Collaborative Restoration of Indigenous Agro-Ecology of Western Maine
Maine, United States
Restoration, Community, EnergyCE
Celebration Barn Theater
Maine, United States
NonprofitCelebration Barn creates opportunities for physical theater artists to hone their craft and share their work in South Paris, Maine, while serving the local community through show series and community-based initiatives. The organization offers workshops in physical theater, clowning, mime, devising, and related art forms led by leading instructors in the field. Located on an eleven-acre campus in the Oxford Hills region, the Barn strives to be a good caretaker of the land it occupies and a good neighbor to the plants, animals, and fungi with which it shares resources. We are currently embarking upon a capital campaign to regenerate the agro-ecology of the eleven acres that are deeded to our organization while simultaneously restoring and renovating our historic barn theater and instructor lodging. Our goal is to demonstrate cost effective climate positive building strategies that integrate harmoniously with our resident ecosystem.
Project story
Restoring Native Food Forests in Western Maine
We're seeking funding to demonstrate how Native land management practices can restore the traditional agro-ecology of Northeastern forests. Our integrated approach combines cultural burning, mechanical management, mulching, reseeding, and rotational grazing—all part of a larger capital campaign that includes solar energy installation and climate-positive buildings.
Located on Western Wabanaki unceded territory in Maine's foothills, our landscape tells a story of erasure and opportunity. Settler colonialism deliberately destroyed sophisticated Indigenous systems: managed forests producing nuts and medicines, cultivated wetland fishponds, and productive corn and bean meadows. Today, the overgrown site reflects post-agricultural decline—tangled invasive species, diseased trees, and abandoned orchards.
Our restoration vision transforms this degraded land into a thriving biocultural landscape. We'll systematically remove invasive species like multiflora rose and Japanese barberry, then establish a food forest of native hardwoods, berry-producing shrubs, and revitalized fruit trees. Intensive vegetable gardens on improved soils, rotational grazing areas, and wildflower meadows will support both human programs and pollinator populations.
This demonstration project reconnects people to the land while honoring Indigenous knowledge. Restored walking paths invite direct interaction with the landscape, creating a model for biocultural regeneration across the region.
Project updates
Team
Collaborative Restoration of Indigenous Agro-Ecology of Western Maine
Maine, United States
Restoration, Community, EnergyCE
Celebration Barn Theater
Maine, United States
NonprofitCelebration Barn creates opportunities for physical theater artists to hone their craft and share their work in South Paris, Maine, while serving the local community through show series and community-based initiatives. The organization offers workshops in physical theater, clowning, mime, devising, and related art forms led by leading instructors in the field. Located on an eleven-acre campus in the Oxford Hills region, the Barn strives to be a good caretaker of the land it occupies and a good neighbor to the plants, animals, and fungi with which it shares resources. We are currently embarking upon a capital campaign to regenerate the agro-ecology of the eleven acres that are deeded to our organization while simultaneously restoring and renovating our historic barn theater and instructor lodging. Our goal is to demonstrate cost effective climate positive building strategies that integrate harmoniously with our resident ecosystem.
Project story
Restoring Native Food Forests in Western Maine
We're seeking funding to demonstrate how Native land management practices can restore the traditional agro-ecology of Northeastern forests. Our integrated approach combines cultural burning, mechanical management, mulching, reseeding, and rotational grazing—all part of a larger capital campaign that includes solar energy installation and climate-positive buildings.
Located on Western Wabanaki unceded territory in Maine's foothills, our landscape tells a story of erasure and opportunity. Settler colonialism deliberately destroyed sophisticated Indigenous systems: managed forests producing nuts and medicines, cultivated wetland fishponds, and productive corn and bean meadows. Today, the overgrown site reflects post-agricultural decline—tangled invasive species, diseased trees, and abandoned orchards.
Our restoration vision transforms this degraded land into a thriving biocultural landscape. We'll systematically remove invasive species like multiflora rose and Japanese barberry, then establish a food forest of native hardwoods, berry-producing shrubs, and revitalized fruit trees. Intensive vegetable gardens on improved soils, rotational grazing areas, and wildflower meadows will support both human programs and pollinator populations.
This demonstration project reconnects people to the land while honoring Indigenous knowledge. Restored walking paths invite direct interaction with the landscape, creating a model for biocultural regeneration across the region.
Project updates
Team
Location
Maine, United States