natural areas
• Mapping as a core routine of observation
• Tracking wildlife and natural patterns

What you'll experience

• Guided time in the wilderness: explore a nearly 20-year-old permaculture project from edge to center with a group of engaged learners
• Sharpen your senses: pick up subtle ecological cues, track footprints, animal signs, and seasonal rhythms
• Move at a wild pace: slow down, remove time, prioritize your actions based on natural cycles
• Head-heart awareness: pair observation and data collection with genuine emotional connection to place
• Break the "wall of green" and see the landscape with fresh eyes and learn to read it as a living system
• Transition from hiker to reciprocal steward: move beyond observation toward sensitive, mutual care of the land

“Observe and Interact” is the foundational step in any land-based project.

By dedicating time in Zone 5 (wilderness), to watch, record, and map the land’s natural rhythms, you gain the insight needed to design systems that are efficient, sustainable, and deeply connected to place.

This disciplined, yet sensitive, observation phase turns intuition into actionable knowledge, ensuring that your designs enhance rather than disrupt the existing ecosystem.

What if entering this role of stewardship is also an opportunity for self‑discovery? For developing sensory awareness and the connection to self and the Earth? And for deepening your sense of belonging?

This wilderness immersion will provide you with inputs to make this period of observation a real opportunity to develop authentic knowledge of place and deepen your bond to the more‑than‑human world. The core routines of deep nature connection support this through embodied experience and increasing curiosity.

No permaculture experience required to join. Come use your brilliant senses close to the land, build relationship, develop self-awareness and knowledge of place, and bring back practical wilderness skills to your people.

Experience the crossroads where deep nature connection meets permaculture and transform observation into stewardship.

Location

Our workshop is hosted at Terra Alta, one of Europe's most established permaculture sites, nestled in a protected valley in the foothills of the Sintra Mountains — just 45 minutes from Lisbon.

Founded in 2008 by Pedro Valdjiu and Rita Seixas, Terra Alta has grown into a truly off-grid permaculture education and research centre with a focus on permaculture design, regenerative agriculture, cultural regeneration, and art. The two-hectare site sits at the edge of the tiny village of Ulgueira.

With over 40 certified Permaculture Design Courses taught on this land, Terra Alta is both a living example of what patient, attentive design can produce and an ideal setting to practice the kind of deep observation we will be cultivating together.

About Your Guides

Joshua Glass is a deep nature connection mentor for adults, youth and families. His training in Portugal and the USA specializes in wilderness survival and the 8-Shields cultural mentoring model for nature connection. He guides students to build inspired, lasting relationships with the Earth through hands-on survival and naturalist skills such as fire making, shelter building, primitive cooking, wild foraging, awareness, animal tracking, and storytelling. He facilitates a variety of program types including adult, family and youth wilderness programs, earth-based Rites of Passage for boys, and Father-Son wilderness programs. He has also served as the Land Steward for Traditional Dream Factory in Portugal. Joshua serves to create conditions for modern people to experience deep and direct personal relationships with the natural world and to thrive by surviving within the nature of constant change.

Melina Feuvrier-Etevenard, a regenerative farmer and permaculture enthusiast, thrives in crafting, cooking, and the art of wilderness awareness. She's cultivated her skills in communities and regenerative farms throughout Europe. Driven by a passion for nurturing both healthy ecosystems and flourishing cultures, Melina has worked with youth and adults in pedagogical farms and nature camps. She guides herself and others in aligning the human lifestyle with life’s natural cycles. Melina uses wild-foraged edible plants to create vitality-rich, nutritionally balanced and exceptionally delicious meals. Her love for nature, crafting, and togetherness enriches her unique approach as a chef and nature connection guide.

More info

Language:
🇬🇧 English
🇵🇹 Portuguese translation available upon request

Bring:

• Your own lunch (optional: bring a small side to share)
• Waterproof clothing (we go out in real weather)

Places are limited to keep the group intimate and well-mentored.

Event photo taken by Anjou Vartmann