Day 356
Besides the growth of our inflatable family, we will continue to make steps to increase other guests to the farm. As we continue to restore the land by removing invasive plants and promoting native species, we hope to see more plants and animals call Craneview on Plainview home. Even in our early steps of the restoration process, we have made progress. Our land attracted a great amount of waterfowl during the spring thaw and it was a haven for deer the rest of the year. If you don't believe me, you should review our trail camera footage. Deer after deer after deer after deer after deer. Many of these seem to be monster bucks that hang around near the golf course. We have also attracted new animals and plants with the expansion of our garden. We continue to see lots of birds with our birdfeeders, though we have a number of birdhouses we plan to put up over the next year.
With the removal of invasive species, we are also promoting the expansion and diversity of native insects. This will help the promotion of new native plant communities. Our land continues to pop with color and new plants as we see the “waking up” of the dormant native seeds once buried by invasive grasses. In our own little way we are building and strengthening our own little ecosystem.
Besides continual work to support nature, we also aim to increase stewardship opportunities for our community. This could be hosting citizen science events at our farm. This could be nature camps. It might even be something we haven't figured out yet. Here are some potential options:
-hosting a BioBlitz (working to identify as many plant and animal species in a set amount of time)
-participating in the Garlic Mustard Pullathon , Great Wisconsin Birdathon, and Annual Crane Count
-hosting nature play days
- seasonal events like snowshoeing the trail
-creation and implementation of a nature camp
-possible Nature Nights for families
-special events for the holidays
-collaboration with our neighboring land conservancy and everything that has to offer
There is still plenty of work to do to make any of these a reality. Let the work (and fun) begin!
