The pond in the pasture
Alder Row is a 53- acre property that is under a conservation easement with the San Juan Preservation Trust. Areas of forest and pasture lead up to high bank waterfront where the residential and work buildings sit. Walking trails in the forest take you past Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, Western Cedar, Madrone trees, moss-covered rock outcroppings with salal and ferns blanketing the understory. They lead from the house to the pasture where there is a pond which hosts rough-skinned newts, birds galore, families of deer and sometimes a visiting otter. In 2022, we planted a small orchard of apple, cherry, apricot and pear trees and are experimenting with blueberries this summer.
View from the trail
We are working with the San Juan Preservation Trust and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to enhance the property with a focus on supporting native plants, pollinators and supporting the local food economy. In 2026, we aim to bring the pasture back into active agricultural use by creating a large vegetable garden and inviting local livestock owners to use additional parts of our pasture for grazing.
Winter wonderland
In the winter of 2025, we worked with Chickadee Forestry, a local logger, and the San Juan Preservation Trust to plan and implement a thinning of our forest to a more sustainable density. The team was guided by our Forest Management Plan, completed in 2022, that laid out the specific path to encourage higher biodiversity, support additional wildlife, and improve the health of the existing trees, some of which are at least 120 years old. During the process, we gained additional walking paths to enhance human enjoyment as well.
