ABOUT

About Sandy Bar Ranch

Learn more about the history of Sandy Bar Ranch; your hosts, Blythe Reis and Mark Dupont; and our involvement in the the Mid Klamath area. For detailed information on our part of Northern California, check our our article, The Klamath Region.

A Brief History of Sandy Bar Ranch

In 1948, Carl and Jeannie Maldewin purchased the Sandy Bar Ranch; then, built the original Sandy Bar Ranch cabins in 1950. While the cabins have been refurbished from the inside out, we have kept the same basic cabin footprint and layout; a simple, efficient design with an aesthetically pleasing rustic feel. Laverne Glaze purchased Sandy Bar Ranch in 1971. As a traditional basketweaver and CIBA (California Indian Basketweavers Association) member, Laverne was an important voice in the Mid Klamath and beyond for the preservation and management of Karuk culture and resources. Your current hosts, took over Sandy Bar Ranch in the early 1990s.

About Blythe and Mark

Though we were both born in New Jersey, we met at a village market in Guatemala in 1990, where Mark was working on an agricultural project. In 1992 we set out from the Bay Area looking for a place somewhere to the north. Once we found Orleans and Sandy Bar Ranch we fell in love and looked no further. We planted a large garden, got goats and chickens, and for many years ran a mail order fruit tree nursery, shipping bare root plants throughout the country. Over the years we have hosted workshops on permaculture, wild mushrooms, green woodworking, blacksmithing, organic agriculture and other topics. In 2000 we joined forces with several other community members to help found the Mid Klamath Watershed Council. We feel truly blessed to live in this beautiful place with its wild spaces, dynamic community and unique character, and we enjoy sharing it with others.

Recycling

We recycle everything possible, cans, bottles, paper, plastic etc.


Composting

Kitchen scraps and organic waste go to our compost pile to feed our organic gardens rather than going to the landfill.



Solar Power

We have a 4.5 KW solar photovoltaic array that generates virtually all electricity used by the cabins during the summer months. Our electricity is regular 120V AC, same as any typical home.


Water Conservation

We conserve water by irrigating with drip irrigation systems on timers. By increasing efficiency and minimizing our use we help to conserve the water in our rivers that is so essential to our salmon and steelhead runs.


Evaporative Coolers

The evaporative coolers ("swamp coolers") that we use in our cabins consume about one third the electricity of air conditioners and use no Freon or other harmful greenhouse gases.


Natural Building

On the ranch you'll find examples of cordwood construction, cob, light straw clay and natural earth plasters, portraying non-toxic natural building techniques that use less energy, utilize local resources and are completely biodegradable.


Watershed Restoration

Owners Blythe Reis and Mark DuPont are founding members of the Mid-Klamath Watershed Council. As board members we take an active role in local watershed restoration and community development.

A Note on Low Carbon Vacationing

At Sandy Bar Ranch, we're dedicated to making your vacation with us as green an ecologically friendly as possible. Here are a few things we're doing.

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