Continuing a Legacy of Conservation at Nautilus Tree Farm The purpose of placing land in trust is to ensure that it will be protected across many generations, in perpetuity. Some of the land protected by the Whatcom Land Trust is held in private ownership but protected by conservation easements–legal agreements that limit land use and …
Agriculture
Community Partnerships Help Farmers Grow: An Update on Alluvial Farms By Lorraine Wilde and Aneka Sweeney It takes a village to build a farm and keep it viable long-term. In 2015, Katie Pencke and Matthew McDermott founded Alluvial Farms. For over two years, the couple from Seattle and Michigan searched for and bid without success …
There are so many reasons that Whatcom County is a special place, from its sweeping shorelines and marine estuaries, to its forested mountain sides and rivers. However, another crucial thread of the vibrant tapestry is farmland. Agriculture is one of the three dominant land uses in the County, and an integral piece of its history …
Autumn is officially here, and this year the question on more people’s minds than ever before is where is our food coming from? When a trip to the grocery store has become an endeavour fraught with concern for our health, it’s time to think about what we are putting in our bodies. Access to fresh, …
Cougar Creek Ranch Located east of Ferndale near the Nooksack River, Cougar Creek Ranch is a hidden gem. Named for the tributary of the Nooksack which runs through the property this 157 acre farm was recently protected through Whatcom County’s Agricultural Purchase of Development Rights (Ag PDR) program. The Cougar Creek property has been in …
About 15 minutes outside of Bellingham near Bellewood Acres sits Matheson Farms. A multi-generational grass-fed beef farm, the land has been in the Matheson family for over fifty years. Sandra Matheson, a retired veterinarian and accredited professional in holistic management, took over the operation after her father, Lloyd Matheson, retired from the business in 1975. …
Nestled between the eastern slope of Stewart Mountain and the Foothills of the Cascades, the South Fork Nooksack River flows through a valley filled with farms, floodplain forests, and wetlands. Land use within the South Fork Nooksack Valley is primarily a combination of commercial forestry and agriculture creating a dynamic community throughout the valley. Finding …
Coldstream Farms began in 1978 when Jeff Rainey bought a piece of property along the South Fork of the Nooksack River and in the early 2000’s, Galen Smith married into the Coldstream family and took over day to day management of the business. In its forty years of operation, this family owned and operated dairy …
