Forest Voice Sanctuary
Providing lifelong homes
in a natural setting for endangered companion and farm animals
About Us
Forest Voice Sanctuary
- Provides a lifelong home in a natural setting for endangered companion and farmed animals, see Gallery for photos
- Nurtures and protects acres of unspoiled woods, prairie, and bogs
- Provides a rich, diverse, and safe environment for wildlife
- Offers educational opportunities for the public regarding animal care and nature
- Is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization.
Location & Background
Forest Voice Sanctuary is located in rural Northfield, Minnesota. Animals have been rescued and lived out their lives in the comfort of the sanctuary for 35 years; yet, only recently has the sanctuary become a formal nonprofit organization. Currently, Forest Voice has about 30 resident rescued animals including goats, miniature donkey, horses, cows, peacocks, goose, chickens, cats, and dogs.
Our History
Rosalyn and Gary are a retired couple in their mid-70s. For the past 35 years, they have committed their lives to providing a loving home for animals in need. A significant portion of their income goes toward food, bedding, heat, veterinary care, farrier work, fencing and facility upkeep, and other costs of taking care of the animals, such as Elsa's cart.
Donations are used only toward direct costs of animal care, which is a requirement for certification as a 501(c)3 charitable organization and is in our articles of incorporation and bylaws. Board members and staff are NOT paid.
Charitable donations help ensure care for animals now and in the future.
Their Forever Home is at Forest Voice
The animals at Forest Voice come from various sources: strays, rescue organizations, and people who know that we often take the critters that are difficult to place because they are geriatric or require special care. Forest Voice animals are never used for breeding, eggs, milk, or commercial purposes. They are members of our family. (The mother daughter cows pictured were to be shipped to slaughter when we rescued them. The mother has not had a full udder since that time.)
Our Natural Setting
Our companion and farmed animals live amidst a natural setting that abounds with wildlife including squirrels, raccoons, deer, groundhogs, snakes, turkeys, geese, ducks, opossums, fox, coyotes, frogs, toads, beavers, bees, owls, hawks, and songbirds.
We encourage an abundance of life, both plant and animal, on our 75 acres. We provide houses and food for the birds, which are shared by a few other critters. There has been no use of chemicals and no hunting or trapping allowed for the 35 years Rosalyn and Gary have owned the farm. The combination of forest, prairie, slough, ponds, and bogs is attractive to a wide variety of animal and plant species.
Why the name Forest Voice?
Nature heals. Nature soothes. Nature restores. And Nature connects. The positive impacts of a natural setting on people are well documented and can be felt at the sanctuary. In the forest, we sense the interconnectedness of the snow, rain, light, wind, and life. The forest teems with life. The birds above, deer and fox attempting to be unseen, the red squirrels performing arboreal acrobatics, and, depending on the season, a cacophony of insect noises and wind-through-the-trees sounds. Time spent surrounded by nature may leave us thinking not only about life in the forest; but also, about the life of the goat that lost its feet to frostbite or the cow on its way to slaughter or the orphaned horse or the ubiquitous chicken whose welfare has become invisible. The Forest Voice whispers about compassion.