By Jean Cavanaugh: President of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary
Great News! We have been officially accepted into the Botanical Sanctuary Network of the United Plant Savers organization! Because of the wide variety of rare and endangered medicinal plants we harbor at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm, our application was approved!
Following is some of what I wrote in the application, as well as including photos of our land and descriptions of our projects. I purposely listed plants that are included in their Species At-Risk List.
We have a small three acre farm/homestead with many types of herbs, such as echinacea
as well as other more common herbs and native wildflowers. We also have about seven
acres of mature forest with wild rare species such as trillium, mayapple, solomon’s seal, wild
geranium, and black cherry. There are many other native plants in this area as well, such as
bittersweet, hazelnut, and spicebush. We likewise are re-wilding about ten acres of former
industrial farmland where there are now many native wildflowers, shrubs and trees,
including a few young slippery elms returning. We are adding, encouraging, and preserving
as many rare native and medicinal species as possible.
We started this project about ten years ago when we purchased the land. Three years ago
we started a nonprofit to help support the work. We are currently working towards adding
ponds and more botanical trails, as well as a multi-purpose community building to a section of the
re-wilding farmland.
Last year we held monthly walks and workshops throughout the year, as well as weekly
volunteer days to help with planting and maintenance of the land. Previous to that, these
events were more sporadic as the founding of our nonprofit coincided with the beginning of
the covid pandamic. This year we plan to focus on the pond and infrastructure project so we
can better support future public events.
From the BSN website…
Benefits of becoming a member of the Botanical Sanctuary Network include:
- A beautiful sign with the UpS logo to place at the entrance to your Sanctuary, signifying this as a UpS Botanical Sanctuary, along with an additional weatherproof sign that designates the property as a Sanctuary being used for plant research and educational purposes.
- Priority Consideration for UpS Community Grants. Our Community Grants award $200-$500 dollars for community projects involving at-risk plant restoration and preservation. Sanctuary members are given first priority. Learn more here.
- Botanical Sanctuary Resource Guide which includes where to order botanical signs for medicine trails, sources of grants and funding raising, useful books and information sources, etc.
- Listing on the UpS Website.
- Opportunities to promote classes and workshops at your Sanctuary on our website and social media channels.
- Opportunities to publish your Sanctuary story on our website and in our annual Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation.