Building Unity Farm Sanctuary - Third Week of May 2017

In case it seems that my posting frequency has dropped, it’s a combination of a hectic spring farming/sanctuary schedule and writing requests from outside organizations.   For my views on the recent cybersecurity/ransomware events see the PBS Newshour blog.

Unity Farm Sanctuary work clothes have arrived in our closets.   This was my wife’s idea to identify mentors and experienced volunteers on the property.   We have so many visitors every day who are walking the trails, visiting the animals, and offering to help that we need to separate those with experience from those who are new to the sanctuary.    The shirts make it easy to find someone knowledgeable.

Our 501(c)(3) charitable designation should be approved soon, but in the meantime, we're receiving donations of equipment and items considered useful for the sanctuary.   For example, this 1800’s wheelbarrow seemed just the right tool for an 1833 meeting house.  It was dropped off earlier this week.    Some has just donated a canoe for sanctuary visitors who want to explore the upper marshes of the Charles River which has a canoe put in a few minutes drive from the sanctuary.

Later this week, another Welsh Pony,  named Grace will arrive at the Sanctuary.   We’re building new paddocks as fast as we can but they will not be ready until the end of June/early July.     Grace will live with the goats in the short term.   The goat paddock has two run ins so the pony can have a private space.

The process of creating 2 acres of new paddocks that are safe for horses takes diligence.   First, we cleared brush and leveled out the land.  Then we applied a layer of “tailings” rocks and dirt that provide a layer of drainage.   Then “stone dust” provides the finished surface which is solid and smooth but still promotes drainage.   Once that is done, we’re adding some additional fencing and gates so that we can easily bring in food and remove manure.    Then we add south-facing run in buildings to protect the animals from inclement weather.   Finally, we trench for electrical and water supplies to each building.   I’ll be doing all the electrical and plumbing, so we keep expenses to a minimum.   When completed, the 4 new paddocks, each about a half acre, will enable us to take on a few more creatures that need rescuing such as a donkey and a few sheep that we were recently told need a new home.   We’re very careful to take on new animal responsibilities selectively so that we can provide each the daily attention it needs.  As I’ve said before, we provide “forever homes” and thus we need to budget our time and resources for the long term support of any animal that arrives.

Next week, a “rafter” of turkeys arrives at the sanctuary, which will provide an instant family for Palmer, our Royal Palm tom turkey.   Palmer is extremely social and follows humans on long walks into the woods.   It will be fascinating to see how he adapts to young poults.    Thus far, the 20 wild turkeys at the sanctuary do not interact much with Palmer, although they call to each other in the night.

The work on the sanctuary buildings continue and last weekend I removed all the obsolete electrical circuitry from the 1960’s.   The 1833 Sanctuary building was moved to its current site in 1959 and the area underneath is only 3 feet high because of all the unmovable ledge rocks at the site that prevented digging a full basement.   I found numerous open electrical boxes with exposed wiring in the crawlspace that looked a bit dangerous for anyone doing work on heaters, plumbing or other under building infrastructure.   I carefully traced every wire and found that they were unconnected at both ends - just hundreds of feet of old cable and numerous electrical boxes with no purpose whatsoever.    I removed everything.   The good news is that neither the building’s electrical system nor my body was harmed in the process, although I did emerge from the crawlspace covered with mud, cobwebs, and decades of accumulated dust.    I also removed old thermostat wires, door bell wires, and phone lines that have not been used in decades.    I’m fairly confident that the work I’ve done thus far under the building - removing about half a mile of old wiring - is now done.   Maybe I’ll never have to spend another weekend day crawling under the building.    Luckily Claustrophobia and Arachnophobia are not issues for me.

This weekend will include the usual extra time with the animals, providing them companionship and extra exercise plus the tasks of spring - mushroom inoculation, planting warm weather seedlings (cucumbers/peppers/tomatoes).   All of the apple trees are in bloom, all of the hoop house vegetables are thriving, and the mushroom logs are fruiting.   2017 should be a bumper crop.