Micro-Conservation + Human Connection

Creating Space for People Living wth Grief, Loss, and Trauma

You can help by spreading the word about our work, helping us fundraise, and getting in touch with us to be notified about upcoming work days and opportunities to visit the property.
There is a story that the Buddha was approached by a woman whose child had died, and she asked him to bring her beloved son back to life.  He agreed, but first she had to go and collect a mustard seed from a household that had not experienced such a loss.

She was hopeful, but soon discovered as she journeyed from house to house that her quest was not possible. Suffering is part of the human condition, and death touches all of us. 

We are in a time where loss and trauma abound, and we live in a culture that does not support healthy grieving. We use routine and productivity as our primary grief rituals, and we tend to grieve in isolation.

If grief lingers longer than it seems it should, referrals are given to clinicians who are trained to diagnose and treat mental illness. We equate grieving with sickness, not a normal rite of passage almost all of us will experience. 

There is another approach,
​one that gives people space, support, and time to process significant losses. ​
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Cecelia Shooner, 1949-2005
In 1999, my adoptive mother, who raised me from infancy, died due to complications associated with diabetes. In 2005, my birth mother died of suicide. Both were in their late 50s when they took their last breaths. After each of these losses, which happened when I was in my late twenties and mid-thirties, I hid most of my grief from those around me. 

As I approach 50 myself, I sense with all my being how young they really were when they died, and the pull I have to move my own life's purpose forward feels more urgent. That purpose includes creating a place in nature for people who need some support and space to grieve.

Inspired by the Care Farm Model: A Care Forest

Eight years ago, my spouse and I moved to a large parcel of Redwood forest directly adjacent to a 2,500 acre state park in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.

​There was no electricity, infrastructure for water, or structures. We have taken the property from absolute wild to mostly wild, building  a life we appreciate  in  a pair of tiny houses and several primitive camping areas.
I called this place Sarana Park from a Pali word that means "refuge."  It has certainly been that for us, and sharing the blessing of this land with others in an intentional way was always part of our plan. 

We've hosted friends who have camped here in the last few years, focusing on facilitating quiet, relaxing unplugged time away. 
Inspired by the care farm movement in the UK, research on the impact of nature on mood and stress and most recently the work of Dr. Joanne Cacciatore, I am moving forward with the creation of a private "care forest" for people who need some space to grieve.
​I am particularly interested in offering space to people who have lost a loved one to suicide.
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Gladys (aka Little Dog), our security force