Schedule
July 16–20, 2026 · Synergia Ranch · Santa Fe, NM
Thursday
July 16
Afternoon
Arrivals
Check in and settle in at the ranch
4:30–5:15 pm
Historical Tour of the Ranch
Social, Dance Studio5:30–6:00 pm
Toasts & Welcome Speech
Social, Dance StudioRounds of introductions
6:00–7:00 pm
Dinner
Meal, Dining HallFriday
July 17 — Day 1
8:00–8:45 am
Breakfast
Meal, Dining Hall9:00–9:15 am
Opening Water Ceremony
CeremonyAll participants bring water to add to a shared vessel. Prayer and communal mixing to open the conference.
9:15–9:45 am
Walk Through Arroyos and Orchard
9:45 am
Opening Speech
10:00–11:00 am
Water is Life: Cultivating Roots, Connections, and Movement
Keynote, Dance StudioJan-Willem Jansens, Ecotone Landscape Planning
Inaugural keynote
11:00–11:15 am
Break
11:15 am–12:15 pm
Wild Plants, Herbs and Churro Sheep
Keynote, Dance Studio12:15–1:15 pm
Lunch
Meal, Dining Hall1:30–2:15 pm
Botanical Walk
2:15–3:00 pm
Growing Resilience Through Trees For Food and Fodder
Keynote, Dance Studio3:00–5:00 pm
Practical Breakout Sessions
Breakout, Dance Studio- →Building Erosion Control Structures — Jan-Willem Jansens
- →Movement and Metaphor, Body as Earth — Kristin Swiat
- →Biochar in Practice — James Skeet, Spirit Farm
5:00–5:30 pm
Tea & Personal Time
5:30–6:00 pm
Free time and Socializing
6:00–7:00 pm
Dinner — Dining Hall
Meal, Dining Hall7:30–8:30 pm
Poetry Session "Flow"
Social, Geo Dome8:30–9:45 pm
Music and Dance at Dome
Social, Geo DomeSaturday
July 18 — Day 2
8:00–8:45 am
Breakfast
Meal, Dining Hall9:00–9:45 am
Optional Morning Sessions
Breakout, Dance Studio- →Nature Walk in the Arroyos
- →Checking in on Work Done in Practical Sessions
10:00–11:00 am
Bio Cosmology and the Use of Biochar
Keynote, Dance Studio11:00 am–12:00 pm
Indigenous Decentralised Water Management and River Revival
Keynote, Dance Studio12:15–1:15 pm
Lunch
Meal, Dining Hall1:30–2:30 pm
We Are The Land and Waters
Keynote, Dance Studio3:00–5:00 pm
Breakout Sessions
Breakout, Dance Studio- →Building Erosion Control Structures — Jan-Willem Jansens
- →Movement and Metaphor, Body as Earth — Kristin Swiat
- →Biochar in Practice — David Sundberg, Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute
- →Herbal Preparations — Joyce Skeet
5:00–5:30 pm
Tea & Personal Time
5:30–6:00 pm
Free time and Socializing
6:00–7:00 pm
Dinner — Dining Hall
Meal, Dining Hall7:30–7:45 pm
"The Municipal Abattoir"
Social, Geo DomeChili Hawes · Dave Neita
A rare, politically charged one-act play written in the late 1960s, exploring themes of totalitarianism and the loss of individual free will.
7:45–9:15 pm
Music concert "We Belong to the Land" by Moonshine
Social, Geo Dome9:15–10:15 pm
Music and Dance at Dome
Social, Geo DomeSunday
July 19 — Day 3
8:00–8:45 am
Breakfast
Meal, Dining Hall9:00–9:45 am
Optional Morning Session
Breakout, Dance Studio- →Nature Walk in the Arroyos
- →Checking in on Work Done in Practical Sessions
10:00–11:00 am
Step by lucky Step
Keynote, Dance Studio11:00 am–12:00 pm
Restoring Eden: A Demonstration Project Challenging the "Waste Water" Paradigm and Celebrating Sustainable Cultures
Keynote, Dance Studio12:00–1:00 pm
Beyond the Liquid: Architectural Responses to the States and Crises of Water
Keynote, Dance Studio1:00–2:00 pm
Lunch
Meal, Dining Hall2:15–3:00 pm
Water is Life: Pushing Back Against the Commodification of Water in New Mexico and Building Community Capacity of Stewarding Water Resources in Increasingly Arid Environments
3:00–5:00 pm
Breakout Sessions
Breakout, Dance Studio- →Movement and Metaphor, Body as Earth — Kristin Swiat
- →Building Erosion Control Structures — Jan-Willem Jansens
5:00–5:30 pm
Tea & Personal Time
5:30–6:00 pm
Free time and Socializing
6:00–7:00 pm
Dinner — Dining Hall
Meal, Dining HallMonday
July 20 — Departure
7:30 am
Early Breakfast Buffet
Meal, Dining Hall8:00 am
Check-out of Rooms
Please have rooms cleared by 8:00 am