CASLAN — Nature lovers and eager learners flocked to Mystic River Ranch outside of Caslan for an evening of education and outdoor enjoyment as Athabasca University’s (AU) Science Outreach program resumes in-person sessions.
Robin Smith Mandel, school teacher, mother, and permaculture homesteader for 14 years at Mystic River Ranch, took intrigued guests for a guided tour around their home Sept. 21. The picture-perfect property is where Mandel and her family practice a “different idea of what farming could look like.”
“My husband Ed and I both grew up on farms in southern Saskatchewan,” Mandel told the group before the tour started. “We both grew up on conventional farms where there’s a lot of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, all these things that make you really sick, actually.”
Mandel said after watching her father deal with health consequences from pesticides, and having a child of her own, she and her husband decided to leave the city for a more familiar, and grassroots approach to life.
The pair bought Mystic River Ranch, located six kilometres south east of Caslan, in 2009, and during the tour, pointed out many of the permaculture and alternative power projects that have shaped the ranch into what it is today.
Twenty-some guests of all ages — from young families with kids to a retired Athabasca University professor — toured around the ranch, during which Mandel pointed out their solar panel system, organic garden, and garlic-filled greenhouse.
Composting practices, ground-source heat for livestock watering, and the detached butcher shop were also features of the tour, allowing for some hands-on activities for the kids as they dug through a bin of composting worms.
The tour ended with a small potluck and shared conversation around the fire, where guests reflected on the ideas discussed and chatted socially. Mandel, who has given Science Outreach presentations since 2016, said “When we lived in the city, I always wanted to connect people together with similar interest.”
“When I was really excited about what we were doing here at our place, I thought about if this is a good way to bring people together,” she said, adding the ranch has also hosted school groups from Edmonton, Lac La Biche, and Portage College for educational tours.
“I just say to people, ‘Do what you can,’ that’s how you start,” said Mandel. “Take a gamble on a pack of seeds, because what’s the worst thing that will happen? You spent three or four dollars on a pack of seeds and it didn’t grow — oh well. But if it grows, you will be inspired.”
Where science meets understanding
Permaculture, a term coined by two Australian scientists in the late 1970’s, is a method of farming and land management using principles observed in nature.
David Holmgren, co-founder of permaculture, described it as “Consciously designed ecosystems, which mimic patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fiber, and energy for provision of local needs.”
Science Outreach, a hands-on educational initiative by AU, has put on over 850 activities since it was established in 2001, and according to statistics gathered by the University, has reached over 44,000 participants in it’s 22 years.
Robert Holmberg, retired AU professor and one of the founders of Science Outreach, said “science and technology are so important in everybody’s life,” and the program’s purpose is to help people understand those roles through informal education.
The tour of Mystic River Ranch was one of the first in-person Science Outreach events since the COVID-19 pandemic. Mandel said the hands-on approach is always a hit with participants, and said she hopes guests left the event with inspiration — and plenty of garlic seeds.
“I just really hope people are inspired to do whatever it is that they can do to connect to nature, to connect with their food system, to live with intention,” said Mandel. “For me, that’s inspiring.”
