Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Wetland Technician, Phoebe Jackson, left, shows Ottawa County Probate and Juvenile Court Chief Probation Officer, Sarah Canalos, a painted turtle she found on their walk at Earth Heart Farms. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

OAK HARBOR – On June 2, staff from Ottawa County Probate and Juvenile Court stepped out of the courthouse and into nature when they participated in a Field Day Demo at Earth Heart Farms (EHF), a conservation farm in rural Oak Harbor. For four years, EHF has offered STEAM programs for area schoolchildren and professional development courses for their teachers. The children learn about nature and conservation as they walk the fields, visit the streams, and explore the wetlands.

This year, EHF founder Vicki Rae Harder-Thorne wanted to expand the farm’s reach, so she invited the court employees, along with education specialists from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce, North Point Educational Service Center and Grow Next Gen.

From left, EHF volunteer, Tim Bollin; Green Creek Marsh Conservancy member, Helen Hollis; Ottawa County Probate and Juvenile Court Chief Probation Officer, Sarah Canalos; Court Administrator Shanna Strouse; Coordinator of Court Services Margaret Osborne; and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Wetland Technician, Phoebe Jackson, walked across Earth Heart Farms on June 2. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“We wanted to invite a new group of people to experience the opportunities at the farm,” she said. “Having professional development in the field really helps the adults understand why it’s important to get kids out here and helps them prepare.”

The farm was founded by Harder-Thorne’s great-grandfather in 1883. Her mother grew up on the farm and was an ardent conservationist. After her mother died five years ago, Harder-Thorne decided to transform the family property, which she owns with her father, Vic Harder, into EHF. She partnered with the University of Toledo’s (UT) GLOBE Mission EARTH, a STEAM-based program that incorporates NASA assets into education.

EHF founder Vickie Rae Harder-Thorne welcomes youths to her farm every year for STEAM classes and conservation experiences. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

UT Distinguished Professor Kevin Czajkowski said the GLOBE program teaches children a variety of skills, like testing air and water quality.

“We’re talking about how nature cleans the air with trees, riparian buffers and upland grasses,” he said. “We want to get more air monitors out here. We’ll work with citizen scientists and schools to measure air quality.”

The results of testing done on the farm are sent to a NASA database, giving children and adults the chance to make a global impact as they stand amongst the tall grasses and flowing waters of EHF.

EHF volunteer, Tim Bollin, front, leads a group to a marsh to talk about water testing. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Ottawa County Probate and Juvenile Court Administrator Shanna Strouse, Chief Probation Officer Sarah Canalos and Coordinator of Court Services Margaret Osborne attended Field Day to research ideas for the court’s Youth Empowerment Program, which focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment for court-involved youth. The program offers programs in life-enhancing experiences like art and exercise to encourage behavioral change.

“We’re looking at the opportunities to see if kids can come here to the farm for programming or community service,” Strouse said.

The ladies were given a walking tour of the farm by EHF volunteer and retired teacher, Tim Bollin; Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Wetland Technician, Phoebe Jackson; and Green Creek Marsh Conservancy member, Helen Hollis. As they walked, they talked about the experiences the court youth would enjoy at the farm, like bird and frog identification, water quality testing, cloud identification and conservation practices. The court staff learned the youth can participate in STEAM programs that align with state educational requirements while exposing them to potential career and life enrichment opportunities. And they saw firsthand some of the community service projects available, from cleaning and painting to assisting with bird surveys and data collection.

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Wetland Technician, Phoebe Jackson, holds a painted turtle she found along the trail at EHF. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“We wanted to show them what’s out here and help them get ideas of what they can do with their kids and how we can support them,” Czajkowski said. “It’s a healthy thing to be outside a lot.”

EHF collaborates with many local organizations, creating the opportunity to connect the youth with topics that interest them, whether that be the atmosphere, wetlands or animals.

“There are so many organizations connected with this that it offers many opportunities,” Jackson said.

All of those opportunities tie into the farm’s goal of promoting conservation.

“I’ve talked to a lot of conservation experts, and I’ve learned we all can make a difference,” Harder-Thorne said. “You can find one thing that moves you.”