Campus

A place where time is infinite and we hold the earth sacred

Our Campus

We will let the land and the campus speak for themselves; join us on a short Campus Tour. 

Environmental Statement

Ardantane is nestled between three mesas in the Red Rocks area just south of Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Our 27 acres are adjacent to 57,000+ acres of the Jemez National Recreation Area, part of the 1.5 million-acre Santa Fe National Forest. Surrounded as we are by Nature’s awesome presence, we are proud to be stewards of this precious piece of Her beauty. We take this stewardship seriously, and are striving to live and be present on this land as reverently and sustainably as possible. To this end we have already taken steps to live in harmony with the four elements.

EARTH

• What little topsoil we have is extremely alkaline, so we focus on supporting native plants that can tolerate it. The only exceptions are rosemary and iris, which seem to be the only non-native plants our local rodents will not eat. All other attempts at planting flowers or vegetables have been accepted by the rodents as a generous salad bar!
• The stem wall of the dome is made of Rastra: 85% recycled polystyrene and 15% concrete, reinforced with rebar and an interior concrete lattice. It has an R-value of approximately 30. The infill panels of the geodesic dome are composed of several layers of structural and insulative materials, with a combined effective R-value of approximately 24. This keeps the dome at a fairly comfortable temperature year-round, requiring a small heater in the winter and fans in the summer.
• To avoid putting pesticides into the local wildlife food chain, we use electronic traps for mice and packrats (we do live in the country—they were here first), which kills them instantly and without poison. We take the remains out to “mouse rock,” and leave them as a snack for local snakes, hawks, ravens, coyotes, foxes, or other scavengers.
• Speaking of scavengers, and all the other critters that walk and fly at Ardantane, we are an official Wildlife Habitat, recognized by the National Wildlife Federation. To encroach as little on these furred, feathered, and scaled neighbors, we limit our buildings to about an acre, leaving the other 26 mostly wild, with marked paths and the occasional circle, shrine, or labyrinth as our only mark. We do not allow hunting, and ask that visiting hikers stay on the marked trails.

WATER

• We have a 350-foot well of clean water that we test periodically. It has always tested well within safe limits for drinking water.
• Our state-of-the-art water treatment system works by the action of a colony of busy microbes whom we admire and support by using only biodegradable, non-toxic shampoo, body wash, and soap. It cleans all of our gray- and black-water, and irrigates our “oasis,” a garden of volunteer horehound which we tend, harvest, dry, and give away as a natural, effective remedy for upper-respiratory-tract illness.
• Our Land Care Coordinator is overseeing the creation of dozens of small catchment dams to slow runoff, and thus slow the erosion of our precious topsoil.

FIRE

• Because this area is prone to extreme fire danger, our fire circle is in a 25-foot diameter bare-earth clearing. We always abide by county fire limits and always and only burn with a county burn permit, following all county burn-safety protocols.

AIR

• We are blessed with clean air, except occasionally when there is a forest fire nearby.

In the Planning Stages

• Go solar. Soon. We hope.
• Possibly install a rainwater catchment system on each building—there are pros and cons to this.

Other ideas are welcome; contact us at info@ardantane.org.