CONTEXT GROUP
We specialize in business planning, due diligence, and conservation management around land development (recreation, agriculture, mixed-industries; public and private sectors) with an emphasis on old fashioned sustainability. We work directly with property owners, CEOs, Executive Directors, and project managers, and lean on a network of sub-contractors, 3rd party vendors, and project partners to get the job done.
Looking down from Columbia Hills State Park on 'Rain Shadow Ridge', a 30 acre house and campsite acreage overlooking Swale Canyon in Klickitat County, WA.
Worked with owner to develop turn-key camping and sustainable living plan for rare grassland/native oak forest property - February 2022
View of Mt. Hood from central spot of planned Intensive Vegetable Production area located on 20 acre flatland. Surrounding pasture is 90+ acres completely fenced in. Carbon Farm seeks to attract regenerative farm-steaders to graze and manage the land for profit, ecological gain, and public learning/recreation.
Concept map for Land Access Project, a nonprofit that connects farmers with affordable and sustainable farm land. Pilot initiative focused on Mt. Hood Farm.
SOLUTIONS
Solutions hinge on different values around potential project actions. Each are abstracted examples from previous projects.
BIODIVERSITY: design and develop complimentary native habitats in forest, field, and wetland verge (low-production strips, groves, hills, gaps) = earned conservation revenue, enhance recreation values, value-added tourism or private wildlife experiences.
ECONOMY: research, design, plan, and develop accessory dwellings/structures and infrastructure for additional workforce, family, and rental accommodations = increased labor potential for working lands and complimentary revenue streams for allowed uses.
CARBON: assess carbon sequestration potential and secure best contracts for carbon credits = high per acreage earnings for forests, crop and grass lands.
WATER: create water use and conservation plans ranging from large-scale irrigation and storage projects (lakes, ponds, courses) to dispersed strategies like key-lining, cover cropping, and conservation irrigation (watering restoration plantings).
FOOD: develop actionable farm & ranch plans and provide management support = cut-through-the red tape and R&D of start-up or transition to organic, and make considerably more money from agricultural activities.
BEAUTY and SUSTAINABILITY: form follows function, wabi-sabi (侘寂), and pattern languages inform efficient designs = greater overall aesthetics and resilience of the land.
We work with you
We leverage skills based in decades of operations leadership, landscape scale management, and the perpetual head scratching that comes from figuring out a range of land development, operational, and project management challenges.
We also manage the relationships with all subs, 3rd party vendors, and any other key actors in the process (government officials, etc.).
We know when to draw it on a napkin and when to hire the architects.
Simple Process
Review Owner/Manager Goals (financial, business, ecology, land use, etc.)
Review the current site for opportunities to meet goals
Create functional site development plans (see 'Regenerative Site Design' below)
Advise or manage the implementation of recommendations
Engagement Types
Small Consultation
Create a Site Map and Generative Master Plan Draft of a target property of 10 acres or more.
Both a Site Map and Generative Master Plan can be used for permitting, financing, grant getting, and other next steps in developing a land project. We build it for Google Earth or Map, but it can be used in any major GIS platform. Both documents will also form the base of additional work if you decide to continue. Large 'write in the rain' paper and laminated copies included.
Regenerative Site Design
Are you looking for new practices and affordable improvements to green your property and earn more money per acre?
We bring decades of farm, forest, and recreation land management to craft a solution and strategy for your land project. Each of us have owned and managed land that is either heavily protected with conservation regulations or operates adjacent to sensitive lands. We know what sustainability and real regeneration looks like, and partly because we have worked within and at the edge of wild areas. We've seen the ultimate model of sustainability, wild nature, and continue to watch and learn.
This means we create maps, strategic and business plans, and direct action templates and proforma with an overriding bend towards sustainability. We call it Regenerative Site Design for convenience, but it can also be thought of as 'Mindful Design,' or in the words of one farmer friend, 'Pay Attention.'
Practically speaking, Regenerative Site Design first evaluates your property's current land practices and condition, and depending on your goals, values, and needs, devises a 'design' to execute your vision. We can work beyond the design phase, but you can also take it and work with it on your own and with your own vendors and design ideas.
We'll lead development of innovative practices and cost-effective improvements to regenerative the land while it remains accessible to farming, forestry, recreation and other enterprises that when done right fit right, or old fashion 'bush fixes' (DIY, counter intuitive and often cheap solutions to vexing and remote land problems).
Custom Consulting & Implementation
Tired of jargon? Afraid of another dust-gathering plan? Not sure where to start with your project? Need a peer-level partner to manage a large and complex project with many contractors?
We have hired consultants for decades. Sometimes it didn't go so well, and it almost always seemed to revolve around ROI. What am I getting with this service?
When we custom consult we go where you want to go. Research, planning, action, review, operations. We work in focused periods to get things done, and lean on maps, math, legal and technical language, design concepts and deep insights into sustainable land planning and practice across a host of conservation, recreation and working land operations.