About the Farm

On December 1, 2007, we took possession of 22 acres of land in Owen County, Indiana. In addition, we are leasing 130 acres. Located on the land is a 3400 sq.ft. geothermal/passive-solar temperature regulated house that we will be using as an intake center, clinic and offices.

Animal Sanctuary

Over 40 acres of the land is accessible, cleared pasture that is nearly ideal for housing farm and domestic animals. We have begun to build housing and put up fencing for animals that would otherwise be killed and special needs domestic animals. We are also looking into building emergency relief areas for animals displaced in great numbers during natural disasters or large abuse cases.

Wildlife Rehabilitation

We plan to work with other wildlife rehabilitation centers throughout the region to provide a network of care for injured animals. We plan to focus primarily on the rehabilitation of predator species as we feel that are pivotal to balanced ecosystems and are often the most threatened species. We will used the 100 acres of forested land to help rehabilitate the animals in their natural habitat. We will gather edible foods from the forest in order to provide a natural and healthy diet for the injured animals. The forested area is mainly first and second growth deciduous forest which supports a diverse population of native plants and wild edibles (large groves of pawpaw trees, wild ginger, spikenard/wild ginseng, black cohosh, oyster mushrooms, chantrelles, and wine russelas just to name a few). This land is ideal for allowing "soft release" sites that allow the rehabilitating animals to re-habituate while healing. Starting this winter, we plan to begin a comprehensive assessment of the land's carrying capacity so that we can get a sense of what types of wildlife are already living on the land, how many natural predators can be sustained, and how our neighbors may be impacted.

Sustainability

Deep Roots Animal Sanctuary has always been dedicated to ecologically sustainable living and construction. Because of our dedication to lessening our footprint on the planet while doing the greatest amount of good, the structures on the land will be built using sustainable materials such as strawbale, cob, and recycled materials. We will replenish the soil by using well-tested composting methods. Our goal is to be as off-grid as possible. We will accomplish this with a mixture of low-impact wind, solar, and micro-hydro power, which will be available from the stream that separates the pasture and the forest.

The remaining pasture will be used to grow food for the animals in our care and possibly a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The vast majority of the land has been left sitting for a long time, allowing the topsoil to become enriched with nutrients, as can me attested just by looking at the diversity of plant life already on the land. The part of the pasture that was used most recently was leased out for hay. Both alfalfa and timothy hay are nitrogen fixers that boost the fruitfulness of the soil. We will incorporate the principles of permaculture in order to create a high-yield, low-impact farm.

It should be made clear that the majority of the land is forested and that we plan to keep it that way. There is plenty of space already cleared for our purposes as a farm and domestic animal sanctuary. We feel it is also important to set aside space for wildlife sanctuary as well. In fact, we will be researching the best ways to turn some of the existing pasture back into natural prairie habitat. This will include ridding the area of invasive species and planting more native ones.

Safe Space

We are dedicated to making the farm a safe space for the animals, volunteers, visitors and employees. It is for that reason that we maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and assault, ableist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, classist and sexist language and actions, or any other type of physical, emotional, or psychological violence. In order to avoid psychological triggers and unintended consequences, we do not allow any drugs or alcohol on the premises.