Monthly Archives: March 2024

By Jess Holmes

The magic of the Gentle Barn became known in the St. Louis area after the rescue of the “St. Louis Six”— six cows who broke free from a slaughterhouse in north St. Louis in 2017. While the allure of the cow rescue tale will never fade, Christine Seacrist, manager of the Missouri location, emphasized that The Gentle Barn is a many-faceted, regional asset.

“One thing that makes our sanctuary really unique is that we invite people in. We have our weekly visitors on open Sundays who can come learn about the animals’ stories of resilience, find comfort with the animals, and experience joy,” she said. “During the week, we have private tours, field trips, and animal therapy programs – cow hugs, equine and barnyard therapy.”

In classic sanctuary fashion, conversations with Seacrist are held in the barn yard. Seacrist holds a partially-blind turkey in her lap, a rooster crows in the background, and a cow eavesdrops on conversations. It’s clear the animals are not only comfortable, but enjoy the company.

Seacrist has a history of animal advocacy. Upon learning some facts about the food she was eating, she made the decision, at the age of 10, to become a vegetarian. Her passion for animals continued to grow, inspiring her to go vegan. In college, Seacrist majored in non-profit management, so she could dedicate her life to animal rescue.

Continue reading →

Forest ReLeaf reminds us that trees not only provide us with incredible beauty, but they are an essential part of the earth’s ecosystem. Photo courtesy of Forrest Keeling Nursery.

by Jack Fraish

Trees are under attack in Missouri. On the edge of the once-great eastern woodland, many of these living antiques have been lost to sprawling urban development and devastating pests and diseases. Meridith Perkins can count the ways that deforestation impacts St. Louis. She is the executive director for Forest ReLeaf, an organization dedicated to planting trees and sustaining a tree canopy across Missouri.

Perkins grew up in downtown St. Louis. She didn’t spend a lot of time outdoors growing up. She said that where she lived there were “sirens and concrete,” so she spent a lot of time inside.”

Perkins expresses fond memories of the time she did spend outdoors as a kid — finding respite from the hustle and bustle of the city in parks and among the trees.

“A lot of environmentalists grew up playing in creeks and forests and such,” said Perkins. “Now I think that more of us are starting to care about environmental issues because we missed out on a natural outlet. I remember the calm of spending time in a nice green space, but for the most part, I stayed indoors growing up.”

In search of a natural outlet, Perkins decided to study forestry at the University of Missouri in Columbia. For Perkins, studying forestry was a way to better understand the green spaces that brought peace in her childhood – the natural outlet that she felt was lacking. But she felt that the forestry program at Mizzou at the time was geared toward understanding how to turn trees into profit.

“When I first started forestry school it was heavily geared toward industrial forestry which wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing.”

Continue reading →

Jamin Bray, co-director of the Missouri Environmental Education Association (MEEA), enjoys strumming in the Ozarks. Photo courtesy of MEEA

By Zoe DeYoung

Jamin Bray, co-director of the Missouri Environmental Education Association (MEEA), knows where change starts. She confidently insists: “right here.”

A lifelong educator with a soft spot for empathy, Bray said she believes that a conversation is the first step in any real change making. And for MEEA, an organization dedicated to providing environmental education for a more sustainable future, change is the problem and the solution.

“When I talk about climate, I’m always trying to help people understand,” Bray said. “If I talk to somebody who doesn’t ‘believe’ in climate change, I’m like, ‘Talk to me. Let’s have a conversation,’ and then I can see their point of view.

“Wouldn’t the world be better if everybody would have conversations like that?” Bray asked.

Continue reading →