Where Nature and Farming Coexist
By Heather Rissi
Education Coordinator
We wrapped up our Living with the Landscape (LWL) program this past May by taking fourth and fifth grade students from our three elementary schools (Armijo, Atrisco, and Hodgin) to Old Town Farm (OTF).
OTF sits on 12 acres of property near Old Town formerly farmed by Pueblo Indians and is irrigated by the oldest registered acequia in the U.S. It is also home to Bike In Coffee. Its proximity to the bosque and their practice of organic farming are major highlights of these visits.
The owners of OTF, Lanny Tonning and Linda Thorne graciously allowed us to bring between 40 and 50 students to the farm over five different days. Each group was warmly greeted, and then their daughter, Libby Lawson, introduced the farm and its history before showing students the old rustic barn and the hoop houses currently being used for growing the produce they serve at the onsite café. Libby’s down-to-earth personality was perfect for the students, who met her enthusiasm and showered her with questions.
Students also went on a brief nature walk around the outskirts of the farm where they enjoyed a nature scavenger hunt and observed native birds, plants, and insects. Some were lucky enough to see a Swainson’s Hawk that frequents the area. Students also created their own nature journals, designed by our Senior Educator Liz Roberts. The journals were a major hit, as the students (and teachers!) proudly showed off their creativity. And of course, we could not have a day without our avian ambassadors!
Our LWL program is designed to expose students to nature and wildlife in a way that encourages a love for learning and a penchant for becoming stewards of the environment.
These field trips tie all our lessons together and illustrate that nature and wildlife can thrive all around them, even in the middle of Albuquerque. The organic farming practices at OTF demonstrate a respect for nature. Watching students discover a wild mushroom while walking, sample a sweet pea right off the vine, or express a wish to become a wildlife educator themself, might seem insignificant, but to us they have implications for the relationship students may develop with nature.
***Thank you again to Lonnie, Linda, and Libby for allowing us to bring students to Old Town Farm. Thank you also to the volunteers that helped Liz, Gail and I during the field trips: Rosy Espinoza, Evelyn McGarry, and Ruth Latta! We could not have done it without you.
And thank you to Nusenda Credit Union, PNM, FHL Foundation, McCaughin Mountain Foundation for Empowerment, The Edward F. Zimmer Community Foundation, and Hawks Aloft members and donors for funding and supporting LWL.
Photos by Heather Rissi and Liz Roberts
