Water | Wind | Wisdom
Inspiring Regenerative Solutions to Desertification
July 16 - July 19, 2026 at Synergia Ranch, Santa Fe, New Mexico
From July 16–19, 2026, Synergia Ranch in Santa Fe hosted an Institute of Ecotechnics conference: Water, Wind, Wisdom: Inspiring Regenerative Solutions to Desertification. The meeting, organized by Dr. Starrlight Augustine, brought together ecologists, farmers, Indigenous knowledge holders, artists, architects and community organizers to explore practical and cultural responses to water scarcity, soil degradation and an increasingly arid climate.
Conference Speakers and Presentations
- Jan-Willem Jansens — “Water is Life: Cultivating Roots, Connections, and Movement”
Jan-Willem examined global aridification through three interdependent principles—rootedness, connections and movement—and shared regenerative watershed solutions developed in New Mexico.
- Joyce Skeet — “Wild Plants, Herbs and Churro Sheep”
Joyce explored the energy and medicinal value of local plants, demonstrated herbal preparations, and introduced participants to the remarkable qualities of Navajo-Churro sheep.
- Mike Halverson — “Botanical Walk”
Mike led participants on a guided exploration of native Southwestern plants, highlighting their ecological and cultural importance and their role in water-conscious, climate-resilient landscapes.
- Austin Unruh — “Growing Resilience Through Trees for Food and Fodder”
Austin discussed the integration of trees into agricultural and grazing systems, including the financial challenges of establishing large-scale plantings whose benefits take years to mature.
- James Skeet — “Bio Cosmology and the Use of Biochar”
James wove Indigenous cosmology and ancestral agricultural knowledge together with biochar and regenerative practices for restoring soils, strengthening food systems and supporting human health.
- Indra Shekhar Singh — “Indigenous Decentralised Water Management and River Revival”
Indra showed how Indigenous water wisdom, community science and low-tech, nature-based structures had helped revive rivers and enabled communities to regain water sovereignty and dignity.
- Amanda Bramble — “We Are the Land and Waters”
Amanda presented practical approaches to living in harmony with changing water and resource conditions, while developing interconnected community hubs of resilience.
- Chili Hawes — “Step by Lucky Step”
Chili described the structured systems of thought that helped sustain October Gallery, Synergia Ranch and other Institute of Ecotechnics initiatives, while supporting the creation of the Transvangarde.
- Dr. Mark Nelson and Meridel Rubenstein — “Restoring Eden”
Mark and Meridel presented the Eden in Iraq project, which used ecological wastewater treatment to create restorative garden landscapes while supporting the health and cultural heritage of the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq.
- Nino Saggio — “Beyond the Liquid: Architectural Responses to the States and Crises of Water”
Nino explored how water in its liquid, solid and gaseous states had shaped architecture and how the climate crisis was prompting new relationships among buildings, landscapes and water.
- Zack Withers — “Water is Life”
Zack addressed resistance to the commodification of water in New Mexico and the importance of building community capacity to steward shared water resources in an increasingly arid environment.
Conference Activities
Beyond the formal presentations, participants took part in a lively program of practical workshops, guided walks, creative sessions and shared cultural experiences.
- Building Erosion Control Structures — Jan-Willem Jansens
Participants worked directly on the ranch lands, constructing erosion-control structures from ecologically harvested piñon-juniper materials. These Shram Dan, or “gift of labor,” sessions combined practical learning with a meaningful contribution to the regeneration of the land.
- Biochar in Practice — James Skeet and David Sundberg
Two hands-on workshops demonstrated how biochar could be produced at a small-farm scale using different types of burning barrels. Participants also learned how biochar could support composting, soil regeneration and long-term soil health.
- Herbal Preparations — Joyce Skeet
Joyce guided participants in transforming herb-infused oils into natural healing salves. The workshop also introduced the preparation of herbal tinctures and demonstrated how nutritional syrups could be made from locally grown plants.
- Movement and Metaphor: Body as Earth — Kristin Swiat
Kristin led inclusive sessions combining gentle movement, meditation, embodied journaling and Authentic Movement. Participants were invited to step out of their thoughts, listen more closely to their bodies and integrate their experiences of the conference.
- Historical Tour of Ranch Facilities — Synergia Ranch Hosts
Conference participants toured the ranch facilities while learning about Synergia’s history, architecture and decades of ecological and community experimentation.
- Walk Through the Arroyos and Orchard — Ranch Guides
Participants explored the living landscape of Synergia Ranch, walking through the arroyos that channel seasonal water and visiting the working orchard that represented many years of food cultivation in an arid environment.
- Botanical Walk — Mike Halverson
Mike guided participants through the ranch environment, identifying native and cultivated plants and discussing water-adapted species and their relationships with the surrounding land.
- “We Belong to the Land” Concert — MoonShine
Nan Franzblau and Wind Coral of MoonShine brought together folk music, rich vocal harmonies and a shared love of the Earth in an uplifting evening concert.
- “Flow” Poetry Session — Dave Neita
Dave hosted a lively poetry-jamming session in which participants shared poems they had written or deeply loved. He also presented selections from his own spoken-word poetry.
Acknowledgements:
This event was possible due to the generous sponsorships of the Santa Fe-Pojoaque Soil and Water Conservation District, Synergia Ranch LLC, New Mexico Healthy Soil Working Group, Cruces Creatives “Seeding Regenerative Agriculture Network”, and donations to the Institute of Ecotechnics.