Many of you have been to the farm over the years and wondered how you could get more involved. We are opening for more volunteer opportunities. We have some exciting news that is near and dear to my heart that hopefully I will be ready to share later this Spring. In the meantime we are always happy to receive help with the animals, land management and keeping our flower and veggie fields in pristine shape. So join our volunteer list if you are interested.
We will be hosting a volunteer opportunity the week of March 6th-12th!
Did you know that our 18 acre farm has nearly 10 acres of untouched conservation land and we are working towards diligently restoring our wetlands? We have a pair of mated hawks, several blue herons and a variety of owls including northern barred, barn, and great horned that live here year round. You might have also noticed while passing by the farm that we are the winter resting spot for Canadian Geese. Each Spring we have several pairs of Killdeer Birds raising offspring on the farm. We are also proud to say that we are home to many Pacific Tree Frogs an indicator species for a healthy habitat.
We are going to be doing work on our wetland buffers planting native plant species the second week of March. We are looking for around 20 volunteers to help plant some amazing Pacific Northwest Plant Species to help build habits for some of our native birds and pollinators. We just finished planting a native willow hedge row along the south side of Evans Creek that is made up of 250 Pacific Willows and another 250 Sitka Willows.
This wetland restoration has been a long standing project of ours because we care deeply for the environment and are proud farmers who care about the land that we steward. Volunteers would help plant and mulch as well as add protection to the plants to ensure they thrive despite pressure from beavers. I have also wanted to build owl houses for quite some time so we will have another opportunity to help build those later on this season. Enjoy the photos below of wildlife at the farm.
Great Blue Heron sitting by the pond waiting for the right fish to swim past.
Great Horned Owl sitting behind the barn.
Killdeer Mama fiercely protecting her nest.
Baby Ladybugs thriving on a tomato leaf, one of our beneficial insects on the farm.
Barred Owl on evening rodent patrol in the chicken run.
Pacific Tree Frog hanging out in the veggie field.
Red Tailed Hawk we found injured and took to PAWS Wildlife Center.
Great Blue Heron flying over Evans Creek in our lower field.
We would love for you to help us improve, maintain and preserve this beautiful habitat.
I hope to see you on the farm!
Until Next Time,
Chelsea, John and The Red Barn Farm Team