What’s Happening at Beaverton Marsh Preserve?

Agriculture Access Update:
“We’re having an amazing first year at Overmarsh Farm Commons!” reports farm manager, Amanda Zee. With 24 garden plots and 34 participants, all of the land we prepared last fall is now being cultivated by island growers. Thanks to the dedication of this incredible group, infrastructure is in place, the water system is flowing, and delicious food is being harvested. We’ve welcomed sheep onto the pasture and have just planted cover crops to expand the growing area next year.

Thanks to generous community support during last year’s San Juan Island Cares Campaign through the San Juan Island Community Foundation at the San Juan County Fair, we were able to purchase and install a greenhouse. It’s now built and ready to support early seed starts next growing season.

We had another successful Cares Campaign at the fair this year for the Community Heritage Orchard and Teaching Nursery project, rooted in preserving San Juan Island’s fruit-growing heritage while equipping the community with fruit trees and hands-on skills. We plan to: teach grafting, propagation, and pruning, plant a demonstration orchard, grow 30 scion mother trees and 20 rootstock mother trees for ongoing propagation, distribute free fruit trees to the community, teach small-scale orcharding, and plant a heritage community orchard.  A teaching orchard and nursery will ensure ecological and educational benefits for generations of islanders. This project reflects the Grange’s long-term vision of regenerative agriculture, community empowerment, and cultural preservation at Overmarsh Farm Commons. It will be a model for teaching essential food-growing skills while honoring the island’s rich agrarian past and cultivating a self-sufficient future.

Ready to grow with us? Apply now through our Grower or Grazier applications or reach out to Farm Manager Amanda Zee at overmarshfarm@gmail.com for more details.

Connector Trail Update:
In July, staff hosted our first project public scoping meeting to help inform an updated Stewardship and Management Plan and in August, we hit another milestone – project funding approval from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)! Those funds enabled hiring Bowman/Exceltech for design, architectural and engineering services and former County Engineer, Rachel Dietzman, as the consultant contractor for the trail project, who joined Land Bank staff in late September. Stay tuned to our social media channels for future fall field trip opportunities!