“Wild Praise for the Farm”
(An interview published on Dec. 4, 2004 in the Door County Advocate, a Gannett publication)
(1,009 Words)
Don Pardonner and Judy Reninger are wild about The Farm. To prove it, they presented a pla que of recognition to its current owners, Jeff, David, and Jenny Tanck, on behalf of their group, The Wild Ones of Door County. Carl Scholz, a former owner of The Farm and a Wild One himself, spoke about “Nature’s Niches” that evening, November 6, 2004, at the Bertschinger Center, in Egg Harbor. “The award is our way of saying ‘thank you’ for supporting our mission, often without being aware of it,” Pardonner said Elmer and Shirley Tanck, who manage The Farm, received this first award, on behalf of The Farm’s current and previous owners. “We’re very honored to receive the award from The Wild Ones,” Elmer said.
Who, exactly, are the Wild Ones? You may ask. No, they’re not a motorcycle gang or a rock band. Against the quiet, natural beauty of their Door County home, Pardonner and Reninger, formerly of Wheaton, Illinois, and now retired, outlined the Wild Ones’ mission statement, origins, and future goals. “Very simply, the way I interpret the Wild Ones is that it’s (a membership who believe in using) native plants and natural landscapes,” Pardonner said.
Their mission statement “promotes natural landscaping with wild flowers,” he added. Natural landscaping benefits the environment by preserving, restoring, and establishing “native plant communities” that attract birds and insects whose habitats are endangered by development. Natural landscaping is chemical-free, which reduces pollution and preserves natural resources, such as water and energy. Its changing blooming patterns provide constant beauty and also require less maintenance than grass.
The inspiration to form the Wild Ones sparked when “people started noticing that the bees and butterflies weren’t coming in their yards,” Reninger said. When they realized that their yards lacked the flowers that these insects and birds prefer to pollinate, they began researching and then re-planting small sections of their yards with native plants and flowers. Their concept of natural landscaping soon spread, from residences to schoolyards and businesses.
The Wild Ones chose The Farm to receive this first award because of its long-standing policies to use natural, native plants on their property, to contain invasive plants, avoid chemicals, and to practice natural ways to renew the landscape. “The big reason they are open as a business is to try to teach other people how this is done,” Renninger said.
When this “living museum of rural America” (The Farm) first opened to the public, spring ephemerals, such as wild leek, hepatica, yellow moccasin flower, trilliums, violets, and trout lily all grew wild on the property. The Scholzes planted a “natural prairie” there twenty years ago; colorful rattlesnake master, rosinweed, and compass plants thrived. The couple added turkey foot, or big, blue stem, and Indian grass to show the public what prairie grasses and prairie forbs look like.
Besides the natural vegetation that grows there, the property’s ecological succession has also remained natural. Joseph Zettel, a Swiss immigrant, settled on the property in 1856 and eventually developed Door County’s first commercial orchard. His son, Jacob, farmed a “private forty” on the acreage, which later evolved into The Farm. Farming was discontinued in 1948.
At that time, no buildings existed on the grounds, and the area near the road still contained dead apple and cherry trees. Now, a densely wooded “eco island” (an area where native plants grow) shelters the property and “provides a nice sight and sound barrier,” Scholz said. “A big part of The Farm is all the signage—telling about plants, trees, and gardens,” Elmer said Over the years, the Scholz and Tanck families and many others contributed improvements to The Farm, including moving historical log cabins onto the grounds and constructing a new horse barn, last year.
Owning The Farm, for the past three years, and knowing that it is part of their grandchildren’s heritage, has been a fulfilling experience for the Tancks. Elmer loves seeing the enjoyment on people’s faces when they visit The Farm, and Shirley gains satisfaction from working with the teenagers who supply much of their summer staff. For many, employment on The Farm is their first job and an important opportunity to develop good customer service skills. “You hope you can give them some things that they can carry on into life,” she said. “It’s hard work and long hours, but it’s very rewarding. What other job can you have, where 99% of the people who come here arrive happy and leave happy?”
The Farm remains a favorite destination for many community groups. Over the years, its owners have provided the premises for various activities, such as allowing Sevastopol School students to tap its maple trees for a pancake breakfast. The Tancks hope to continue sharing The Farm’s rural heritage for many years to come and plan to celebrate their fortieth anniversary, next year. “It’s a treasure,” Elmer added.
The Wild Ones celebrate an anniversary of their own this year: twenty-five years of “healing the land with native plants.” Now a national organization, the Wild Ones Natural Landscapers originated in Milwaukee. Pardonner and Reninger joined the second Wild Ones chapter in Du Page County, Illinois, twenty-five years ago, after growing “tired of looking at dull grass.” In 2001, they helped form a Door County chapter and now serve as its president and secretary. Approximately forty-three households belong to this chapter. Membership donations are tax-exempt and, if sent to the local chapter, the donation benefits this area.
Wild One members are now attempting to determine which plants best adapt to the climate and various soils of Door County. The group plans several natural landscaping programs at The Bertschinger Center in Egg Harbor, from January through April 2005.
For membership information about The Wild Ones, call (920) 839-1182 or write to: Wild Ones of Door County, P.O. Box 557, Sister Bay, WI 54234. You may also e-mail donpardonner@dcwis.com
Located four miles north of Sturgeon Bay, on Highway 57, The Farm operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, from Memorial Day through mid-October. Call (920) 743-6666 for further details.
It takes three to five years to establish a natural prairie or garden. If you want to plant a natural prairie or garden, “start slow,” Pardonner advised. Cover a portion of yard with black plastic, through the winter. Meanwhile, research the plants you want to use. When spring arrives, remove the plastic—everything should be dead, including the weeds—without using chemicals. Besides Bridenhagen’s and Sunnypoint Nurseries, Door County Soil & Water Conservation Department also sells native forbs, shrubs, and trees.
Approximately 40,000 people tour The Farm every year.
There really IS a Sebastopol breed of goose,
The Town of Sevastopol originated in The Bassford House, one of four other historic buildings on The Farm.
Russian movie producer Roaln Bykov used The Farm as a setting for a movie called “Children of the World.”