Students from local schools are learning, laughing, hiking, and discovering new connections to the land and each other at the Crest this Fall!

The garden is dying back as the evenings are getting frosty. But the kale is hardy and getting sweeter as the nights become more chilly. Students continue to enjoy tasting in the garden. Some recent field trip kids have enjoyed having a mouthful of green.

Chickens are laying eggs and fertilizing the pasture in a new area as they have rotated their grazing location. Its always exciting for the kids to hold a fresh warm egg!

Classes are exploring the adaptations of seeds as we walk through the meadows and observe the lifecycle of native plants and even collect seeds on sticky tape while walking through. Local Pollinators are still aiding plants in completing their seed cycles in both the gardens and meadows. We are thankful for our collaboration with Pollinator Project Rogue Valley who have been educating our youth about the role and diversity of pollinators. One field trip last month students released a monarch butterfly together and were able to study it up close and wish it well on its journey south.

Most of the over 8,000 visitors at this year’s Harvest Festival in Talent passed by The CREST’s double booth with Willow-Witt Ranch and the Forest Conservation Burial Ground!

Visitors got to meet our fast growing baby goats, take a chance on our vegetable farm mystery box, and learn more about The Crest’s programs and the many wonders of Willow-Witt Ranch. It was wonderful to make so many new connections and share our love for nature, animals, and community with festival-goers throughout the day!

Paul had an especially good time, calling out, “Come to our Open House at Willow-Witt Ranch, meet the TURTLES!” while passing out Open House flyers — great conversation starter! People stopped to display their turtle tattoos, turtle jewelry, T-shirts, and general love for all things turtle-related.