The Crest Fest 2024 fundraiser will be held on Sunday, June 30th, from 2–6pm at Willow-Witt Ranch. $25 for adults, $10 for under 18.

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Support The Crest with a fun-filled afternoon of music, dancing, children’s activities, raffle items, food & beverages, and much more!  Live music will feature Ben Rice & The Pox Hustle, The Blueberry Blossoms, Victoria Lawton-Diez, and Creekside Strings Contra Dance Band. 

The mission of The Crest is to cultivate the integral connection between people and nature. We learn from nature the interdependence of humans and the air, soil, food, forest, and water upon which we all depend and the earth to which we all return. 

“You get to live here?”

Yes, Lanita and I were blessed to live, and work, together on this fascinating piece of the earth for 38 years. I live here alone now and work to adjust to ‘I.’ The land continues to stir hearts, most especially mine. As Lanita was dying, a number of people asked if I would ‘stay up there’ alone; my startled (and perhaps rude) reply was that this isn’t ‘up there,’ it’s home.

Aren’t we all in a long-term relationship with the natural world? How can we assure continued health for all of us, humans and the natural world?

Curiosity. However the universe works, Lanita and I knew this property was right for us the first time we saw it, December 31, 1984, though we knew nothing about it (like how many acres it was). We started learning about this fascinating and diverse piece of land when we purchased it as a derelict ranch in January 1985; there was something…not the run-down house or falling-down barn…that called to us. Was it the pastures ringed by forests, the way the fog hangs over the meadows in fall and winter, the diversity of plants and animals who share this space? The more we saw, the more curious we were: Who had lived here? What did they do on/to the land? What had changed with humans ‘managing’ the land? What would it have looked like without extractive practices? What did ecosystem health look like for the meadows/wetlands? What impact did farm animals have on the property? How could we ameliorate the negative impacts?

Our relationship with the land deepened, just as our personal relationship did over 43 years. Curiosity is imperative for continued growth over time. We learned new ways to be in relationship with each other and with the land, other people, and the natural world.

We formed The Crest educational non-profit with the mission of connecting people to nature, to share what we’ve discovered about nature: she’s the most generous teacher and helps us belong. How can we help people of all ages find the belonging we’ve found in nature? How can we help ensure the health of the world? Sitting in nature. Listening. Feeling.

Being alive in nature.