Aquarius Ranch - Hinkley CA Hinkley - Volunteers Base - Free Volunteering and Work Exchange Opportunities.

Location: Hinkley, CA, United States

Southeastern California in Mojave Desert. Start March 2010. See ranch description in this directory. Duties:
Animal care--feeding and watering dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, geese, horses. Moving manure to compost piles and garden beds. Animal enclosure maintenance. Gardening-- assisting with sowing food crop seeds, weeding, composting, harvesting, pruning, transplanting. Also setting up, repairing and running simple drip irrigation systems. Maintenance for 2 small greenhouses. Building and maintenance--constructing, installing and repairing fences and gates; repairing broken tool handles and flat cart tires. Sheds and trailers need roof leak patching. Light plumbing skills needed for trailers and house. Flood control. Maintain and drive manual shift 1959 International Harvester truck with various trailers. Maintain and operate small gas driven rototiller and a chipper as no one here can start either one. We also have flooring and wall paneling projects inside house for times weather is too bad to go outside. Superadobe dome construction--we will instruct you in this. See Cal-Earth website. Electrical--Can you do simple wiring? Can you install a small DC 12 volt solar system to light a travel trailer? Supervising -- interns in learning animal care, gardening, building, superadobe. There may also be other duties, activities and projects for you to do. Personal Traits: Willing to learn our methods and routines. Good interpersonal skills as a member of the team. Positive attitude, enjoy meeting and working with new people and foreign guests. Able to live in extremes of weather: summers over 110 degrees, winters as low as 10 degrees, some windy days up to 55 mph with blowing sand each year, occasional rain followed by clay mud. However, we do not go outside to work in severe weather extremes for long periods. This is a vegetarian, healthy living ranch. Need a healthy, strong person, who can lift 50 lb feed bags. No environmental allergies, like dust, pollen, feathers, or cat hair. Smoking, meat, alcohol and drugs are not allowed here. Host is a vegan, yogi, meditator so we prefer team members with a similar lifestyle.
Work Schedule: Five to six hours a day, 5 days a week. Work most weekends when host and manager absent. Short trial period initially to see how you like it here and how we think you fit in.
Benefits: You may bring your own travel trailer or stay in one of ours. Grid electric and well water provided. Vegetarian food provided, some organic, mostly pesticide free, ranch produce available in season. Group meals in volunteers trailer. Many power and hand tools here. Fifty dollars a week to start, paid every 2 weeks. Pay increases possible. Opportunities to go off ranch with group to events, tours, classes, field trips, shopping. Satellite internet, TV, DVDs. Instruction in organic gardening, irrigation, and animal care as needed, but prefer some experience in these areas.