Conservation Stories: Kelly Park Stables

Kim Barron and Amy Gospodinovich manage over 40 horses, lessons, and day camps. They were tired of managing seasonal flooding, too. They partnered with Whatcom CD and installed a new hedgerow, and are loving the benefits for their property.

There is something incredibly satisfying when beauty can be paired with function. The stream plantings at Kelly Park Stables accomplish both. Kelly Park Stables was started over 25 years ago and has been owned and operated by Kim Barron and Amy Gospodinovich for the past decade. Managing over 40 horses, lessons, and day camps is no joke, especially when the bottom pasture was prone to flooding.

Some of the Kelly Park Stables horses walk next to the new hedgerow along Spring Creek.

The lower pasture has a seasonal swale, that is connected to Spring Creek. During the rainy season this swale would pond, and sometimes flood even into the dry season. The pasture was not suitable for the horses, as wet mud is bad for their hoof health, and Amy and Kim didn’t want manure running from the Swale into Spring Creek. However, during especially rainy seasons, the flooding could sometimes impact the road and other pastures. Amy and Kim reached out to Whatcom Conservation District for help.

Amy admires one of the new plants in her hedgerow.

After a free visit from a Whatcom Conservation District riparian specialist, it was determined that planting a native plant hedgerow, or skinny planting along the stream, would help alleviate their flooding issues. Native plants can help water infiltrate into the ground rather than pool on top it. They also uptake some of the water for their own use. Amy and Kim’s property qualified for the Whatcom CD’s stream habitat restoration program, which paid for all the native plants, contractor services to install the planting, and some new fencing. The Whatcom Conservation District Small Grants Program helped install further fencing, so that they could rotate their horses between the dry pastures.

Blooming flowers at the Kelly Park Stables hedgerow.

Today Amy and Kim are enjoying a beautiful native plant hedgerow, with over 3,000 seedlings! Some of the especially vibrant species include clustered rose, red osier dogwood, and more. They could already see some results in flooding reduction with just one year of buffer. As the buffer plants gain some height, they are also having some protection from road noise for themselves and the many horses in their charge.

“The hedgerow is gorgeous. We have a lot more birds on the site now. I am so excited to see how it's gotten so huge in such a short time and the effect it's having of blocking the road visually and the traffic sounds. I think it makes the horses more comfortable and less stressed. It creates a great curb appeal for the stable and makes the neighborhood more beautiful." - Kim Barron and Amy Gospodinovich

Amy and Kim are excited to partner with Whatcom CD on more projects including a manure storage and composting facility.

In the future, Amy and Kim hope to work more with the Conservation District to improve their current manure storage and composting facilities. They have already had free and confidential farm visits from our farm planners, and a have started contracting an engineer to make plans for the new facility.

Schedule a free and confidential site visit with one of our Whatcom Conservation District farm planning and/or riparian specialists today, to see if we can help you plant a hedgerow or stream buffer, manure storage and composting, mud management, and more on your property!

“We would definitely recommend working with the conservation district to anyone. The financial incentives and the cost sharing were what allowed this planting to happen, even down to financial support for the livestock exclusion fencing. Honestly, one of the biggest benefits to working with the planners at the Conservation District was they had so many great creative ideas to help us with storm water, pasture, and manure management. They help us to be better neighbors and community members, and to make sure that none of the manure from our stable gets into any of the surface water that is passing through our site.” - Kim Barron and Amy Gospodinovich

Amy and Kim are loving their hedgerow for its flood reduction, ability to provide a sound barrier, as a privacy screen, and for the birds it attracts.