Onward Land
A Wildlife Sanctuary with a Biodiverse Landscape.
A True Wild Crafted Grass-Fed Grass Finished Beef.
FREE to ROAM FREE to THRIVE FREE to LIVE
ONWARD Ranch is so beautiful it makes your soul ache and your heart sing.
It gets into your very essence—your very inner most being; the longer you are here the more you feel it. The soil, the sunshine, the living creatures, both wild and tame. A magical fabric woven for the last 150 years. We are not owners of this magnificent land, just humble care takers for a snippet in time.
Grasslands on the Ranch Provide Habitat for Species at Risk and
Endangered
With only 350 badgers in BC, it is delightful to see them scampering in the grass. Burrowing owls and sand hill cranes all thrive here without urban encroachment. We are on the North American Mountain Bluebird trail, with a network of boxes on fence lines. Our cows co-exist in a wild ecosystem, with an abundance of animal and plant species. Wild crafted beef comes from a land rich in biodiversity—a special land that is untamed and natural. Regenerative practices keep it that way!
Rivers
17 km of winding rivers, teaming with fish, beavers and river otters— Bears use the San Jose River as a corridor, browsing on bushes dripping with saskatoons, highbush cranberries, and choke cherries. What a privilege for us to see a mother bear with triplets bouncing along with her. The beaver, always working and designing, are plentiful.
Lakes
3 lakes, (Yellow, Jack and Cummins), all overflowing with waterfowl— ducks, pelicans, geese, swans — migrating in the Spring and fall. It’s feast for your eyes and senses. Resident loons, ducks, king fishers, and blue herrings enjoy the abundant fish. Many warblers and song birds nest along the shoreline. Painted turtles bask on logs.
Grasslands
Red tailed hawk, hunting its prey from the sky and the coyote from the ground—Badgers hunting for gophers and a burrowing owl blending in with the sage and prickly pear cactus . A mother deer with her tiny newborn spotted baby is hiding in the long shifting grass. Rich soils humming with life —insects below and above ground—A web of interaction and symbiotic relationships
Woodlands
Sheltering the mighty wolf and bear, down to the littlest forest creatures such as a squirrel, drying mushrooms for winter, or a chipmunkscurrying around. Majestic Douglas fir, with a bald eagle, or perhaps a golden eagle, perched high in its branches. Spruce, poplars, pine, juniper—Its a sanctuary for moose, skunks, cougars, owls and ruffled grouse.
No stock photos! All of these creatures were photographed at Onward Ranch by our neighbour, Shelly Porter. She has spent hundreds of patient hours, observing the animals that we see, as we carry about our farm work—whether it be riding horses, fencing, managing irrigation or checking pastures.
