05/22/2026
The Okihi animals are a lot of work… but they are one of the most important parts of this project. 🐐🐓🐑🐴
Why?
1️⃣ People get to connect with them.
Guests and students feed carrots, pet horses, hold chickens, and slow down long enough to reconnect. Science even shows that being around animals helps regulate the nervous system, lowers stress, and supports overall well-being.
2️⃣ Their p**p helps heal the land. 💩🌱
Seriously.
We compost it all, and that healthy compost goes right back into the soil we’re regenerating along the Kern River.
3️⃣ They keep us going.
Some days, the animals are the reason we get out of bed. They need to be fed no matter how tired we are. And once we’re outside caring for them… we can’t help but keep working on Okihi.
This project has always been more than land restoration.
It’s a love letter to our community.
A reminder that humans and nature were never meant to be separated. (And truly we are not)