One of the things that first drew me to the piece of land that will become Ma’alot farms is that it is utterly unique. From the moment I first walked the hills, I knew this land was full of potential and that it was the perfect location to fulfill our vision. It is a property of contrasts, of ecosystems coming together, of variety and possibility. It is close to town, yet feels like it is a world away. It is a lush dense green oak forest, where the air is moist, and an expansive California hillside of grassy slopes, golden and dry. The land supports hundreds of wild birds of all types, from the majestic hawks to the tiniest of hummingbirds.
Though I did not realize it when I first walked the site, it is the geology of this landscape that makes it so unique. In just sixteen acres there are seven different types of geological formations and rock types, including a fault line that runs through the middle of the property. It is the varied geology that allows for the diversity of ecosystems that are the foundational elements in the development of Ma’alot Farms.
The nature of major construction projects, such as building roads and buildings on a slope, is one of disturbance. In order to stabilize the hillside for future building, deep trenches needed to be created so that proper drainage could be installed and the looser topsoil could be compacted into stable roadways. In some ways it is difficult to watch the land being torn up and disturbed to such a large extent. Our ultimate plan and goals will improve the ecosystems and biodiversity of the site, but it is somewhat jarring to witness the extent of the current impact. However, as a side benefit, all the trenching has provided us with an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to see the geological history of the land.
One of the trenches, approximately ten feet wide and at least that deep, cuts directly across the fault line. Just like the layers of rock in the deep canyons of the Colorado Plateau were exposed by the cut of the rivers over millions of years, the mechanical cutting of the trench exposed the rock layers around the fault line. We could see where one plate pushes down over the other plate (it is a subduction fault) and the different colors and densities of the types of rocks in the different plates.
We could see the spring head bubbling out along the fault line where the more porous stone and the denser stone intersect forcing the water out around the rocks.
Unexpectedly, we could also see remnants of the history of the land itself. At several different levels in the trench, lines of black ashy charcoal are visible, evidence of forest fires of eons past. Immediately above each of the charcoal stripes are layers of rapid accumulation of material, evidence of the mudslides that occur when rain comes to a hill recently deforested by fire.
The geologists were so intrigued by these charcoal layers that they sent samples for carbon dating in order to ascertain when the fires occurred.
It was a truly miraculous moment to stand in this trench, far below the surface of the earth and bear witness to the amazing forces that shape our earth and our ecosystems. Standing there all together reciting the blessing for seeing natural wonders we felt connected to our land in an even deeper way.
While the trench will be filled and the construction will continue, the awe of the moment standing together bearing witness to the history of this land will shape our relationship to it. As we care for and protect this land and its ecosystem we will try, to the best of our abilities, to let our observations of the land guide our design and cultivation.
