Wildwood Farm Sanctuary
About
Protecting nature. Promoting compassion. Inspiring change.
Located on 98 acres in Newberg Oregon, Wildwood Farm Sanctuary is a haven for farm animals and wildlife alike. We provide lifelong refuge and rehabilitation for abused and abandoned farm animals while lovingly protecting the property’s native plants, wetlands, woodlands, and wild animals.
Through our mission and the lives of our beloved residents in this special place, we aspire to inspire! Our greatest hope is to help open eyes and reshape the way humans view and treat farm animals by considering a compassionate and cruelty-free way of living.
You can make a difference.
To learn about volunteer opportunities and public events, watch for our announcements on Facebook and Instagram. Wildwood Farm Sanctuary is a 501c3 non-profit. All donations are tax-deductible and go toward our mission of saving the lives of farm animals.
Led by advocates. Powered by compassion.
Comprised of animal advocates and business professionals, the Wildwood Farm Sanctuary Board of Directors and leaders are passionate about our mission of providing a better life for farm animals.
Shauna Sherick, Founder/President. Shauna is a licensed veterinary technician with a background in wildlife rehabilitation, farm animal nursing care, and a love of nature. She’s worked at a mixed-animal veterinary clinic since shortly after earning her degree in veterinary technical science in 1994. She’s gone on to earn specialty certification in animal dentistry and pursued an interest in anesthesia and surgical procedures. In her direct work with farmed animals, she came to understand each of them as unique and intelligent beings, which led to a renewal of her childhood dream. As a girl, she spent summers and weekends playing on her grandparents’ farm, hiking the forest trails, saving baby birds, caring for the cows, and dreaming of one day starting her own sanctuary where all the plants, animals, and wild things lived in harmony. Today, she’s the third-generation steward of the 100 acres her grandparents once farmed. She’s named it the Wildwood Farm Sanctuary and Nature Conservancy, and it’s home to more than 100 formerly farmed animals. She’s working to restore and protect the property’s evergreen forests, native white oaks, wetlands, and all the native creatures that call it home. It’s all part of her mission to educate the public about the interconnectedness of natural ecosystems, domesticated animals, farmed animals, and the impact of our daily choices on all of them.
Michelle Blake, Vice-President. A writer and journalist who studied social change in graduate school, Michelle has always looked for ways to contribute her skills to animal causes. She served as board president of Willamette Humane Society, where she was instrumental in opening their low-cost spay/neuter clinic. As a board member of Fences For Fido, she established their fence-building crews in Salem and Marion County, freeing hundreds of formerly-chained dogs. She’s also served on the Oregon State Council of the Humane Society of the United States and participated in legislative advocacy for animal protection. She currently coordinates outreach and advocacy in 8 western states on behalf of the Mountain Lion Foundation, a national nonprofit that protects cougars and their habitat. At Wildwood, she loves to nerd out on the administrative end of nonprofit work, but also likes to haul her tools and trailer to help out with fence-building and light construction.
Max Seiler, Treasurer/Secretary. In addition to serving on the board, Max works in the human services field. He received a B.A. from Pacific University in Sociology and a minor in Peace and Social Justice, and has a strong background in volunteering for both animal and human related causes. On weekends he assists with volunteer coordination during our work parties and enjoys being able to share the “Wildwood experience” with others and educate visitors on the stories of animals and the industries or situations where they came from.
Julie Heade, Donor relations and Management. Julie Heade is an experienced partnership builder, working with individuals and organizations within the veterinary profession. She currently works for Banfield Pet Hospital, where she specializes in Industry Relations, finding mutually beneficial partnership opportunities with national and local associations, industry-leading conferences, academic institutions, trade media and more. Previously, she worked for DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital where she managed corporate sponsorships, founded the young professional’s board Dove in the City and built relationships with individual donors. She is passionate about animals, and currently volunteers with Oregon Humane Society’s Technical Animal Rescue Team (OHSTAR). She shares her home with two house bunnies—George and Bailey.
Before stepping into leadership roles with the Humane Society of the United States, Scott Beckstead owned and operated a law firm in the coastal town of Waldport, where he also served as the mayor for several years. In 2000, he and three coauthors published the first textbook on animal law. Shortly after coming to work for The HSUS in 2008, he worked as the HSUS Oregon state director to pass a number of animal welfare bills in the Oregon legislature, including measures to regulate puppy mills and the tethering of dogs, shark finning, and the cruel practice of horse tripping. He also led successful statewide ballot measure campaigns to protect Oregon wildlife and ban the trafficking in endangered species. Throughout his tenure with HSUS, he has worked extensively on protecting equines from cruelty and slaughter, and continues to be part of the HSUS fight to pass the SAFE Act to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption. While successfully passing a number of animal welfare bills in the Oregon legislature, he has taught Animal Law, Wildlife Law, and Endangered Species Act classes at Willamette University College of Law since 2010. He lives in Sutherlin, Oregon with his wife, Jackie; they have four children, a grandson, and a colorful assortment of animals.
