The Sharpest Crew in Town
Bringing pro-social, regenerative, fossil-fuel-free land management to Petaluma's public spaces, one blade at a time.
Regenerative Education Alliance · Deviled Eggery Scything Crew · City of Petaluma
Donate to make the scything program a reality
“Eventually everything connects: people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality itself.”
CHARLES EAMES
SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Who We Are
REA connects people, especially young people, to land, food systems, and community through hands-on regenerative agriculture education. We are a field organization that occasionally comes inside.
Community
Agriculture
Students
Environment
OUR CASE FRAMEWORK:
NOW IN ITS FIFTH YEAR
The Deviled Eggery Scything Crew is one of Petaluma's most distinctive community programs: a deeply skilled, quietly radical group who found each other in meadows and festival fields, blades in hand.
Mowed across Steamer Landing, Petaluma River Park, Arroyo Park, Jenner Headlands, Deviled Eggery Meadow, Lafferty Ranch, Farm Fest I and II, Future Fest, Butter and Egg Days Parade, Transhumance Festival, and dozens of private properties.
The Sharpest Crew in Town
HOW IT WORKS
Why the Scythe
The blade doesn't simply slice. It mimics the action of grazing animals, tugging the grass before it cuts, sending roots deeper, drawing up moisture, and leaving the meadow greener for longer. It is regenerative in the most literal sense.
Zero emissions
A quiet alternative to loud, gas-powered equipment.
Fire-risk reduction
Vital in a county where fire season is a defining reality.
Nutrients stay on site
Soil life and insects left undisturbed.
Rising biodiversity
Native plants returning from the seed bank, on their own.
THE HUMAN CASE
More Than Mowing
Several people can mow side by side, in easy conversation. For some it's the meditative focus; for others a free gym membership, community service, or simply meeting like-minded people outside and off screens.
WHERE WE WORKED
Highlights
Steamer Landing
Prepared the grounds for the Transhumance Festival.
Lafferty Ranch
Cleared ~½ mile of trails, invited by LandPaths & the City.
Petaluma River Park
Taught a public workshop at Petaluma’s newest open space.
Farm Fest
Scythed to the rhythm of live drumming with Farmer Arann.
Along the way: learning Coast Miwok history and the significance of Oona-pa’is, a reminder that land care is inseparable from cultural memory.
OUR MODEL
Learn, Do, Teach
The deepest learning happens when you're trusted with something that matters, and then asked to pass it on.
01
Learn
Newcomers pick up the scythe at workshops and Learn-to-Scythe days.
02
Do
Crews care for real public land: nutrients kept on site, soil left intact.
03
Teach
Participants pass the skill on.
THE PROPOSAL
A Partnership with the City
A funded, seasonal program that mitigates fire risk, builds community, and reduces fossil-fuel use on City-owned land, designed to be a replicable model.
REA PROVIDES
Equipment, training & crew supervision
Public education, demos & workshops
Volunteer scheduling & coordination
Grant writing, fundraising & reporting
CITY OF PETALUMA PROVIDES
Access to City-owned parcels
Equipment storage facilities
Co-presents 2+ public events / season
Public relations
Coordinated across Parks & Rec, Public Works, and the Fire Marshal.
ROADMAP
A Two-Year Pilot
Year 1 · Establish & Formalize
· Stand up a funded seasonal crew
· Build the City partnership & roles
· Track measurable outcomes
· Host public demonstrations & workshops
Year 2 · Improve & Expand
· Grow sites & total acreage mowed
· Deepen the youth workforce pipeline
· Partner with schools & CTE programs
· Publish a replication guide for other cities
YEAR 1 BUDGET
Supporting the Pilot
A complete, lean first year: everything needed to launch, for under $20,000.
Paid seasonal crew
$7,920
Program overhead & administration
$5,000
Insurance
$2,000
Equipment
$1,500
Training & public education
$1,500
Contingency
$2,000
Total · Year 1
$19,920
One paid scyther can clear ~10 acres of mixed public space in a 12-week season; volunteer hours add meaningfully on top.
ACCOUNTABILITY
How We Measure Success
Outcomes tracked and reported jointly with the City, turning a beloved program into measurable public value.
Acres mowed
In lieu of gas-powered equipment.
CO₂ avoided
Emissions never put into the air.
People reached
Community members reached & trained.
Events hosted
Public demos & skill-building workshops.
The Year 1 deliverable:
a replicable model other cities can adopt.
Why you?
A Living Laboratory
With its CASE framework, REA brings organizational infrastructure to the Deviled Eggery Scything Crew’s mission to promote the adoption of the scythe as a tool for community engagement and as alternative to fossil fuel-powered mowing equipment. If you share our purpose of getting people outside and off screens, doing physical work that benefits the community and environment while fostering face-to-face interaction and building ecological literacy, we’d love you to join us!
JOIN US
Join the sharpest crew in town.
Help us launch a regenerative, fossil-fuel-free model of land stewardship, rooted in Petaluma's values, and built to be shared.
MB Leland, Director, Regenerative Education Alliance
mb@regenerativeeducationalliance.org
regenerativeeducationalliance.org
Stay Sharp!
Gabe Brown, Scything Crew Coordinator, Deviled Eggery
deviledeggery.org
brown.gabriel@gmail.com