Christmas trees are a treat for goats. Mindy Wright photo

SebastopoSebastopol nonprofit holds goat ‘tree-cycling’ as fundraiser

Christmas tree donations welcome

Their biggest fundraiser of the year was scrapped because of COVID, and their finances were dwindling, so the Independence Chapter of 4-H based in Sebastopol decided to try something it had never done in all the years since it was founded in 1976.

Chapter leader of the 55-member club Melinda Wright, who owns a small family farm in Santa Rosa, came up with the idea after reading about goats chowing down on used spruces and pines on farms in Philadelphia and Portland.

“We kicked the idea around and decided this could work for us,” said Wright, whose family has been raising goats for nine years.

The organization’s big fundraiser, selling baked goods at the Petaluma Pumpkin Patch, had to be canceled this year. The only fundraiser they had was operating the parking lot at the Gravenstein Fair in Sebastopol.

Clay McDonell, 16 and a 4-H member for seven years, is treasurer of the chapter and has seen a drop in the club’s finances.

“I think this is a good idea to recover some of the lost income,” he said.

The recycled trees will be used throughout goat farms in West County to feed milk-producing goats, including Nigerian Dwarfs, Nubians, and Saanen breeds.

“Christmas trees are really a treat,” said Mindy Wright, whose daughter, Millie serves on the club’s executive board. “Goats are voracious eaters. They’ll really just mow down a tree. It’s fascinating.”

“There’s cooking and lots of leadership opportunities. We have a community service activity at every meeting,” McDonell said. “At the last meeting, we all brought a coat for the group One Warm Coat for people in need and homeless people.”

On Jan. 2 and Jan. 9, 20022, club members picked up trees if you live in Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Cotati, Windsor, or Rohnert Park (unflocked and all decorations removed) and took them to small goat farms in west county. Milk-producing goats, including Nigerian Dwarfs, Nubians, and Saanen breeds, ate the nutritious tree from branches to trunk.

For next year, anyone wishing to have their tree recycled by goats can go to independence4h.com or contact Wright, at mwright@sonic.net to find a form to fill out and submit.

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