Volunteers construct new shelters for animals at Aullwood Farms

“We were approached by an employee from Shook [Construction] who actually came to Aullwood,” said Senior Conservation Manager Nenita Lapitan. “They were looking to make a donation, and so through their generous gift, they paid for these livestock shelters, and they are also donating their time today to build them.”

Credit: Alex Cutler

Credit: Alex Cutler

These shelters will be used to help warm the farm’s animals during the winter months.

“Currently we don’t have the ability to protect [the animals] from the elements,” said Lapitan. “And now, we’ll be able to keep them on pasture, which is a much healthier situation for our sheep, cows, goats and pigs.”

Credit: Alex Cutler

Credit: Alex Cutler

Several shelters have already been built on the property, completed earlier this year by an Eagle Scout as well as Aullwood staff. Those preexisting structures served as the blueprint for these new ones.

Credit: Alex Cutler

Credit: Alex Cutler

In addition to shelters designed for smaller creatures, the farm also started constructing a shelter big enough for Aullwood’s cows and horses.

“I cold called Aullwood Audubon, because I was actually looking for a nonprofit that was looking for some help on a project coming up soon,” said Caitlin Erbacher, a senior project engineer for Shook Construction. “I had first thought about [Aullwood] Audubon because my child really loves it here. She’s five years old and we’ve been coming here for a long time, since she was a baby.”

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