Horn Farm Happenings – August 23, 2024
Seeking VolunTREEers! Riparian Buffer Tending Days
With a forest of support from volunteers and community partners, the Horn Farm Center has planted over 17,000 trees across 16 acres of streamside land, contributing to the health of our watershed and local ecology.But getting roots into the ground is just the beginning. Restoration is not only about building soil, protecting water, and bolstering biodiversity–it’s about reawakening our relationship with the natural landscape and reclaiming our roles as tenders and partners in nature’s wellbeing. Like any relationship, time, patience, and dedication are needed for mutual flourishing.
Thus, the story of our growing riparian buffer continues this fall with our Tree Tending Workdays. We’re seeking individuals and groups to help ensure the health of our plantings by monitoring trees, planting new saplings, managing aggressive species, and more. By joining us “in the field,” you’ll learn about ecological restoration, native plants, agroforestry, and what makes a thriving riparian buffer (plus what makes ours “multifunctional!”).
See if you can lend a hand by joining an upcoming workday:
Saturday, September 7 (10am-12pm)
Sunday, September 15 (1-3pm)
Saturday, October 5 (10am-12pm)
Saturday, October 26 (9-11am)
Saturday, November 2 (9am-12pm)
Interested in getting your class, office, or community together for a group volunteer day? Email us at education@hornfarmcenter.org to coordinate a visit, and check out our Tours and Group Visits page for custom educational experiences in and beyond our riparian buffer!
Curious about the Horn Farm’s streamside restoration work? Check out our riparian buffer series in the Horn Farm Center blog: For the Whole Stream.
Sign Up to Volunteer!
Compassionate Stewardship: Ecological Restoration Certificate
Speaking of fostering relationship with the land, we’re excited to announce a new learning experience in collaboration with Waxwing EcoWorks and Reviving Wisdom!
Join us this winter for our Ecological Restoration Certificate: a three-week, hands-on workshop series where you’ll learn how to partner with nature and assist in the recovery of degraded ecosystems.
The skills and frameworks explored in this program are useful for practitioners seeking professional development, volunteers and community members assisting local conservation efforts, and landowners looking to revive ecological health at home.
You’ll learn practical skills for impactful stewardship while exploring new lenses for seeing our place in the landscape. Topics covered include assessing site conditions, taking inspiration from nature, planning and implementing restoration projects, and building a sustainable practice for a lifetime of earth care.
Discover or strengthen your role as an active, compassionate steward of the local landscape! Spaces in this program are limited, so we encourage you to register soon.
This program runs for 6-8 hours on three Saturdays in winter:
- December 14, 2024, 9am-3pm
- January 11, 2025, 9am-5pm
- January 25, 2025, 9am-3pm
Click here to Register for the Eco Restoration Training
Join the Pawpaw Festival for Free!
Volunteering at the York County Pawpaw Festival on Saturday, September 28th has its perks, including:
- Free admission to the full day of the festival with on-site parking;
- Priority access to purchase pawpaw fruit;
- Free beverages, snacks, and a local pizza lunch, PLUS …
- A special invite to a volunteer-only educational get-together in the spring!
Enjoy the festivities while lending a hand with admissions, pawpaw sales, parking patrol, and more: consider attending as a volunteer!
Whether or not you plan to volunteer, don’t forget to check out all of the Wild & Uncommon weekend happenings taking place across the region: September 26-29, 2024. It’s all a part of our newly expanded Pawpaw Festival! Full details and event registration links can be found at our Weekend Guide.
Volunteer for Pawpaw Festival
Wild & Uncommon Weekend: Tastes, Tours, Talks, and More!
With events spread out across the Lower Susquehanna Region from September 26-29, 2024, the Horn Farm’s NEW Wild & Uncommon Weekend celebrates our diverse ecosystem of local foods, makers, and nature-based experiences!
It all started with the iconic pawpaw, the centerpiece of the main event on Saturday, September 28th: the 20th Annual York County Pawpaw Festival.
But the Pawpaw Festival is not the only way to connect with this fascinating fruit! Many of our Wild & Uncommon satellite events feature new ways to enjoy and learn about pawpaws, including a pawpaw cooking class, pawpaw desserts and mocktails, a hike through pawpaw habitat, biodynamic farm tours, and our special Pawpaw Brunch & Learn on Sunday, September 29th.
We’re also celebrating the greater ecosystem that pawpaws call home, featuring new local tastes, educational experiences, and plenty of family fun!
So while you purchase your tickets for the Pawpaw Festival on September 28th, be sure to check out our Wild & Uncommon Weekend Guide to see how you can extend the festivities across the Lower Susquehanna landscape: September 26-29, 2024!
