August 27th, 2009: Bayer Farm

I spent the evening in Santa Rosa, California, at Bayer Farm. 6 acres of a former sheep pasture, converted to community garden plots. We got a nice tour of the farm and ate some delicious heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers and plums. The farm is run by an organization called Land Paths. All the volunteers and staff with Land Paths were extremely friendly and welcoming. They helped me forget the unusual heat and enjoy the beautiful setting.

My supervisor gave a demonstration of one of the programs that we do to a group of teachers. I was surprised at the enthusiasm and the positive response we got–a few teachers told us they wanted to sign their classes up right away.

Above is a picture of a group of teachers using field marks and other visual cues to describe the study skin they were given. They were asked to sketch the study skin and make guesses as to its life history and habitat based on visual cues. The same activity we would do with their students.

It’s great to see such excitement for birds, and to work with people who care enough to bring the environment to today’s nature-deprived children. Rock on Land Paths.