Sixty acres of active farmland within the Sequim-Dungeness Valley is now set to forever remain available for agriculture.

Following more than five years of working with the property’s stakeholders, receiving state funding in 2015 and the completion of a recent community farmland campaign, the Historic Ward Farm is officially under contract with North Olympic Land Trust for conservation.

In late November, stakeholders signed an agreement with the community-supported nonprofit to place a conservation easement on the land, which has been farmed since 1858.

“It is great to see our community continuing to make progress in the ongoing work to preserve the vestiges of local farmland,” said Tom Sanford, North Olympic Land Trust executive director.

“This farm is just one piece of the puzzle, but it is representative of the amazing work our community can do to protect its natural resources, including farmland.”

Located at the corner of Woodcock and Ward roads, the Historic Ward Farm is one of few large sections of farmland that remain along the lower Dungeness River.

Within its 158 years, a variety of crops have been grown on the farm, but for the past 12 years, Nash Huber — the owner of Nash’s Organic Produce — has grown an array of seed and row crops.

“This land (Historic Ward Farm) is one of these keystone pieces of property,” Huber said.

“It is situated in the middle of the valley, it’s right next to the river and has really fine soil that we’ve worked with for over 10 years to improve the fertility … you really can’t beat the nature of the soil that’s here.”

Beyond its nutrient-rich soils, the Historic Ward Farm is valuable to Huber with its existing infrastructure, including farm equipment storage and most importantly, two wells.

During the 2015 drought, Huber relied heavily on the farm’s dependable water supply to grow half his vegetable production.

Among the approximate 700 acres Huber farms, seven of the properties are conserved, he said. Knowing the majority of the land Huber farms isn’t at risk of changing uses gives him with the security he needs to invest in aspiring farmers.

“These conserved lands are the only reason I can offer the next generation of a farmers a career,” he said.

For Huber, the conservation of farmland is an obvious need, but he realizes for many people it might not be.

“We seem to think that our food supply is global and a lot of it is,” he said.

“Over half of it comes from out of the country, but that’s a fairly new phenomenon and I think that’s going to change with climate change and population growth. I think we have to be serious about considering where we’re going to get the food we eat and what our area and environment is going to look like.”

Now under contract, it’s anticipated within the next couple months the Historic Ward Farm will join more than 460 acres of local farmland conserved thus far.

Land Trust gets new digs

Since community members founded North Olympic Land Trust in 1990, the nonprofit has continued to grow and with that growth the organization was in need of a larger space. Recognizing this need, Sound Community Bank officials offered a generous opportunity, which allowed the Land Trust to move to its own location at 602 E. Front St., Port Angeles.

The recent partnership with Sound Community Bank deepened a lasting relationship between the bank and NOLT while providing the Land Trust’s team with the room needed to build its efforts to conserve the lands that sustain the communities of Clallam County.

Additionally, the larger office space acts as a wonderful place to reflect the community’s land conservation achievements and future goals, NOLT staff said.

“Sound Community Bank is continuing a long tradition of businesses investing in local nonprofits,” said Sanford. “This investment in the Land Trust gives us the space we need to attempt to meet the growing community demand for land conservation. We see this donation to the Land Trust, as a gift to the entire community and intend to use it accordingly.”

Working beside the community and with willing landowners, since 1990 when it was founded, NOLT has conserved more than 3,200 acres on over 90 properties across Clallam County.

These lands include about 650 acres open for public recreation, as well as about 460 acres of active farmland, about 460 acres of working forestland, both marine and freshwater shorelines and about 1,800 acres of conserved forest lands.

With a focus on fish, farms and forests, the Land Trust helps local citizens protect the land base that defines the North Olympic Peninsula and in doing so ensures these lands are permanently conserved for future generations.

The support of Sound Community Bank through this partnership is instrumental in the Land Trust’s ability to pursue current and future land conservation opportunities on behalf of the community.

Furthering the development of the Land Trust aligns with the commitment of Sound Community Bank to provide sustainable and secure financial services and support for individuals, businesses and communities. The bank’s partnership with the Land Trust is just one example of its support, as Sound Community Bank has supported holistic sustainability on the North Olympic Peninsula for nearly 20 years.

“We playfully state that ‘community’ is our middle name — but it really is!” said Laurie Stewart, president and CEO of Sound Community Bank.

“Partnerships with like-minded community organizations affirm our long-term commitment to the places we do business.”

“I was born and raised in Sequim,” she added. “The North Olympic Land Trust ensures those fields, farms and rivers I fondly remember endure for generations to come. Sound Community Bank looks forward to this partnership and the great work we’ll achieve together.”

Learn more about the Land Trust at www.NorthOlympicLandTrust.org. Learn more about Sound Community Bank’s holistic sustainability efforts at soundcb.com/sustainability.