4th graders practice drawing in the Crane's pinot noir vineyard in the Sonoma Mountain foothills.
A Taste of Agricultural History
for Sonoma County Youth
The Sonoma RCD in partnership with the Gold Ridge RCD and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District developed a new TEAM (Teaching Environmental and Agricultural Memories) Conservation program learning site for elementary youth. The Sonoma RCD has just completed its first string of field trips to the historic Crane Melon Barn and Farm in Santa Rosa.
The RCD is offering a handful of these trips annually during melon harvest season at the Crane Family property, protected forever with a conservation easement from the Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. Sorrel Allen, Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District Community Engagement Specialist, said,
"It's wonderful to watch this Crane farm field trip bring words like conservation and agriculture to life. The farm becomes a real life classroom, where students dig into the soil, taste the delicious heirloom Crane Melon, meet the farmers, and act out over 160 years of Crane family farming history."
The Crane Family has farmed within the upper headwaters of the Laguna de Santa Rosa since the mid-1800s. The famous Original Crane Melon's legacy began in 1920 on the rich adobe clay soils of southern Santa Rosa. The family's dedication to support this program and our students coming from all over the county is a special partnership and one the RCD is grateful.
Funding for this program is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District's work with a quarter cent sales tax.
For more information contact Adriana Stagnaro, RCD Program Coordinator at Adriana@goldridgercd.org
or 707-823-5244.
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