Ashland Living – January 2026
Ashland Living Magazine – The CREST at Willow-Witt Ranch
By Sara Dinari, Ashland Living Magazine, January 2026, Photos courtesy of Paul Sheldon, February 6, 2026. Posted in In the News.
NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT
High in the quiet, wild heart of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, where mist lifts slowly from ancient wetlands and the forest floor hums with life, The CREST at Willow-Witt Ranch is busy doing something both beautifully simple and profoundly needed: reconnecting people to nature.
Founded in 2017 on the beloved Willow-Witt Ranch-445 acres of forest, meadow, turtles, goats, wetlands, and wonder-The CREST is a nonprofit outdoor education program with a mission “to cultivate the integral connection between people and nature.” The team explains, “We learn from nature the interdependence of humans and the air, soil, food, forest, and water upon which we all depend and the earth to which we all return.”
It is a mission rooted not just in philosophy, but in decades of lived stewardship.
A Love Story With the Land
The CREST’s origins begin long before the nonprofit itself. In 1985, Suzanne Willow, her wife Lanita Witt, and their daughter Brooke traveled up a snowy mountain road searching for 40 acres of rural land near Ashland. What they found instead was an entire valley blanketed in four feet of snow-a big barn, a small house, and a landscape that captured their hearts instantly.
“They looked down into a beautiful valley… and thought about the family that lived there-in summer!” the team recalls. Two weeks later, they skied back in and made an offer on all 445 acres.
That spark of love has sustained them for forty years. The couple restored over-harvested forests, fenced out grazing cattle, regenerated damaged wetlands, and watched the land respond with renewed life. Their stewardship raised the water table, restored threatened plant species, and brought back wildlife–including endangered Western Pond Turtles.
Suzanne and Lanita shared the land with community groups, schoolchildren, and families for decades before officially founding The CREST in 2017 to “help children and their families get reconnected with nature.”
Lanita has since passed and is buried in the Ranch’s Forest Conservation Burial Ground. Suzanne–still milking goats, tending the land, and serving on The CREST’s Board–carries their shared vision into each generation of visitors.
Growing Programs, Growing Community
From its beginnings as a single summer camp, The CREST has blossomed into a year-round hub of outdoor education. Today it hosts:
- An outdoor nature day camp for children ages 6-11
- Spring and fall field trips serving more than 1,200 children each year
- Family–friendly events, such as
- MothNight to discover nocturnal pollinators
- Winter Footprints to explore animal tracks in the snow
- Seasonal opportunities to wander the forest and farm
These programs meet a growing need in modern life. As the team notes, “Nature Deficit Disorder… can lead to issues like attention difficulties, obesity, higher stress levels, and diminished creativity.” The CREST offers children and families “the beauty and wonders of Southern Oregon’s natural grandeur”–a precious antidote to a world indoors.
What they want people to understand most about their work is simple and heartfelt: “Cultivating connection with nature… is healing, restorative, and deeply educational.”
Moments That Stay With You
Sometimes all it takes is one small moment to affirm the importance of reconnecting children with the natural world.
After attending The CREST’s summer camp, six-year-old Cleo returned home to Portland and
experienced her first bee sting. Her mother tried to lighten the moment: “Welcome to the bee sting club!” Through tears, Cleo replied, “I don’t want to be part of the bee sting club, but I’m glad there are so many pollinators out there.”
It’s a perfect glimpse into the tender, curious, respectful relationship with nature The CREST helps children cultivate–one that lasts long after the summer ends.
Who The CREST Serves
While Rogue Valley children and families are the most direct beneficiaries, the ripple effects extend far beyond individual participants.
“Our whole community benefits from the hope, creativity, joy, and aliveness that emerges from witnessing happy, healthy, respectful, and artistic kids!” the team writes.
Most visitors find The CREST through word of mouth, as well as through local stories–including those in Ashland Living. Kids often return year after year, eager to revisit the goats, chickens, forests, ponds, and wide-open spaces where imagination takes flight.
The Web of Support Behind the Work
The CREST’s growth has been made possible through the generosity of volunteers, donors, foundations, and regional partners.
“In the beginning, everyone at The CREST was a volunteer,” the team explains. Suzanne and Lanita’s decades of stewardship inspired donors who helped expand staffing, scholarships, transportation support, and facilities.
Foundations joined to make camps accessible to underserved families. Local businesses now sponsor beloved community events like the CREST Fest music celebration and the 5KTurtle Trot.
Through this woven network of support, The CREST continues to “cultivate connection to nature… at Willow-Witt Ranch.”
Looking Ahead
The CREST dreams of continuing to “cultivate connection between people and nature,” with special focus on partnerships with Native tribes, underserved families, and kindred organizations.
Their work honors the caretakers who came before. As they write, “The forests, mountains, rivers, and streams were carefully curated by the Takelma, Klamath, Latgawa, and other ancient tribes… for the sustenance and benefit of all forms of life. “The CREST invites all of us to participate in that lineage of care.
How to Get Involved
Whether you want to volunteer, enroll a child, or experience the Ranch’s beauty yourself, The CREST welcomes you.
- Join the fun:
TurtleTrot— June 7, 2026 and CREST Fest–July 12, 2026
At Willow-Witt Ranch, every child, parent, volunteer, and visitor becomes part of a bigger story-a story about belonging, interdependence, and the joy of connecting with the land that sustains us all.
Meet the People Who Keep The CREST Thriving
The CREST’s team is an inspiring blend of educators, scientists, land stewards, artists, community leaders, and nature lovers.
Founder:
Suzanne Willow —still living and working on the Ranch she and Lanita nurtured for four decades.
Board Leadership:
- Dr. Carrie Vath, SOU Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
- Michael Parker, retired SOU Biology Professor and regional expert on Western Pond Turtles
- Jill Smedstad, Executive Director, Jackson County Soil & Water Conservation Board
- Anna McCreedy, UC Berkeley International Student Adviser
- Courtlandt Jennings, founder of Pickled Planet
- Matthew Reynolds, dancer, actor, and “world architect”
Staff:
- Liz Bianco, Education Director-trained in environmental education, ecopsychology, permaculture, peace, and resilience
- Christine Brautigam, Education Coordinator–ecological stewardship and EDIB specialist
- Paul Sheldon, Executive
Director–bringing 50+ years of experience in environmental education - Regina Boykins, Administrative Coordinator–managing logistics, communication, and behind-the-scenes magic
- Madison Ross, Community Engagement Coordinator–creator of events like Moth Night and Winter Footprints
This dedicated team lives by a guiding philosophy: “Every moment of every day, every aspect of this wondrous world, and every individual human is sacred and miraculous!”
Planning a reunion, group retreat or wedding? Our campground is open Late May to Early November and can comfortably accommodate large groups. Contact us today to get started planning your unique gathering.
