Support the Farm
The Case Western Reserve University Farm — Squire Valleevue and Valley Ridge Farms — has been serving as a 389-acre laboratory, classroom, studio,
nature preserve and recreational facility for the campus and surrounding communities for the last 70 years. The University Farm has been a part of our university since 1937, when Andrew Squire donated his farm property to the Flora Stone Mather College for Women of Western Reserve University.
I would like to share with you some of the exciting activities going on at the farm and ask for your support.
Conservation initiatives continue expanding and generating results. By the end of summer, our trail with 42 bluebird houses produced its highest number of birds fledged and doubled its bluebird production. Changes in mowing regimes resulted in the expansion of the bobolink nesting sites to new areas in the property. The new conservation initiatives in 2006 include a prairie restoration project initiated in the summer. The program aims to restore four acres of old pasture area into a native prairie containing several Ohio indigenous grasses and twenty forbs species. In the fall, a windmill was installed as a renewable energy source to provide aeration to one of the ponds to control overgrown algae and enhance pond health.
The University Farm plays an important role in the university's commitment to integrate itself in the community. This spring the University Farm hosted the ENVIROTHON, North America's largest high school environmental education competition. During the statewide event, students used the farm outdoors to compete in the areas of soils, forestry, ecology and wildlife. This event aims to stimulate our youth and reinforce their interest in the environment and natural resources.
Our Summer in the Country program, where community members can take courses with university faculty, is also increasing its collaboration with local institutions. Curators from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History are teaching new courses at the farm, including a Biodiversity class. A new music appreciation class is being added to this upcoming summer program.
Our teaching and research facilities were greatly improved with the construction of our new Debra Ann November Research Greenhouse, thanks to the generosity of Mort and Iris November. With the grand opening dedication last summer, the house has been used by undergraduate and graduate courses, school visitation groups, the prairie restoration program, and researchers from the Department of Biology and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
The University Farm is an important component of our mission as a university. It is our outdoor classroom and research laboratory. Many of these new programs were pursued and completed thanks to your generosity in previous years. The University Farm Annual Fund allows alumni, faculty, staff and friends the opportunity to support these initiatives at the University Farm. The University Farm Annual Fund has allowed us to make improvements to outdoor areas, sponsor community programs, and explore conservation initiatives.
The University Farm is a magnificent asset to the university and surrounding areas, and its success is due in large measure to the generosity of people just like you. I hope you will consider making a gift to the University Farm Annual Fund this year. Your contribution will allow us to further enhance this valuable resource in Northeast Ohio.
Thank you in advance for your support of the University Farm at Case Western Reserve University.
Ana Locci, Ph.D.
Farm Director, Adjunct Assistant Professor
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