Since 1987, Cathe’ Fish has been working as an experienced drylands Permaculture Design Consultant. She has designed 40 acre farms to small suburban plots.
Cathe’ is also a very experienced international speaker. She has taught hundreds of classes and workshops. She has been an inspiring pioneer in permaculture education in the US. She was the founder and original editor of the Drylands Permaculture newsletter in 1987nwhich later became the Permaculture Drylands Journal.
Cathe’ has studied with Australian ecologist, eco designer, and all around character Bill Mollison, who created permaculture as an interdisciplinary approach to land use and community development. In May 2008, she spent two weeks working at Geoff and Nadia Lawton’s Zaytuna Farm working with Geoff’s amazing swales, dams and ponds, planting food forests and bamboo cuttings and doing other farm activities. In May 2008, she was also able to visit Tagari, Bill Mollison’s long term farm in Tyalgum, NSW, Australia (abandoned since 2001) with its amazing still functioning earthworks: 43 bodies of constructed dams, ponds, and water harvesting swales, as well as many lush food forests.
Cathe’ has also studied with sustainablity instructors Tom Ward, David Bainbridge, Barbara Kerr, Sally Fallon, Mary Enig, Elaine Ingham,Ian Davidson, Rosalind Creasy, Robert Kouric, and Joel Salatin
Besides being a Permaculture Designer and Teacher since 1987, Cathe’ has been a Master Gardener since 1988. Until 1999, she lived for 25 years in the high desert town of Bisbee, Arizona. She says, “Wherever you live, make water catchments and plant appropriate trees.” She was the gardening editor for the Bisbee Observor for three years.
Cathe’ became a member of the Arizona Solar Action Team in 1980, traveling around the state of Arizona conducting Passive Solar Greenhouse Workshops. She has taught her Passive Solar Greenhouse slideshow at AZ state Master Gardener Conferences, as well as many Master Gardener classes, and Permaculture classes.
Cathe’ was involved in the renaissance of super insulated strawbale buildings in 1987, and has taught passive solar building design at straw bale workshops for many years.
Cathe’s love is trees, particularly rare fruit trees, and she has planted 1000s of trees. She was the previous director of Cochise County Global ReLeaf. She has helped several cities create tree protection ordinances, and was instrumental in starting Chico CA’s Tree Action. She believes the future is tree farming and water harvesting.
She is a member of the California Native Plant Society, NAFEX North American Fruit Explorers, California Rare Fruit Growers and Bioneers, the Local Food Coalition, and is a chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Cathe’ is known for well organized, practical, high energy classes. In July 2009, she went to Mexico to help low income families start a permaculture demonstration site.
In the early 1970s, Cathe’ lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she started a natural foods cafe called the Country Kitchen (now Harry’s Roadhouse). She built a little greenhouse outside the cafe, where she grew the cafe’s tomatoes and greens. To this day, she refuses to eat corporate tasteless food, especially tomatoes.
As a permaculturist farmer, Cathe’ was selected as a delegate for the Women’s Earth Alliance India Learning Exchange Delegation in Oct 2009. She saw first hand the damage of the Green Revolution in India, visited organic farming pioneers, exchanged permaculture information, and photographed ancient water harvesting sites.
In September 2011, Cathe’ was a delegate to the International Permaculture Conference and Convergence in Jordan. At the Convergence at Wadi Rum, Cathe’ gave a presentation on Functional Sustainable Kitchens. She visited permaculture sites in Jordan, Palestine and Israel after the Convergence.
Cathe’ lived for 5 years in a passive solar super-insulated home in a cohousing village in Northern California. She now lives on a 25 acre farm. Besides teaching permaculture design courses, giving permaculture consultations, and creates permaculture designs. she gardens and has chickens. She also works with the Living Lands Agrarian Network and Chaffin Family Orchard.