Sally Williams Farrow has worked at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, a small sustainable farm on the Merrimack River watershed, for forty years. There she has been able to share her passion for the earth, its resources and plants and animals with the public and particularly with Lowell youths.
Sally told us how through education, research, and advocacy, her students have been inspired to get involved in mitigating climate change. With 18+ acres of sustainable gardens at Drumlin Farm, students can learn about sustainable farming, food justice, food waste, and the importance of growing locally.
The farm provides a home for wild animals that wildlife rehabilitators and veterinary doctors have determined cannot be returned to the wild after they are injured or orphaned. Some live on the farm and may be viewed by our visitors and program participants. Some, very remarkable wild animals, are able to be “animal ambassadors,” like this screech owl:
Special Education Students are involved in MAPLE (Mass Audubon Accessible Programs and Learning Experiences), and participate in the Harvard Forest schoolyard lter hydrology research program, to observe how the depth of the Drumlin Farm ponds changes over time.
By introducing Lowell youths to the importance of green spaces, animals and plants to our health, they are encouraged to take action. Which they have, building fish ladders, starting recycling programs, planting trees and creating pollinator and rain gardens.
They have spoken at Land Trust conferences, mentored younger students and participated in Earth Day celebrations and Riverfest in Lowell, and advocated for the environment by meeting with local US and state representatives.
And they founded their own Environmental Club, T.R.E.E.S. (Trees Respecting Environmental Excellence and Stewardship)
In 2019, at the beginning of Covid, some of the TREES students joined the EYTF (Environmental Youth Task Force). It is one of 10 youth environmental groups around the United States that are part of Smithsonian Youth Earth Optimism. In 2021, the EYTF students traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the Folklife Festival where they hosted the Youth in Action booth.
Sally said that these Lowell students have learned to act through Project-based Learning, i.e., Learning by Doing, and that by taking action, they inspire HOPE.
Certainly Sally’s students have inspired her, and in turn, she is an inspiration to each of us to take action and be a part of the solution to our climate crisis.