Courtney Dillard is the Social Change Researcher at Mercy For Animals where she works to support a wide variety of teams in the organization as they seek to influence decision makers to advance the interests of farmed animals. She also teaches an online grant writing capstone course at PSU. Previously, Courtney was a full-time instructor at Willamette University (Salem, OR) in the Civic Communication and Media Department, working there for more than 15 years. Her research and teaching focused on persuasion and social change, particularly as it pertains to the animal and environmental movements. During the past 15 years, Courtney has consulted on projects with a variety of national animal advocacy groups and served on boards/councils such as the HSUS’s OR State Council. In addition, she has worked with regional organizations such as the Animal Sheltering Alliance of Portland (ASAP), Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS) and Fences for Fido (FFF). In her spare time she and her husband Matt organize a biennial spay and neuter clinic in Huanchaco, Peru.
Michelle Schwegmann and her husband, Josh, founded the Herbivore Clothing Company in 2002 in the spare bedroom of their SE Portland apartment. Building their following while working out of spare rooms around the city, loyal customers were soon able to flock to a tiny retail location to stock up on Herbivore’s popular mix of vegan messaging shirts and gear, cookbooks, and vegan belts and bags. Then, in 2007, they helped co-found Portland’s famed vegan mini-mall, teaming up with Scapegoat Tattoo, Food Fight! Vegan Grocery, and Sweetpea Vegan Bakery. With the new vegan haven at SE 12th & Stark Streets, Herbivore scored a larger storefront location and helped put Portland on the map of must-see vegan destinations. In 2015, Josh and Michelle published their popular cookbook, Eat Like You Give A Damn: Recipes for the New Ethical Vegan.
In 1980, Seth Tibbott founded Turtle Island Foods, now “the Tofurky Company,” on $2500 savings from his 8-year career as a teacher/naturalist. The company’s first product was a tasty fermented Indonesian soy product called Tempeh. Many people, including his midwestern Aunt and fellow elementary school teachers, thought selling moldy soybeans to the meat-centric American public was a very bad idea. For 15 years it appeared the naysayers were right as Seth pursued his dream while losing his shirt as a pioneer of the plant-based foods movement. With an income of only $300/month, Seth built a 3-story treehouse that he called home for 7 years. In 1995, also against the advice of his partners, Seth introduced the first nationally marketed vegan holiday roast named “Tofurky.” The Tofurky brand now includes 43 different vegan products sold in 27,000 stores worldwide. Seth also works with vegan startups and serves on the boards of several nonprofits including the National Animal Rights Conference, The Raven Corps and Veganuary. Seth has a deep love for Wildwood’s approach that includes care and kindness towards both domesticated and wild animals. Seth is the author of In Search of the Wild Tofurky: How a Business Misfit Pioneered Plant-Based Foods Before They Were Cool.
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS:
Don Leffler. Farm Manager. Don was born and raised in Newberg, Oregon, and grew up living and breathing the farming lifestyle. His knowledge and expertise regarding the care of farm animals, as well as land management and preservation, makes Don an invaluable part of our sanctuary team. Don oversees the sanctuary’s structures, land development and growth. One of Don’s hobbies is restoring and showing vintage John Deere tractors, making him mighty handy with our tractors around the sanctuary. His green thumb makes him very popular with his family, friends and church, especially during the summer months.
Patti Loverink. Fundraising/Marketing: A passionate animal advocate and owner of a 20-year marketing communications agency, Patti applies her professional expertise to help animal-welfare non-profits publicly convey their mission, improve business structure and process, and establish and grow their community of supporters. With Bachelor of Arts degrees in Journalism and Mass Communication, Patti has been working in media relations, event management, and marketing communications for 30 years and has served on the Board of Directors as President for a professional writing organization for four years and another animal advocacy organization in Portland organization as a Board member and Board Chair for four years.
Shelly Cohen, Volunteer Coordinator. Shelly serves as our volunteer coordinator who organizes weekly volunteer groups that help with farm chores, socialize with our animals, and help with other vital duties around the sanctuary.
