Earlier this fall we asked members of our staff, board, and extended community to answer the question “what do you love about Quail Springs?” Hear their responses here!
2020: Year in Review
Our 2020 Year in Review! We’re going to get nostalgic and recap the most notable parts of 2020 here at Quail Springs — what a year!
Summer Harvest
Summer harvest is here, along with a little update on what we’ve been working on this summer — Online PDC, Earthen building code, and more!
Cob Code Approved for the 2021 IRC
For the first time, a Cob Construction Appendix has been approved for inclusion in the International Residential Code for building codes in the US and other countries.
Black Lives Matter – A Message of Solidarity
Quail Springs issues a message of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and we recognize our responsibility to act now.
Cuyama Groundwater Update
When electricity was first made available in the Cuyama Valley in the first half of last century, pumps began extracting the seemingly abundant groundwater in this otherwise dry high desert environment. All the formal hydrologic reports that have been researched and published on the basin suggest the imbalance was apparent within a decade. Groundwater extraction has increased
We Intend to Be Here After This Storm Passes
We hope that this post finds you well today. We’re thinking of our extended community out there, sheltering in place in so many different ways. We’ve been enjoying hearing your stories of how you’re spending your days, and look forward to more. Thankfully, all of us on the land at Quail Springs are healthy and well at this time. As an …
Is it Spring Already?
Aside from a bit of snow on Sunday night (yay, moisture!), it feels like spring has arrived at Quail Springs already. The birds are singing and nesting, the frogs and red-winged blackbirds are active in and around the pond. Lizards are out soaking up the sun, and so are we!Are you interested in joining us (and the lizards) out here …
Winter Wool
Here at Quail Springs the season is changing. It’s becoming colder and wetter by the week, and as the weather shifts, so do we. We get to go inwards – literally and figuratively. We light up the woodstoves in our spaces and hunker down with our favorite crafts. So, keeping this sweet wintry image in mind, picture this: I walk …
Student Spotlight: Daiva
(above: Daiva and her mom, Sylvia) Daiva came to Quail Springs in 2017 for a natural building internship, where she learned how to combine straw, sand, and clay to create earthen homes that are beautiful, affordable, and made of locally-sourced materials. Since then Daiva has built earthen homes in Mexico, Bolivia and California, and has taught earthen building in Oaxaca. …