Optical Surveying
Sharpen Your Eyes: Layout Skills for Earthworks and Water
Advanced Permaculture Course with Hazel
October 22-27, 2026
Buckhorn Valley Farm, Ashland, Oregon
6 day residential course
Course Price: $950 includes camping, bring your own food.
Early Registration: $850 until September 22, 2026
Optical Surveying offers essential skills for implementing permaculture projects, skills that are highly valued by every farmer, homesteader, designer and consultant.
Hazel teaches the use of many types of analog (non-battery operated) surveying tools, along with advanced skills in keyline, pond and swale layout, mapping, and other core knowledge necessary for design and execution of permaculture projects.
Students will become familiar with swale, terrace, ditch and pond layout, profile cross-section drawing, keyline and trail system locating, keyline field layout, solar assessment, ditch and wiggle water way layout, small cabin orientation and pad layout, staking, note taking, and compass and map reading. We will use telescope-like devices and other hand tools such as sight levels, pocket transits, builders levels, A-frames and various vertical measurement rods, as well as measuring tapes and wheels. The Buckhorn Valley Farm course will include flagging for keyline field ripping.
The Permaculture Design Course is a prerequisite for getting an advanced certificate from this course. Others may have the certificate held until they have their PDC certificate. You must complete all six days of the course to get your certificate. The course is open to all who have a working knowledge of Permaculture.
More Information on the course at these Links:
Logistics:
– Directions
– Tools to buy
– Checklist of what to bring
Cancellation Policy:
Until one month before the course start date, the fee is refundable less $100 cancellation fee. After this date, the fee is nonrefundable unless the course fills and we sell your spot. There will still be a $100 cancellation fee
No pets allowed at the course. If you’re coming with a big rig, you need to contact us for special arrangements.
