Meet Your Neighbor: Earth Heart Farms hosts festival

Sheri Trusty
·4 min read
Bo Lebo, the inventor of Musical Linguistics, leads a group of Immaculate Conception School students in a musical exercise during the Earth Heart Farms Spring Festival at Troop 316 Scout Farm on April 26.
Bo Lebo, the inventor of Musical Linguistics, leads a group of Immaculate Conception School students in a musical exercise during the Earth Heart Farms Spring Festival at Troop 316 Scout Farm on April 26.

OAK HARBOR - In 1883, Vicki Rae Harder-Thorne’s great-grandparents purchased 80 acres in rural Oak Harbor and started a family farm. The land never the left the family, and Harder-Thorne is now the fourth-generation owner.

Although the land remains in the family, its focus has significantly changed from agricultural business to conservation. Today, the farm is known as Earth Heart Farms, and Harder-Thorne hosted the Earth Heart Farms Spring Festival at nearby Troop 316 Scout Farm on April 25-28.

On April 26, teachers and students from Immaculate Conception School of Port Clinton attended the STEM-based event.

Farm placed into Conservation Reserve to honor Otto Hehl

In 1993, Harder-Thorne’s mother, Lois Rae Harder, placed the farm in the Conservation Reserve Program to honor her father, Otto Hehl.

“The 80 acres became a wildlife habitat. It was something her father wanted to do,” Harder-Thorne said. “My grandfather always said, ‘If I could give it all back to nature, I would.’”

After her mother died in 2020, Harder-Thorne further protected the land by placing it in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

Vicki Rae Harder-Thorne is the fourth generation owner of Earth Heart Farms, which hosted last week’s Earth Heart Farms Spring Festival which exposed local students to conservation efforts and STEM-based careers.
Vicki Rae Harder-Thorne is the fourth generation owner of Earth Heart Farms, which hosted last week’s Earth Heart Farms Spring Festival which exposed local students to conservation efforts and STEM-based careers.

“It was something we did to continue her conservation legacy,” Harder-Thorne said.

Last week, Harder-Thorne’s plan became a tangible legacy as children tromped through the woods looking for signs of wildlife, collecting water and soil samples, and experiencing firsthand the importance of conservation. The Earth Heart Farms Spring Festival was hosted in conjunction with GLOBE Mission EARTH, a program utilized by the University of Toledo (UT) to teach K-12 science through hands-on experiments and direct observations. GLOBE is an acronym for Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment.

Youth visited farm to learn about STEM careers

Students collected data using GLOBE atmosphere, pedosphere and hydrosphere protocols, studied habitat restoration, and learned about STEM careers. The program began with teacher training last summer, continued with a student field trip last fall to Earth Heart Farms, and concluded with the visit to the scout farm.

Nonprofit partners who assisted with the program include Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Green Creek Wildlife Society, The Nature Conservancy, the University of Toledo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Park District of Ottawa County.

A student from Immaculate Conception School of Port Clinton pours a water sample into a tube.
A student from Immaculate Conception School of Port Clinton pours a water sample into a tube.

“We’re introducing them to nature and Earth Heart Farms. They’re taking tours to observe what’s out here. They’re making water quality, soil and weather observations to see how they affect the environment,” said UT Professor of Geography and Planning Kevin Czajkowski. “This is a good place to do what we do and meet Vicki’s vision of what she wants to do. City kids from Toledo will be here this week, so this will be very different for them.”

Agencies join efforts to educate youth about nature

Among the professionals teaching lessons at the event was Bo Lebo, the inventor of Musical Linguistics, an educational method which helps neurodiverse learners grasp language, math and science through the connection between music and patterns. Students beat patterns on drums in mimicry of the natural sounds around them, such as bird calls.

“Musical Linguistics is another way of knowing. It helps answer the question, ‘How do I learn?’” Lebo said. “I call it making school sticky. The kids are in school, and this helps them want to be in school.”

The Earth Heart Farms Spring Festival was funded in part with a $34,852 Ohio EPA competitive, matching Ohio Environmental Education Fund grant. The grants are tied to environmental education.

Students from Immaculate Conception School of Port Clinton head into the woods for an observation hike.
Students from Immaculate Conception School of Port Clinton head into the woods for an observation hike.

“The Earth Heart Farms grant funds equipment and supplies for the program,” said Ohio EPA Grants Coordinator Heather Lauer. “The grants are available for students, the general public and the regulated community.”

The next round of grants will take place in May. Information and application information can be found at epa.ohio.gov/divisions-and-offices/environmental-education/grant-programs/ohio-environmental-education-fund.

This summer, Earth Heart Farms will host the 2023-2024 STEM-Enhancement Program for Northwest Ohio educators in June. The program will be held in partnership with UT, NASA and local nonprofit partners. Teachers who complete the program are invited to attend field trips with their students in October and April.

Teachers in Northwest Ohio are invited to apply at tinyurl.com/Summer2023PD. For more information, contact Kevin Czajkowski at kevin.czajkowski@utoledo.edu or visit Earth Heart Farms LLC Facebook page.

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at  sheritrusty4@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Meet Your Neighbor: Earth Heart Farms helps kids learn about nature