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Come and help us rebuild our farm and explore beautiful Haida Gwaii, Canada

  • Favourited 32 times
  • Last activity: 18 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    The farm is located on the north end of Tlell, a small community on Haida Gwaii in Northern BC. This entire archipelago is the unceded traditional territory of the Haida Nation and has a population of about 4200 people spread out over 10 different communities. To get to Haida Gwaii, there is a nice, long (7h) ferry ride across the Hecate Strait from Prince Rupert or you can fly to either Masset or Sandspit from Vancouver. Our 15 acre farm is about 2km from the ocean on the east coast of Graham Island, almost exactly halfway between Masset and Queen Charlotte. The land has been mostly cleared by the previous owners, but there are some stunning forests all around the property including creeks and a beautiful surrounding bog.

    We currently live with three people on the Property together with a varying number of Chickens, sheep and a cat. We moved in about 5 years ago and have been steadily rebuilding the place since then. One human is a reclusive carpenter with a love for theater and music. I have a background in horticulture and landscape architecture, love to tinker around, be with the animals or enjoy the outdoors.
    Our friend lives with her bunny in a converted school bus and is a wool and tattoo artist.
    I work in Masset four days a week so you can catch a ride into town with me on my workdays if you do not have your own transportation.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Language practice
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Mainly it is about learning to building a farm, garden work, animal husbandry and some construction. We speak English and German and I have an interest in learning Spanish. My Husband is quite musical and we have a few instruments kicking around.

  • Help

    Help

    Our property was previously a cattle farm at some point and more recently had a semi-commercial greenhouse operation. We are working towards developing a small-scale, mixed-use family farm. Depending on your skills, experience and interest you will be helping with a variety of tasks around the farm. There will definitely be lots of garden chores such as weeding, planting, watering, fertilizing, mulching, compost turning, harvesting, prepping and storing as well as work involving clearing and splitting firewood. Processing food, baking bread and preserving the harvest are some chores that can be done indoors. There will also be helping with the sheep (mainly feeding and cleaning out the pen) and fence building. March is typically lambing time with butchering in September if you interested in the grubbier sides of animal husbandry. We are taking a break from sheet at our place this year 2024. Our girls are with another herd for a while until our infrastructure projects a done and new fences build.
    We have lots of construction projects on the go and tons of ideas for new ones. We are finishing a cabin and want to start a new one. An additional outhouse and shower for that with a deck, an apple orchard and a swimming pond are only some of our dreams...


    There are lots of opportunities for your own small projects as well. We have dabbled, with varying success, in tanning, concrete casting, pottery, cheese making and fermenting and we are happy to learn from you!
    We live in the rainforest, so bring your own gumboots and work gloves. No smoking in any of the buildings, but outside is fine. We are looking for individuals who are mature, want to learn and share knowledge and enjoy working 4-5 hours a day/ 5 days a week. Minimum required stay is 2 weeks.

  • Languages spoken

    German: Fluent
    English: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    You will have your own space in our small bunkie - a very small sleeping area attached to our cabin. The bunkie is a self-contained unit with basic kitchen equipment, a single loft bed and a comfy chair. There is also an outhouse nearby and an outdoor shower by the sauna in the main garden (and in the house in the winter.)
    Most days you will take care of your own breakfast and lunch with basic groceries provided. Dinners will be eaten together with us, mainly made of local ingredients out of the garden and locally harvested meat or fish. We can also try accommodate vegetarian or gluten free dietary needs for shorter work stays. We will take turns cooking. There is a small country store/ cafe about 10km away that you can bike or catch a ride to if you are missing specific items (be aware, the store's opening hours are decided by a quantum probability generator and are difficult to predict, like most things on these islands)

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    There are lots of hiking trails in the area including the Anvil Trail, the Pesuta Shipwreck trail and access to the Tlell River for swimming or fishing. You can listen to the Sandhill Cranes in the spring or pick wild cranberries and mushrooms in the fall. Beside visiting the different communities on the island, the Haida Gwaii Museum is well worth a visit as are the sandy beaches on the north end. Surf is up in the winter and crabbing in the early summer. We have lots of great spots for camping and a nice lake for kayaking and canoeing close by.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    stable satellite connection

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have room for a campervans

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    One

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 485262239438

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