With a background in Forestry (BS Utah State Unversity) and Horticulture (MS Virginia Tech), Permaculture was a natural extension of my interests and passions. My current day job is as Sustainability Coordinator for San Miguel County, Colorado through a non-profit called EcoAction Partners.

I took my PDC from Jerome Osentowski back in 1989. It brought so many thoughts and ideas together. I had just started our off-grid, organic farm at 9000' near Telluride, Colorado and the course jump started Tomten Farm. Since then I've taught a few sessions in Jerome's courses, and four years ago began teaching a full PDC with Robyn Wilson, Daniel Aragon, Pat Frazier and Wind Clearwater.

Tomten Farm has become a small scale, more than organic, permaculture-based farm - still at 9000' feet. We have farm interns each summer who learn how to grow in challenging conditions. We have two greenhouse - a 1500 stick frame greenhouse based on Jerome and John Cruickshank's designs and a 33' diameter Growing Dome from Growing Spaces out of Pagosa Springs. We have various animals at different times - chickens always, pigs, goats, sheep sometimes. We also host volunteers who want to see what can be done with permaculture - even at 9000'.