Ground Party Papers - First Sunday of May 2024

In this issue…

<sub>1. Lifestyle - Foraging native desert flowers for homemade tea
2. Profile - “Blind Mike” the blind homesteader and opt-out builder
3. Public Surplus Auctions - Shipping containers, generators, and more
4. Arizona Politics - HB2097 the “septic opt out” bill gets amended
5. Water News - HB2021, HB2124, the politics of rural groundwater
6. Fight Me About It - An opinion piece about this or that
7. Alternative Building - Geopolymers: A Portland cement alternative?
8. Builder Inspo - Traditional “Hausa” adobe architecture in Niger
9. Opt-Out Politics - Cochise County Supervisor candidates and the upcoming County Comprehensive Plan
10. Rural News - People For The Playa group organizes against the Willcox Playa lithium mine project
11. Classifieds - Coming soon!
12. Double Click - Links and recommendations</sub>

Foraging Native Desert Flowers for Homemade Tea 

This good old desert starts to show off its beautiful flowers this time of year. If you want to spend more time in nature but also feel like you have to be productive 100% of the time (good luck with that), wildcrafting native flowers is the perfect excuse to spend some time appreciating mother nature. And then you’ll have an excuse to slow down even more and enjoy a cup of aromatic herbal tea.

Sponsored by

The Southwest Alternative Building Conference takes place on Saturday, May 18th, at the Geronimo Event Center in Rodeo, New Mexico. Speakers include Jonathan Longnecker, Jake Long, Craig McEwan, Rod Rylander, Nancy & Jeff Coker, Kern Collymore, James Hileman, Clay Greathouse, Richard Ward, and Joshua Schaa. Get your tickets here.

“Blind Mike” the Blind Homesteader and Opt-Out Builder

Let me introduce you to Blind Mike, the local homesteader who might win the Forest Gump Achievement Award for “I’ve done it all.” While his personal story is fun to tell, if you meet the guy you’ll quickly realize that his helpful heartedness is what defines him most of all. We sat down to chat the other day and he shared some of the details of his story.

Mike’s career started in the Navy, where he worked on weapons systems and helicopter rescue. After an injury he pivoted to technology, contributing to the development of Google Glass, then into graphic design, running his successful agency, Pegasus, and then became an animator for giants like Blizzard, Disney and Viacom, and then corporate communications at Swift Energy and Chevron, and then, and then, and then…
But as his vision deteriorated, Mike slowly grew tired of city life and corporate grind.

Blind Mike’s interest in alternative construction began during his “vacations” spent volunteering in places like Haiti and Guatemala where he assisted with building emergency shelters. For Mike this was an opportunity to get away from the blah-blah of city life and connect with people in a more immediate and hands-on way. He eventually signed up for Michael Reynolds’ Earthship workshop in New Mexico and a sandbag building workshop in Brazil. Soon his life would become a never-ending workshop/vacation hybrid.

Back home, Mike was over it. He didn’t like the anonymous pity he received as a blind guy trying to function in a big city. In 2018 he made the jump from high tech to high desert. With his wife and kids he went west, to Southeast Arizona, where he could better put his talents and problem-solving drive to use. Not long after that Mike’s parents joined the family property with aspirations to build their own alternative off-grid home.

On his new turf, Mike already has several alternative building projects underway. A geodesic dome for the parents has been erected, insulated, and painted. (“They say the paint job is violently pink.”) A hyperadobe dorm for his son awaits plastering and a roof. An ambitious hyperadobe earthship, built above a large root cellar, is the final boss build envisioned for the property. In the meantime, he and his family enjoy life in a collection of tiny homes and campers, along with their dog Xena (who helps Mike navigate around the property) and a flock of chickens.

Instead of urban pity parties, Mike now enjoys rural potlucks. As part of the “work party” community who get together regularly to help with construction projects, Mike finds a sense of camaraderie and mutual support, where he’s treated like anyone else and has plenty of opportunities to let his helping heart shine.

Check out Mike’s “Blind Homesteader” youtube channel here.

Public Surplus Auctions

Designer’s Challenge:

This lot is a few pallets with what looks to be at least 500 uniform metal box lids. What could be built with this? Flooring tiles for an earthen storage building? Siding for a garden wall? You tell me.

