We didn't wait for a digger.
The extreme drought has hardened the ground to stone. With the many wildfires in recent times, we also felt it irresponsible to use a digger now. The landscape is beautiful and almost reminds us of a steppe climate, but it demands new solutions.
Even with a ground auger we couldn't break through the soil. So we decided to dig all the holes by hand. Digging one hole takes about an hour. After that we drive the post into the ground using an old-fashioned technique, because the soil is full of stones. In total we need to dig about 40 holes. That means roughly 40 hours of manual work, mostly in the burning sun.
But we've completed the first section!
In the coming years we want to gradually adapt this land to our changing climate. We'll plant more trees, create natural shade and grow edible shrubs. This way we're building a sustainable living environment for our rescued animals, even during increasingly hot summers.
The drought also means much less grass grows here, and we have to buy far more hay. That's an enormous cost.
That's precisely why your support means so much to us. Thanks to your help we can keep building step by step towards a safe, green and sustainable forever home for all our rescued animals.
