Land Purchase
Back in November of 2024, I completed the purchase of three acres in Arizona in order to move on to Phase 4: the construction of a larger habitat unit to support up to 8 adults. My initial zeal at acquiring the property was quickly quashed as I realized how much of a challenge it would be to develop on a flood plain. After much thought, in January 2025, I decided to acquire an additional adjacent 2 acres to the east that was well above the flood plain. As such, it not only is a better choice for the new hab, but the flood plain on the west serves as a buffer between me and future neighbors, and there is state land on the east, preventing development on that side, at least for a while.
Since the second purchase, I now have 5 acres to work with. In early March, I had a 40′ shipping container delivered and was able to consolidate all the materials and tools I have been collecting for this next project. In the time since the purchase, I have begun construction on a water retention/riparian preserve within the flood plain area. When rains do occur, the plan is to have a float driven pump fill my reservoirs.
Exhibition: Tucson Festival of Books-Science City
I spent the weekend of March 15, 2025 in Tucson at the annual Science City exhibition of the MASH. As usual the tours wowed everyone. I was exhausted at the close, but heartened as I am further fine tuning the message of the MASH.
Progress on the Homestead
This past year, the driveways have been cleared and packed. The roadbed providing access to the property has been cleared, packed and smoothed. Solar path lights have been installed. I completed integration of 4 IBC totes as my primary water cache. Two now serve as my grey water catch from the RV. And the other two receive fresh water when I make runs. Eventually, I will have the recycling/filtration system running from the gray water to the fresh tank. The four totes will provide slightly more than 1000 gallons of water storage. I use a 55 gallon plastic barrel in the car that to haul water as needed to resupply. Additionally, a compost pile has been initiated, and a burn barrel put in place to complete my preparations on the homestead. I now have a water supply, with grocery and fuel nearby, and proper waste handling. In an effort to bolster night-time energy stability,
I have added a wind turbine in the hopes of supplementing, particularly at night. I’m watching to see if it works.
Phase 4 Progress
In The MASH: I began planting my first Production Garden in the MASH. Prior plantings have been explorations to determine what I could grow, and hopefully identify pitfalls. This new iteration fills the garden space, the planting pads in the Marsh, and I added 12 new quail, an incubator and brooder, and 30 new tilapia. I plan to develop the breeding process this summer.
And finally, I will be initializing all 4 algae tubes and the latest iteration of the BSFL/worm solid waste processor by the end of February 2026.
Scaling the Architecture: While architectural plans are being developed, I plan to construct a hoop house as a way to demonstrate how to scale the architecture I have developed in the MASH. I found a 20ft greenhouse kit on Amazon, and will order it this week.
Travel: I am looking at a new tour this year, travelling about and exhibiting the MASH, and sharing the development of the Farm-In-A-Box. I have purchased my ticket for the Analog Astronaut Conference, and submitted an abstract to present the full Ecological System Architecture in a talk in May.