A Knowledge Commons for Regenerating Our Land, Water, and Local Communities
It’s important to ask, what do we already know about our bioregion, and how to steward it? To begin with, how do we celebrate what we already have? I think immediately of farmers’ markets, orchards and u-pick farms, any regenerative agriculture and indigenous cultivation, all the nonprofit initiatives we have (including Rochester Ecology Partners, the […]
For the presentation—Google Slides version for commenting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EfV05d886tCc9iNb-YZzASwlu8nLqMCnspK1jXBc9Q0/edit?usp=sharing. For the initial concept proposal—Use the comment field on https://gflbioregion.org/westfall-road-ecological-demonstration-project-concept-proposal-1-20-2026/ For the permaculture design concept—Use the comment field on https://gflbioregion.org/permaculture-design-concept-for-westfall-road-property/ For comparison: the 2022 Brighton Community Farm Proposal: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rJ5cFMfzASYtirYYB4WUCrVcIrHDeW5M/view?usp=sharing *Please note:* These are concept proposals only, partly generated by AI, which can make mistakes. None of the […]
A Living Systems Commons for the Town of Brighton, NY Site: Town-owned 27-acre parcel on Westfall Road Municipality: Brighton Purpose: Transform a municipally owned parcel into a high-visibility ecological demonstration landscape that integrates watershed protection, climate resilience, education, and community wellbeing — while serving as a replicable model for suburban regeneration. 1. Why This Site […]
Below is a concise, decision-useful environmental and social profile for the Town of Brighton (Monroe County), New York. (Note: “Brighton” is sometimes used for different geographies in datasets; the sources cited here are explicitly for Brighton town, Monroe County.) (Census.gov) Brighton at a glance Type / context: Inner-ring suburb immediately southeast of the City of […]
(Click to enlarge) Seeing the Genesee–Finger Lakes as a Living Bioregion To look at the Genesee Finger Lakes Bioregion through a bioregional lens is to stop seeing it as a set of counties, cities, or tourist destinations and begin seeing it as a living system—shaped by ice and water, animated by human cultures, altered by […]
Building bioregional intelligence is the practice of developing a “terrain of consciousness”—a collective ability for communities to see, think, and act as part of their local ecological systems. It shifts focus from arbitrary political borders to natural boundaries like watersheds, soil types, and climate patterns to organize human activity regeneratively. Core Components of Bioregional Intelligence […]
1) What it should mean for GFL to be a “node” in a planetary bioregional network Practically, a node is not a branding claim; it is a reproducible operating system for place-based intelligence that can interoperate with other bioregions. For the Genesee Finger Lakes (GFL), I would define “node” as having four things working […]
We begin by acknowledging that we gather on the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee and other Indigenous peoples who have cared for this land for countless generations. We acknowledge the suffering and displacement they have endured, and we recognize the ongoing challenges they face. At the same time, we celebrate their wisdom, their deep relationship […]
Bioregionalism as a Pathway to Transformation: A Genesee Finger Lakes Perspective Bioregionalism may offer the most integrative and generative framework for imagining and building a better future, but it is not a simplistic or one-size-fits-all solution. Rooted in the recognition that every place has its own ecological, cultural, and historical identity, bioregionalism calls for deep […]