Auction ends May 6, 23:00 PM. Current price: $15.50

HB2097 “Septic Opt-Out” Bill Gets Amended 

The “Septic Opt-Out” bill has been on quite a journey. This legislation was conceived by James Rogers, a lawyer who bought land by the Grand Canyon and wanted to build an off-grid home. Discovering all of the regulatory hurdles for his vision, he got in touch with Rep. Parker and she sponsored his two bills, HB2096 and HB2097.

HB2096 would have essentially turned all of rural Arizona into an opt-out building state. On rural land of two acres or more, all one would need to do is sign an affidavit certifying that you’re building within code or with reasonably and safe methods and materials. This bill did not make it out of the House.

HB2097, however, passed and made its way to the Senate. In its original form, this bill would allow any home owner to recycle their kitchen sink/dishwasher water as gray water and, as long as the residence has no flush toilets, opt out of having a septic system. The ADEQ (Dept. of Environmental Quality) currently has authority to create rules for gray water recycling, but this bill would override their ability to do so. ADEQ did not support the bill because they would be held accountable to address any problems caused by kitchen gray water, but would have no ability to change or improve the rules. Similarly, HB2097 explicitly prohibits local governments (counties, cities) from creating ordinances which would prohibit kitchen gray water recycling, and most did not like having their hands tied in this way.

On the whole, the Democrats sided with the local governments and ADEQ and have objected to the bill. I have personally met with some influential Democrats in the legislature’s Natural Resources committee to discuss the bill and explain how helpful it would be for rural Arizonans. Subsequently, some of those Democrats voted to pass the bill through the committee and then came together with Republicans and ADEQ to discuss some amendments which everyone could agree on.

After discussions, Senator Kerr introduced amendments to the bill which give ADEQ a 2-year deadline to create their own rules for kitchen graywater recycling, which would allow for septic opt-out. When I spoke with Mr. Rogers (the bill writer), I suggested that the amendments include stipulations which allow ADEQ to create different rules for rural residents, since it makes sense for people in high-density population areas to have stricter rules on possible hazards. I was glad that they did incorporate this advice into the amendments:

It remains to be seen whether these amendments will gain the bill enough Democrat support to pass it and, importantly, have the Governor sign the bill. The Republicans currently hold a majority in the legislature and will typically pass all Republican-sponsored bills. However, the Governor will often veto those bills if they have zero support from Democrats. And that, my friends, is how the legislative sausage is made.

HB2021 and HB2124: The Politics of Rural Groundwater 

A big political battle ensues in Arizona over the future of rural groundwater management. The Republican-led legislature refused to accept bill proposals from the Governor’s Water Policy Council that would create a new alternative to Active Management Areas, called Rural Groundwater Management Areas. (Note: Our very own local farmer, Ed Curry, sits on the Governor’s Water Policy Council). Instead, Republicans Rep. Griffin and Senator Kerr introduced HB2021, which proposed the “Basin Management Area” concept as their own alternative to Active Management Areas.

HB2021 was widely panned by Democrat and Republican stakeholders alike. It seemed the biggest proponent for the bill was the Arizona Farm Bureau, a real estate insurance and lobbyist organization sometimes criticized for representing the interests of corporate agriculture over local and family farms. HB2021 was criticized as being designed to protect corporate agriculture from any reductions to their water usage.

HB2124 received similar criticisms. This bill would require the courts to award legal fees to a defendant merely on the basis that plaintiff is seeking to reduce the defendant’s water use, even if that water use is illegal, and even if the plaintiff wins their court case. Opponents of the bill claimed that it would egregiously deny average citizens their constitutional right to due process under the law, as it would be impossible for them to cover the legal fees of large corporate entities.

Fight Me About It: An Opinion Piece About This or That

Nav Athwal is a lawyer and the principal of TriNut Farms and TerraAg Ventures, an investment company from California which buys and builds agricultural real estate across multiple states to expand their investment portfolio. After the failure of a fin-tech real estate investment start up, Athwal moved into, with some success, the agricultural investment sector.

