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CASCABEL
HERMITAGE ASSOCIATION CHA is a nonprofit corporation recognized for exemption from taxation by the Internal Revenue Service under I.R.C. sec. 501©(3) Purpose and Mission The Cascabel Hermitage Association (CHA) acquires and holds real property (primarily, land) in trust under the Saguaro-Juniper Covenant (see link), makes the land available for solitary meditation as well as for guided educational programs, and holds conservation easements. .......... Land, meditation, and learning CHA now provides
a Sonoran desert wildlands habitat for fully interfaith solitary contemplation,
and also fosters other educational and creative activities that require sustained
concentration and stillness, including the interests of those who may not align
themselves with any faith. CHA makes available time and space for artists, writers
or contemplatives of any persuasion, who seek solitude and a more intimate experience
of the Sonoran desert. It should be a place where sojourners - people whose journey
brings them to reside for a time in a place -- can learn to live harmoniously
within an untamed community of plants and animals and to work in community to
care for these lands. In seeking to integrate sojourners into a wildland community,
CHA is guided by the need to heal the separation between civilized humanity and
the earth. ............ Educational Program The CHA has developed a land-based educational program under the direction of David Omick and Pearl Mast, who have organized a series of seminars. Focusing on the theme of "Connecting People with the Land", these began in the Fall of 2000 with a Mesquite Flour Grinding festival. They have since organized two expertly-guided "geology walks" in Hot Springs Canyon, and given the fine rains of winter 2000-2001, they arranged for local experts to lead wildflower walks which identified over 50 species of flowering plants. Several college and BorderLinks groups, as well as numerous individuals, have taken guided tours of the CHA/SJ land, its facilities and our staff living arrangements (which are designed for desert-adapted living). For examples and schedules of our activities, see the following links: Workshop Series Fall Schedule, 2002 Washington University in St. Louis Architecture Project, March 2002 Earlham College Sustainable Living Program, February 2002 Mesquite Pod Milling at Cascabel, Arizona, Oct. 6, 2001 Solar Food Drying Workshop, Tucson AZ, May 5, 2001 Wildflower Walk in Hot Springs Canyon, March 2001 ............ Conservation Easements As a non-profit organization with a focus on conservation, the CHA is capable and desirous of holding conservation easements (CE's). A conservation easement is a legal agreement the property owner makes to restrict the type and amount of development that may take place on their property. The easement's conditions are tailored to the interest of the landowner and the natural assets of the property. The owner conveys this right to enforce the restrictions to a qualified private nonprofit conservation organization. This partnership for conservation is a clear and formal arrangement similar to a lease, sale, or other land transaction. It is also a partnership between people of good will who recognize their mutual need to work together to protect native habitats. In cooperation with Saguaro Juniper and The Nature Conservancy, the CHA has made significant progress in securing conservation easements among landowners in Hot Springs Canyon, a vital wildlife corridor in the Middle San Pedro River. Several neighboring landowners have now agreed to donate CE's and Saguaro Juniper is leading the way with a nearly completed CE on parcel 57 (across from the Windmill). ............ Facilities The
Cascabel Hermitage Association is located in southeastern Arizona, on the eastern
perimeter of the Sonoran desert. It is in a remote area, about 75 road miles east
of Tucson, and 20 miles from paved roads in any direction. It occupies 440 acres
in the uplands of a major watershed of the central San Pedro River, abutting the
riparian zone of Hot Springs Canyon. Its proximity to Chihuahuan desert grasslands
as well as to the basin and range "sky islands" of southeastern Arizona
result in a great diversity of plant and animal life.
Three hermitages are ready for use, including a tent under a shade ramada and a straw bale cottage in the uplands which is comfortably appointed for silence, simplicity and solitude. Three residents live adjacent to the support center and function as staff. ............ The CHA Support Staff David Omick and Pearl Mast have built a "micro-homestead" on Saguaro Juniper land in Hot springs Canyon, where they have developed an array of experiments in desert-adapted living, including gardening, native food gathering,and creating of a variety of minimal yet effective living devices suitable to the local environment. David has served for 3 years now as program director of the CHA. Prior to that, he co-founded and directed another non-profit organization, Proyecto Fe y Esperanza, an agency which focused on building appropriate technology and community advocacy among migrant farmworker communities near the Mexican border in South Texas. In that work, he collaborated with Habitat for Humanity in designing affordable and energy-efficient housing in these communities. In addition to CHA projects, David (who has an extensive background in civil engineering) continues to do consulting in appropriate technology and is also active in Saguaro Juniper Corporation, a local association involved in conservation efforts. Pearl plays a more unofficial role as "hospitality coordinator" for both the Education and Retreat Programs of the CHA, but her life-long interests in food production, preservation, and preparation have also stimulated much valuable creative experimentation in the arts of desert living. She is also a professionally active Registered Nurse, working in long-term care. David and Pearl can be reached by email at <david@omick.com>.
Daniel Baker lives part-time on Saguaro Juniper land at the Cascabel Hermitage Association "Support Center." He has built a shade ramada of mostly native materials over the site of an older homestead. Beneath this ramada, he has erected a wall tent with a wood floor and wood-burning stove. Drinking and garden water are supplied by the windmill, and there is a composting toilet built by David Omick. Daniel has an interest in desert adaptive living, native food gathering, and the eremitic tradition of silence, simplicity and solitude. Prior to moving to Cascabel in 1994 he was a social activist businessman in Salt Lake City with a background in philosophy of religion. He is a founding member of the CHA and also works part time as San Pedro River Central Basin Community Steward for The Nature Conservancy. Daniel can be reached by email at <dbaker@theriver.com>.
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