After a quarter-century with the Pajaro Valley-based Wild Farm Alliance, Executive Director Jo Ann Baumgartner has recently retired.
She has been with the organization for more than 25 years where she started out working on a conventional research farm in the 1980s.
After owning an organic farm with her husband for 12 years—blended with her passion for birding and nature—Wild Farm Alliance set a stage for her work in pest services that birds and beneficial insects can provide.
“It has been an honor to work for Wild Farm Alliance,” she said. “Now I have the privilege of pursuing other related interests like birding, native habitat gardening, hiking and camping; and reconnecting with friends and family while enjoying the natural world.”
Since Baumgartner has been with WFA, the nonprofit installed and distributed about 250 songbird nest boxes in the region and has about 1,500 various types of bird boxes and perches mapped nationwide. The overall goal is to bring beneficial birds and insects that support functions that farmers need and want.
Blue Heron Farm, a 20-acre, certified organic family farm in Corralitos, welcomed more than 30 songbird nest boxes a few years ago.
Baumgartner said the owners noticed that when the tree swallows came to nest, the numbers of destructive flea beetles decreased.
“It is easy to see the birds working, swooping back and forth over the crop, catching insects,” she said. “After the nesting season is over and the tree swallows leave, the flea beetle population increases.”
Under her leadership, WFA also offered numerous field days and webinars, and published a multitude of guides and videos on supporting beneficial birds and insects, reducing the need for pesticides. Baumgartner added that the farmers who invited WFA’s help reported that they have better pollination and pest control services and healthier soils.
Baumgartner said she will still do contract work with Wild Farm Alliance following retirement.
“As I wrap up the final aspects of my role, I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue collaborating with WFA by updating our pivotal bird-benefits booklet, creating an app that helps support birds with native habitat, speaking and writing for various engagements, and serving on select boards and committees,” she said. “I will continue helping others better understand how to support nature and experience the reciprocity that comes from living in relationship with it.”
