Bauer Park To Return To Its Roots As A Farm

By Mindy Wallach

Once a working farm owned by the Bauer brothers, was gifted to the Town of Madison in 1990. It already boasts a Community Garden and, recently, a portion of its land has been designated to return to farm land.

But this won't be just any farm land.

The Bauer Farming Project, directed by ellen van Wees and planned, organized and implemented by the members of Madison Girl Scout Troop 62262, will proceed as a multi-use agricultural and educational program that includes programs for both adults and children.

The increased interest in nutritional health, vegetable gardening and food quality in our community inspired the girls’ interest in the farming project.

The farm area, incorporating the existing apple orchard, will be organized into different sized raised beds.  The soil will be built up with organic matter and compost to create soil that is rich in beneficial native organisms.  The girls will plant, cultivate, tend and harvest the beds.  We will also be constructing bee hives in order to attract native bee colonies to the farm to increase pollination rates, which will boost fruit and vegetable production.

Our cadet troop, comprised of 16 7th graders attending (which is located adjacent to and reached by a walking path from Bauer Farm) and our two senior scouts Natalie Manke and Erin Derken, both attending , have designated and assumed leadership of the numerous jobs required for the Bauer Farm Project.

Each job has been approved by director ellen van Wees.

• The Native Bee Nest Construction committee is chaired by Jordan Ricker.  On her committee are Lauryn Braxton, Lauren Ganino, Olivia Nye, Natalie Manke, Annabel Hines and Skyler Silva.
• Compost Gathering is chaired by Annabel Hines.  Helping her are Skyler Silva, Jordan Ricker, Lauryn Braxton, Lauren Ganino, Kelly Doktorski, Meghan Lewis and Olivia Nye.
• The Manure Gathering committee is chaired by Lauren Ganino.  Lauryn Braxton will be lending her a hand.
• The Creation of Raised Beds committee is led by Nicole Ring.  On her committee are Jordan Ricker, Lauryn Braxton, Kelly Derken and Olivia Nye.
• The Creating of Pathways with Cardboard and Wood Chips committee is chaired by Skyer Silva.  Her committee includes Annabel Hines, Jordan Ricker, Kelly Derken, Nicole Ring and Olivia Nye.
• The Seedling and Caring for Baby Plants for Spring Planting committee is chaired by Lauryn Braxton.  On her committee are Colleen Caruth, Lauren Ganino, Kelly Doktorski, Meghan Lewis and Olivia Nye.
• The Planting Committee is co-chaired by Bobbi Brandau and Mikayla Cruz.  Helping her are Elinor Wallach, Jordan Ricker, Lauryn Braxton, Lauren Ganino, Kelly Doktorski, Meghan Lewis, Kelly Derken, Nicole Ring and Olivia Nye.
• Bed Maintenance: watering, weeding and mulching committee is chaired by Olivia Nye.  On her committee are Natalie Manke, Annabel Hines, Skyler Silva, Jordan Ricker, Lauryn Braxton and Lauren Ganino.
• The Design and Posting of Web Page committee is led by Natalie Manke.  Helping her are Elinor Wallach, Nicole Ring, Colleen Caruth, Kelly Derken and Grace Lawton.
• Publicity and Fundraising committee is chaired by Elinor Wallach.  Helping her are Meghan Lewis, Kelly Doktorski, Kelly Derken, Bobbi Brandau, Natalie Manke, Colleen Caruth, Annabel Hines, Skyler Silva, Jordan Ricker and Grace Lawton.
• The Preparation of Educational Materials for Madison Schools and Bauer Classroom committee is chaired by Kelly Derken.  On her committee are Olivia Nye, Elinor Wallach, Bobbi Brandau and Nicole Ring.
• Researching the Historical Accounts of Varieties of Veggies, Fruit, Herbs Cultivated since the Bauer Farm Land was originally established are co-chairpersons  Meghan Lewis and Kelly Doktorski.  Helping them are Kelly Derken and Olivia Nye.
• Scrapbooking and Photographing the Bauer Farm Project  is led by Colleen Caruth.  Helping her are Meghan Lewis, Kelly Doktorski, Kelly Derken, Nicole Ring, Bobbi Brandau, Olivia Nye, Elinor Wallach, Jordan Ricker and Natalie Manke.

We anticipate the Bauer Farm Project  will take up the better part of this school year, 2011-2012,  and into the Summer/Fall of 2012.  We believe that each of our troop members will fulfill their Silver Award Service Project  requirement  by September 2012.

This article was submitted by Troop Leaders Valarie Nettleton, Kathy Derken and Mindy Wallach. If you have something you'd like us to run on Patch, please send it to pem.mcnerney@patch.com.