How we care for streams, soils, and watersheds shapes the resilience of our landscapes and communities for generations.
This two-day, immersive workshop is for land stewards, conservation and restoration professionals, students, and community members to learn low-tech, process-based restoration practices that slow water, reduce erosion, and restore ecological function.
Through a blend of classroom learning and hands-on field practice, participants will:
Explore how in-stream rock structures, beaver dam analogues (BDAs), and post-assisted log structures (PALs) can restore natural hydrology.
Learn to “read the landscape” and design interventions that respond to the cues of water, sediment, and vegetation.
Gain practical skills in revegetation strategies, earthworks for water harvesting, and ongoing ecological monitoring.
Experience projects already underway at Jalama Canyon Ranch and leave with knowledge you can apply on your own land or in your professional practice.
Beyond technical skills, this workshop connects you to a broader movement of land and water stewards dedicated to restoring watersheds and strengthening ecological resilience.
LEAD FACILITATORS
Brenton Kelly | Watershed Stewardship & Advocacy Director, Quail Springs Permaculture
Brenton Kelly brings more than 30 years of hands-on experience in land regeneration, ecological design, and regenerative agriculture to this workshop. After earning a BA in Environmental Studies & Studio Art at UCSB, Brenton spent a decade managing 30+ acres of organic public open space, including a vernal-pool restoration project. He later co-owned and operated Island Seed & Feed, influencing a generation of sustainable land stewards through low-impact gardening and compost-based systems.
Since 2008 Brenton has served at Quail Springs in California’s Cuyama Valley, advancing food-production systems, cultivating outreach programs, and guiding students and practitioners in the philosophies of hillside keyline design, contour earthworks, and process-based watershed restoration. His work is firmly rooted in mimicking natural patterns and processes, and he credits mentors such as Bill Zeedyk and Craig Sponholtz for inspiring his approach.
In this workshop, Brenton will lead Day 1’s sessions on rock-structure installation, watershed literacy and hydrology, and “reading the landscape.” His expertise will guide participants through designing and building low‐tech stone features (such as One-Rock Dams and Zuni Bowls) and interpreting channel form, sediment dynamics, and flow‐paths in working landscapes.
Audrey Taub | SLO Beaver Brigade
Audrey Taub is the Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo Beaver Brigade, a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in February of 2020. Audrey grew up on the banks of the Hudson River in NY State. She has a Masters Degree in Mathematics from SUNY Potsdam and studied nature education at the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, WA. In 2005, she moved to San Luis Obispo County where she lives with her husband and 3 children. In 2020, she founded the SLO Beaver Brigade after a discussion about what we each could do to contribute to climate regeneration. Supporting the beavers in our county was our answer to that question.
Cooper Lienhart | Nature’s Engineers
Cooper Lienhart is a dedicated restoration practitioner rooted in the California Central Coast, where he founded Nature’s Engineers — the first process-based restoration firm in the region. Created in 2023, the company is committed to “restoring long-term health to our rivers and streams”.
With a B.S. in Environmental Management & Protection from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Cooper has worked since 2020 with the SLO Beaver Brigade to educate and engage communities about the critical role of beavers in climate-resilient landscapes.
Cooper brings hands-on expertise in designing and installing more than 500 Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) and headcut-repair projects across Western watersheds.
In this workshop he will lead Day 2, guiding participants through brush gully stuffing and headcut repair techniques, as well as a lecture on Process-Based Restoration and creek-walk discussions on BDA placement.
His focus is on educating and empowering land stewards to apply low-tech, ecologically grounded interventions that mimic beaver engineering, reconnect hydrology, and restore landscape function.
Jesse Smith | White Buffalo Land Trust
Jesse is the Director of Land Stewardship and is guiding the development of the Jalama Canyon Ranch as well as working with local and global leaders to broaden and deepen the positive impact of regenerative agriculture on our soil, our health, and our communities. His passion and expertise in agricultural system design and community engagement are a cornerstone of our strategy to achieve a systemic shift towards a regenerative food economy and ecology.
Workshop Details
Duration: Two full days (9:00 AM–4:00 PM)
Format: Mix of lectures, field walks, and hands-on restoration work
Meals: Farm-to-table lunch provided both days
Optional: Overnight camping available on site for $25
Cost: The training cost is $475 USD and includes instruction, materials, and locally sourced, delicious lunches each day.
Limited scholarships are available. FOR INQUIRIES & QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT OUR PROGRAMS TEAM AT PROGRAMS@WHITEBUFFALOLANDTRUST.ORG