Steven Nevetsen

Ongoing Project

A few years ago, I purchased a piece of property in Central Washington in the hopes of building a small cabin and eventually turning it into a homestead. After spending a few days camping out here in the summer of 2022, the project I had originally envisioned quickly changed. My goal for this project became this: I want to plant 115 trees. The reason behind the number 115 is that it reflects the highest temperature that myself along with friends and family have experienced out here so far. To date, I have planted 16 trees, but only 4 have survived.

The tress that survived so far are still saplings with the exception of a fir tree that our neighbor gave us. That fir tree is over 6 feet tall. However it has only made it one winter out here so far. I’m still nursing it so ensure it flourishes. I also want to create a habitat for wildlife such as birds, rabbits, owls and others can thrive.

^{_{This is what the property looks like in the summer. A carpet of dried weeds, dirt and rocks.}}

The Challenge: Windy conditions and Lack of Water

The winds that blow through these flat lands seems so much stronger than around the city of Moses Lake, about 15 miles south. Obviously, this particular place has no natural running water or stream nearby. We try to collect rain water but it does not rain much out here however, during the winter months, I pile as much snow around the trees so when it melts, the ground can get saturated and can be absorbed by the trees. Each time we come out here we collect more snow and pile them on to the tree saplings.

^{_{This is what the property looks like in the winter, it’s like a tundra.}}

What’s next: Building a Small camp

Stay tuned for this phase of this project.