Base Mapping Week 2

Cristie Kenney

Process

Initially I thought I would use Google Earth to create my basemap.

As the property is heavily wooded, many of the details were obscured which limited my ability to use it as a resource.

While I wasn’t able to use it to create my entire basemap, I was able to measure the overall boundaries and get a better idea of the surrounding areas.

I was also able to locate some common lands that we share with neighbors that I have never had the chance to visit.

ProcessI used an assessor’s map from the purchase of the house to begin mapping the property.

I used a protractor and an engineer rule to transfer the property map to the 16x20 paper.

I also used a sketch I had done last week for comparison. It was not to scale, but included many of the components that I needed to include on the map.

ProcessIt was fairly simple to create the outline of my map. I had all the measurements that I needed.

I used the 1:20 scale, but still needed to use 2 sheets of the 16x20 paper.

After I made the initial outline of the property, I ventured out with my new 100 ft. tape measure and did some exploring.

ProcessI was surprised at how long it too me to walk the property and take measurements. It took several hours broken up over several days.

I enlisted the help of my children and we had a good time walking the property and exploring things.

I knew that our house is situated at the back of our property but I was surprised to learn how close it is to the property line. Currently there is a shed that the previous owner’s erected sitting on our neighbor’s property, as well as our play set and our trampoline.

What I learned

Walking the property lines was valuable. Our property line is actually right in front of the bottom of that slide - behind the chicken. (Oops!)

The “squatter” shed is pictured as well. There are acres of woods between us and the neighbor that owns the property so it isn't currently a problem. Something to keep in mind if one of us decides to sell in the future.

I have been really focusing on the pastures and the open lands in my grandiose plans. I realized as I was walking the property that there were quite a few places that I hadn’t considered with potential.

What I learned

The bottom right picture is of the “secret garden.” I would like to restore it to it’s former glory at a minimum. There are concord grape vines over the arbor and inside there are a mix of berry bushes and plants and a small ornamental pond. It was extremely overgrown when we moved here and it has been rather low on my priority list but I am rethinking that.

There are 3 beds in the front yard that contain a variety of herbs, flowers, berry bushes and poison ivy. They are also really overgrown. My husband and I have been in conflict over what to do about them. He is a clean slate kind of a guy and wants to rip everything out and start new. (Insert my gasp of horror here) As overwhelming as it is, because of labor and because of my limited knowledge of the plants, I want to work on it little by little and make it useful and beautiful. (Numerous “name that plant” posts to follow on the “Your Homestead News and Ideas” discussion board.

ChallengesDownloading and using Google Earth was challenging. It didn’t work the way I was hoping and expecting it to. I did find it useful in some ways but I couldn’t rely on it to create my map. While I grumbled a bit about having to try and measure 6 acres with 6 children, a dog, and a bunch of chickens following me, I learned some things about this property that I wouldn’t have known otherwise.

I had some problems getting into the deeper wooded areas. I was able to walk the trails into the wooded parts but didn’t fight my way into the brush.

The overall size of my property proved to be challenging for this activity. We have easements for our driveway and things that are not on our actual property but that I needed to keep in mind. I could not find the marker post at the top of the driveway to note where the property line was there. I got an approximate idea from the maps I used and I remember my neighbor pointing it out to me…several times.

Sectors

Wind: We are at the top of a hill and we have tremendous wind here. I am assuming that is where the name “Windy Oaks” came from. Thus far the wind has been a negative. Blowing garbage, down branches and trees, and bringing cold air in through the windows. (That is a whole other issue!) I would like to try and turn our windy location into a positive and utilize the wind energy but I am still thinking it through. It would be hard to get my husband on board and the initial costs seem high. I know windmills and turbines can also be dangerous to some birds and wildlife.

Sun: Our larger pastures and our front yard get full sun all day. We have talked about having solar panels installed but as I was walking the grounds, I realized that I have plenty of room and sunlight for a greenhouse set up.

Water: There is a pond on my property but it is in a shared location at the bottom of the hill we live on and it isn’t really useful to anyone except the beavers, ducks, turtles, frogs, and mosquitoes that live there. I may spend some time down there trying to think of ways it can be a resource but at the moment it is not on my radar. We are not far from a pretty major river. Several years ago the river flooded and our yard was impacted. We did not live here but I have seen pictures. This is something to be mindful of as we go through the design process.

SectorsFire: I wouldn’t say that fire is a major concern here but we are in a wooded area and every now and again when I drive through town the Big Smokey the Bear sign tells me that Fire Danger is High so it is something to take note of.

Cold/Snow: We had an incredible amount of snow this winter. Keeping clear paths to the animals and making sure they had clean and unfrozen water was sometimes challenging. Our outdoor water freezes in the winter and it is not usable. We are still trying to find a better solution because filling multiple buckets of water in my kitchen and trekking them out to the animals through 4 feet of snow is not very efficient (or enjoyable).

ThoughtsI am excited and inspired by what I have read and observed. I have already identified some things I would like to implement or change. The concept of chickens depositing their manure directly into the soil and spreading it out in the Needs-and-Yields section appealed to me. (Admittedly it was the avoiding shoveling out the chicken coop that appealed to me). My chickens are currently free ranging my property but I would love to get them to branch out from my backyard and porch to the pastures. I have been brainstorming ways to keep the chickens safe, continue to allow them to forage, and minimize my efforts in the process.

My idea of what farming is supposed to look like has changed as well. “The edge is where the action is” really spoke to me. I have been looking at my large sunny pastures and concentrating my plans regarding livestock and gardens to those locations. I am starting to look at the wooded areas in a new way and I am excited about the idea of integrating them into my plan.

ThoughtsI printed the site evaluation questionnaire and checklist and filled it out as I walked the property. It helped me to focus my ideas and understand what I am working with and how to prioritize my goals. I learned some interesting things too! Apparently my town is built over a long extinct volcano.

I am overwhelmed by how much there is to do. Looking at the patterns on our homestead helped me to see that while I was trying to start small and not overwhelm myself, I was really making things more challenging by adding elements incrementally and looking at them individually. I have started to look at the big picture of what I really want to achieve and work backwards while recognizing which things work together and are necessary for unity.