2018 Friends of the Fields
Farmland Conservation Campaign
Great strides have been made to conserve Clallam County’s iconic farmland, yet hundreds of acres remain vulnerable as pressures to convert farmland increase. Knowing the importance of access to farmland and all that it provides, such as fresh and local produce, open space, wildlife habitat, and economic stimulation, North Olympic Land Trust launched a 2018 Friends of the Fields Campaign aimed at raising a goal $180k for local farmland conservation on Sept. 7.
UPDATE Oct. 16: You did it! Together, we reached the campaign goal of $180,000!
Since early September more than 230 donors have joined together to provide the financial confidence and community backing necessary for the Land Trust to move toward completing the permanent conservation of Wonderland & The 80. Located at Schmuck and Port Williams roads in Sequim, this 132-acre farm will mark our community’s largest farmland conservation project to date.
Looking at next steps with this amazing fundraising goal met, we expect to finalize conservation of Wonderland & The 80 in early 2019. Please stay tuned!
Today, our community has an opportunity to conserve one of the largest parcels of farmland in eastern Sequim known as Wonderland & The 80. If successful, the 132-acre farm would be our community’s biggest farmland conservation project to date. The Friends of the Fields Campaign is your chance to help conserve important, place-defining tracts of land like Wonderland & The 80.
Fragmentation and short-sighted development has resulted in a loss of 75 percent of the County’s agriculture lands in the last 70 years. However, thanks to willing landowners and community support, more than 520 acres of working farmland in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley have been permanently preserved in partnership with the Land Trust for today and future generations.
Video by John Gussman of Double Click Productions and funded thanks to the support from the Land Trust Alliance.
It is never too late to give! While this year’s Friends of the Fields Campaign has wrapped up, the Land Trust is always raising funds to conserve the landscapes that define our community. Click here to join this collective effort.
About Wonderland & The 80
Since 1933, Wonderland & The 80 has been farmed by five generations of the Smith and Schmuck families. In addition to orchard grass and corn critical to one of the last remaining dairies in the County, the soils produce robust barley and variety of seed crops, including spinach and kale.
- 132 acres of designated USDA Prime soil
- In production since 1933
- Provides feed critical to one of two remaining dairies in Clallam County
- Largest farm ever slated for conservation in Clallam County, where the average farm size is 44 acres
- In 2017 Washington State and Federal funds were allocated toward preservation of this farmland. The use of these funds is time sensitive and requires prompt community support.
Drive by Wonderland & The 80, located at the corner of Port Williams and Schmuck roads, and see this year’s crops on the farm including, but aren’t limited to corn, spinach seed and hay.
To learn more about this farmland conservation effort and other emerging opportunities, contact Dean at (360) 417-1815 ext.8 or e-mail tom@northolympiclandtrust.org.
