Historic Ward Farm conserved

February 15, 2017 1:30 am
Sixty acres of long-farmed, fertile ground within the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is no longer at risk of being anything but a space for local agriculture. Steve Vause, landowner and president of the 159-year-old Historic Ward Farm’s group of stakeholders, signed the final document needed to confirm a conservation partnership with North Olympic Land Trust on Feb. 2. Although the farm came under contract for conservation in late November, the successful effort by Land Trust officials to conserve the farm, which is among the few large swaths of farmland remaining in Clallam County, was a multi-year process that relied on both state and community support. “The importance of local farmland is something we (farm’s stakeholders) all share,” Vause said. “It’s exciting to know this historic farm will always be available for agriculture.” From left are Tom Sanford, North Olympic Land Trust executive director; Steve Vause, landowner; and Michele Canale, North Olympic Land Trust conservation director.
Sixty acres of long-farmed, fertile ground within the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is no longer at risk of being anything but a space for local agriculture. Steve Vause, landowner and president of the 159-year-old Historic Ward Farm’s group of stakeholders, signed the final document needed to confirm a conservation partnership with North Olympic Land Trust on Feb. 2. Although the farm came under contract for conservation in late November, the successful effort by Land Trust officials to conserve the farm, which is among the few large swaths of farmland remaining in Clallam County, was a multi-year process that relied on both state and community support. “The importance of local farmland is something we (farm’s stakeholders) all share,” Vause said. “It’s exciting to know this historic farm will always be available for agriculture.” From left are Tom Sanford, North Olympic Land Trust executive director; Steve Vause, landowner; and Michele Canale, North Olympic Land Trust conservation director.

Sixty acres of long-farmed, fertile ground within the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is no longer at risk of being anything but a space for local agriculture. Steve Vause, landowner and president of the 159-year-old Historic Ward Farm’s group of stakeholders, signed the final document needed to confirm a conservation partnership with North Olympic Land Trust on Feb. 2. Although the farm came under contract for conservation in late November, the successful effort by Land Trust officials to conserve the farm, which is among the few large swaths of farmland remaining in Clallam County, was a multi-year process that relied on both state and community support. “The importance of local farmland is something we (farm’s stakeholders) all share,” Vause said. “It’s exciting to know this historic farm will always be available for agriculture.” From left are Tom Sanford, North Olympic Land Trust executive director; Steve Vause, landowner; and Michele Canale, North Olympic Land Trust conservation director. Photo by Alana Linderoth