(10/26) "If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it. Perhaps this is what Thoreau had in mind when he said, ‘the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core,’ and I think the same is true of human beings." As a trailblazing environmental educator, David Sobel has been nurturing the ability of individuals to understand and care for nature for decades.

Strawberry Hill echoes this sentiment in our mission to inspire stewardship of our natural world by connecting the community with educational opportunities. Strawberry Hill is Adams County’s only nonprofit environmental education center, and since the debut of our owl, we offer the only live raptor program in the area.

This year, we are on track to educate more than 8,000 individuals through an incredible 250 environmental programs. To offer powerful learning experiences that are essential to inspiring stewardship, we rely on the continued support of individuals, grant funding, and fundraising events.

On October 24, Strawberry Hill hosted our first-ever Night for Nature at Boyer Cellars. The venue was filled with many of our nonprofit’s biggest supporters – those who advocate for our mission, and give generously of their time and resources. This event sold out and, thanks to the outpour of support from our attendees, we were able to raise nearly $12,000 for environmental education!

While donors walked away with original artwork and multi-day getaways, a highlight of the auction was the support for our barred owl, Strix. During the program, we asked donors to help offset the cost of our Animal Ambassadors program, which costs roughly $3,000 per year.

Strawberry Hill has nine Animal Ambassadors - three turtles, three snakes, a toad, insects, a barred owl, and the newest member of our team, Ollie the skunk. As you can imagine food (mice, crickets, fresh fruit and greens, etc.), yearly vet visits, and habitat enrichment can add up quickly for a small nonprofit. Donors answered our call to action, raising an additional $1,900 in ten minutes to benefit our animals.

These program animals are crucial to our mission of environmental education. Strix, our barred owl, allows students to get up-close to a bird of prey and introduces the concept of the food chain through an owl pellet dissection. Our snakes, turtles, and toad help children learn the native species that call this area home, distinguish reptiles from amphibians, and the importance of a healthy ecosystem. Naturalists use our insects to teach about life cycles, invasive species, and the significance of pollinators.

Strawberry Hill has been able to educate more than 105,000 people since our foundation in 1986. For decades, we have been planting seeds, nourishing minds, and nurturing an appreciation for the natural world. These lessons learned leave a lasting impact. The children we educate grow up to be scientists, environmental engineers, zoologists, foresters, educators, entomologists, and ecologists who will carry on our mission.

On behalf of Strawberry Hill, I would like to thank you for helping us make this impact. Thank you to each business and individual who contributed an item for our auction, every attendee who gave generously of their resources, our auctioneer, Larry Swartz, and our host and sponsor, Boyer Cellars. Thank you for supporting the important work we do. Together, we are making the world a better place!

Kara Ferraro is the Executive Director of the Strawberry Hill Foundation. Strawberry Hill inspires stewardship of our natural world by connecting the community with educational opportunities.