In 2022, Cochise County sent out a voter guide with public comments on Propositions 420 and 422, the AMAs for the Douglas and Willcox Basins. They included a comment submitted by Athwal which he signed as "Nav Athwal, Farmer, Pearce AZ." Athwal lives in California, not Arizona, And heading an investment firm that buys and develops agricultural real estate doesn't make you a farmer anymore than owning a bar makes you a bartender.

Opinion: Nav Athwal isn't a farmer and certainly isn’t a local farmer.
If you disagree, write in and I’ll always do my best to respond.

Geopolymers: A Portland Cement Alternative? 

What are geopolymers, why do they matter, and how do we get them?

Geopolymers are emerging as a promising alternative to Portland cement in all construction sectors, boasting similar or better compressive strength.

Some of the most common geopolymers can be found right here in Cochise County: fly ash and zeolites. Fly ash is a waste product of coal-fired energy production. The Apache Power Plant in Cochise (just north of Dragoon Rd on Route 191) stores their fly ash byproduct on site. Zeolites are a naturally occurring mineral. In the town of Bowie, just east of Willcox, there is a zeolite mine operated by St. Cloud Mining who markets their zeolites as geopolymers for cement.

Typically, geopolymers make the best cements when they are added to clay-rich soils. Fly ash and zeolites are not considered to be toxic as cement additives. Per ton, typical prices are $125 for zeolites, $93 for fly ash, and $132 for portland cement. Who will be the first adventurous builder to reach out to St. Cloud or Apache Station and secure some geopolymers? If it’s you, be sure to let the rest of us know how it goes.

Learn more at the Geopolymer Institute’s website: www.geopolymer.org

Builder Inspo: Traditional “Hausa” Adobe Architecture in Niger 

Set thine eyes upon the beautiful “Hausa” architecture of Niger, a traditional building approach with embossed adobe walls and sometimes highly colorful designs.

Cochise County Supervisor Candidates & the Upcoming County Comprehensive Plan

County Supervisors Anne English (District2) and Peggy Judd (District 3) are not running for reelection this year. District 1’s Tom Crosby is competing for another 4-year term. Here’s the competition:

District 1
Tom Crosby (R)
Theresa Walsh (D)
Clint Briseno (R)

District 2
Joni Giacomino (D)
Kathleen Gomez (R)
Mitch Lindemann (D)

District 3
Nancy Olmstead (R)
Patsy Nyberg (I)
Frank Antenori (R)
Joy Banks (D)
Sonia Gasho (R)
Jacob Kartchner (I)
Katie Miller (R)

I have already interviewed a few of the candidates and will be reaching out to all of them to get their views on opt-out permits, groundwater regulations, and general campaign platforms. The Ground Party Papers will give a comprehensive overview on all the candidates ahead of the elections.

It will be interesting to know what these candidates would like to see in the 2025-2035 Cochise County Comprehensive Plan which the supervisors will enact next year. The Comprehensive Plan is “a blueprint, or guide, for the conservation and development of lands and land uses in the County. It promotes orderly and well-planned future development throughout the unincorporated [i.e. rural] areas of the County.”

Perhaps rural homesteaders and alternative builders would have an interest in supporting County Supervisor candidates who would try to highlight the importance of opt-out permits in the upcoming Comprehensive Plan.

“People For The Playa” Group Organizes Against the Willcox Playa Lithium Mine Project 

The People For The Playa, headed by chair Joanne Seely, is a group of local residents in the Willcox basin rallying against the proposed lithium mine project on the Willcox Playa. Concerns include environmental impact, air quality, water usage, and the preservation of local wildlife habitats, urging an evaluation of the project's long-term effects on the community.

Keep up with their efforts and learn more about the proposed lithium mine here: peoplefortheplaya.com

Classifieds

Coming soon! Would you like to say something to your opt-out/homesteader community? Something for sale? Looking for help? Lost dog?
Reach out to the Ground Party Papers. Your first classified listing is free!

Double Click 

Learn more about edible native flowers here.

A video with more nerdy details about geopolymer chemistry.

Check out more images of Hausa architecture.

Cochise County’s 2024 Voter Guide.

Read the full text of the “Septic Opt Out” bill, HB2097.

You can submit a link to a video or website about homesteading or alternative building and we might include it in the next issue’s Double Click section.

The Ground Party Papers are issued every first and third Sunday of the month.

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Thanks for reading!