The year was 2018. Linn Williams had just graduated and was contemplating the concept of a “real job.” That’s when Williams’ friend Carolin showed her an episode of “Homebuddies” featuring Arcosanti.
Then living in Norway, Williams and her friend were immediately intrigued. Williams signed up to do a landscaping internship, while Carolin opted for the archives internship.
“We both share an interest in alternative living and architecture, and I was also drawn to the sustainability side of it,” said Williams of Arcosanti. After their internships ended, Carolin returned to Norway. However, Williams stayed on since she has dual citizenship. “I fell in love with the community and the people, so I chose to stay. I’ve been living at Arcosanti on-and-off for the past five years and most recently moved back in October of last year. But I’ve stayed in Arizona the whole time, living in Flagstaff and Prescott Valley, as well.”
Today, Williams serves as the Land Stewardship Manager at Arcosanti, where she oversees the 860 acres of private land owned by The Cosanti Foundation. This is a natural fit, since Williams has been interested in animals and nature her whole life. She grew up watching “Croc Files” and “The Crocodile Hunter” with Steve Irwin, as well as Jeff Corwin on Animal Planet. So inspired by Irwin, Williams even did a semester abroad in Australia.
(Photo credits: Left: provided by Linn Williams, Right: Jen Thornton)
“Growing up in Norway also shaped my respect and love for nature, as we would always be outside on hikes or at the beach,” Williams said. “After high school, it was a no-brainer for me to get a Bachelor of Science, but it was a little trickier deciding which master’s degree to get as they get more specific.”
Williams began a Taxonomy & Systematics Master’s Program, but quickly found out that she was more interested in the broader aspect of ecology than on the DNA-level of species identification. She dropped out after six months and instead applied to a Master’s in Ecology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).
“Here, I got to travel to Uganda for my thesis work, studying the feeding preference of giraffes,” she said. “I was there for two and a half months following giraffes around Lake Mburo National Park. It was amazing.”
Now at Arcosanti, she chronicles the plants and animals that live here through plant identification and wildlife cameras. And she still gets very exciting about wildlife. ( “We recently spotted a bear on one of our cameras!” she said.)
Pictured: Images of a gray fox, red-tailed hawk, coatimundi, and a bobcat documented by our wildlife cameras.
“I am also working on an ecological restoration project here at Arcosanti,” she added. “We have secured an NRCS grant and the main goal is to reduce the amount of invasive species and increase the amount of native species on site. We will be removing stands of the invasive tamarisk (also known as salt cedar) and giant reed that we have growing here. The project is also focusing on excluding cattle from the Agua Fria river as they cause immense damage such as soil erosion and water pollution, and they harm the vegetation growth.”
In addition, new wildlife-friendly fencing will keep the cattle out of the river and they will do pole planting of cottonwoods and willows this February and March. This process involves harvesting “poles” or six- to 10-foot-long branches of cottonwoods and willows in the winter when they’re dormant. Then, they will drill holes along the river bank until they reach the water table and plant the poles so they are in contact with the water.
Harvesting poles from native cottonwood and willow trees to plant along the Agua Fria river. (Photo credit: Ana Catalina)
“Cottonwoods and willows can be propagated in water, so these poles will, ideally, grow roots and then grow into trees,” Williams explained. “This will ensure that new trees are present to replace the old trees when they die. Riparian habitat is extremely valuable and important in the dry Southwest, making up less than 0.5% of Arizona yet 70% of our wildlife depends on it.”
As Arcosanti’s Land Stewardship Manager, Williams is also part of the Land Use Master Planning Infrastructure (LUMPI) committee. This committee ensures that anything they do on this land is done so in an environmentally-conscious way.
“In August, I also led a mesquite harvesting class where we harvested mesquite pods, prickly pear pads and fruits and made a delicious lunch with these desert foods,” Williams said of her many facets of concentration at Arcosanti. “This was to engage people with the local environment and show that there are more ways than one to steward a land. Building a relationship is the start to stewarding a land. You need to get to know it first.”
Most recently, Williams developed the Land Stewardship and Sustainability Technology (LaSST) workshop with Scott Riley in August of this year.
Photo montage of our Land Stewardship Workshop. (Photo credits: top right: Ana Catalina)
“I wanted to lead a workshop this spring, but with a collaborative effort and a project to work on. I brought up my idea to Scott Riley and he was eager to participate and lead a section of the workshop, along with Dr. Sparks, our seasonal electrician,” Williams explained. “Together, we came up with a workshop and project that combines different aspects of sustainability. Working on and fixing up the bioswale and updating our rainwater collection system will combine growing your own food (fruit trees in this workshop), harvesting rainfall and solar PV into a fun, hands-on and educational workshop.”
According to Williams, one of the main goals of the workshop is to ensure that participants can take the skills they learn during the program and utilize them at home. The workshop is focused on the value and scarcity of water. Attendees will learn about how to harvest and use rainfall to their advantage, from digging infiltration basins to planting and watering a rain garden.
“I hope the attendees leave with a higher respect and gratitude for nature, and that will carry over to other aspects and inspire them to become more sustainable,” Williams said. “I hope that they leave inspired and understand that there are simple steps they can take to become more sustainable, but also the importance of becoming more self-reliant and willingness to learn more about their local ecosystem.”
The workshop will cover several subjects such as climate change and how people can prepare for these predicted changes and challenges. Williams emphasizes this information is not meant to scare people but instead to illustrate the resiliency of nature and how humans can help facilitate and conserve the desert landscape and the wildlife.
“Arcosanti is an urban laboratory and everyone is invited to join and work with us,” said Williams in summary. “Attendees will also live and integrate with the Arcosanti community. It truly is a unique experience.”
Author: Molly Smith | Layout: Jen Thornton | Photos: Ana Catalina, Jen Thornton
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