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| they're looking after God's land | The Star Phoenix | August 2, 2002 Sr. Marian Noll believes there is a spiritual significance to everything we do. That belief is one reason Noll is on the board of Earthcare Connections and the Genesis Land Conservancy, a project being conducted near Marysburg. She says the project is a good practical example of good stewardship and responsible care of the land. The Marysburg Project is the initiative of three religious
congregations: Benedictines, Sisters of St. Elizabeth of Humboldt, and
Ursuline Nuns of Bruno, all of whom were part of the former Abbacy or
parish of St. Peter’s in “The leadership of these three congregations has been meeting for quite a few years,” Noll says, “and were looking for a cutting edge project to put our energies and funds toward.” “With the Jubilee year approaching, there was a lot of talk about return to the land, return of the land, embracing values that are good for all living creation including human kind.” The idea that sparked the collective imagination of the leadership was creating a practical demonstration of good land stewardship. It had an appropriate spiritual aspect, as well. “After all,” Noll says, “the land, the earth, is a gift to us from God.” The project was also timely; farmers were just beginning to realize that diversification was the answer to optimizing their farm operations. According to Duane Guina, co-ordinator of Earthcare Connections
and the Genesis Land Conservancy, the premise of the project was to
create a “sustainable agriculture model based on moral and ethical
methods driven by spiritual conviction that could “The religious communities provided a small budget, which is good because it helps us stay close to the reality of what systematic change in farming is like.” The project operates near the village of Marysburg, north an east of Humboldt, on 13 acres of donated land plus an adjacent 50 acres of rented land. A straw bale-construction greenhouse on the site demonstrates alternate and low-cost building opportunities. The greenhouse is heated with both passive and active solar heat. “We will soon have floor heat through solar collection, as well,” Guina says. Water for the farm comes from a dugout that is equipped with solar aeration and pump-out. This, Guina says, adds ease to rotating cattle grazing patterns. The cattle herd is custom-grazed, and managed holistically. Herd size varies each year according to the condition of the pasture land. “We work with nature and assess the environmental and social impact of everything,” Guina says. “We only put on as many cattle as the grass can sustain.” Some of the land is in pasture, some is in alfalfa for livestock feed, some is in plots of medicinal herbs. The farm was growing echinacea for profit, but with markets reduced, Guina says the crop is mostly utilized locally. An orchard with saskatoons, apples, pears, and cherries is in the early stages, and a chokecherry and sea buckthorn shelterbelt will eventually do double-duty as sustenance for wildlife. Leafcutter bees thrive on 50 acres as of land, and are currently the farm’s mainstay in terms of income. It sells surplus bees as well as alfalfa seed produced as a result of bee pollination.
Guina says: “We don’t keep livestock year round because there is no one living on-site to look after them. But we are now actively looking for someone interested in this lifestyle who would be willing to live on the farm on a year-round basis.” Good stewardship, says Guina, is the Marysburg Project in a nutshell. “We have to learn to think in terms of use of the land, not ownership. The idea of ownership distorts the way we make decisions. It puts us under financial pressure. And a slong as we do that, environmental and social concerns will continue to haunt us.” The idea of good stewardship is nothing new for the 29-member Ursuline Order. “Four years ago, we took a corporate stance to revere God’s creation and take care of the earth,” Noll says. “We were already practising recycling, organic gardening, no chemicals, and using natural cleaning materials in the house. We could have chosen to be non-violent, or anti-nuclear, but as a group, we made this positive decision, and it is how we are becoming known.” Noll says the Ursulines’ position is deeper than just the earth. “It goes beyond to the people and items we deal with. It goes to all creation and embodies care, respect and love. We’re all part of creation. The earth is just the most concrete thing.” “Earth care is one of our ministries. I don’t separate what is considered spiritual from hands-on. Everything is spiritual because everything can lead to God.” She adds: “When I look at the creation story – not the Genesis story, but the scientific story, the Big Bang, and the star dust that resulted – I find it so amazing. We are made of the stardust. What could be more beautiful?”
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