Short’s Family Farm in Chimacum circa 2012.
In 2016, the Land Trust worked with the Short family to place a conservation easement on the 253-acre Short’s Family Farm, one of the largest productive farms in Jefferson County. In the summer of 2023, the Port of Port Townsend acquired Short’s Family Farm in Chimacum with the objective of developing and maintaining infrastructure and establishing uses of the property that will help sustain and expand agriculture in Jefferson County.
With considerable public interest in the Port’s acquisition and ongoing planning for the property, many community members are curious about Jefferson Land Trust’s role in the project. We hope that the following information provides answers to some of the questions we’re hearing.
The conservation easement that Jefferson Land Trust holds on the property runs with the title of the land forever, even when it changes hands. This easement protects the land’s agricultural and habitat conservation values in perpetuity, partly by preventing subdivision and limiting development. However, the Land Trust does not, and has never, owned the property.
Another view of the former Short’s property property, at twilight.
As the easement holders, Jefferson Land Trust is legally obligated to uphold the terms of the conservation easement so that the farmland’s “conservation values” — its important and prime agricultural soils and wildlife habitat — are maintained in perpetuity.
Since the day the Port acquired the Farm, we’ve been in positive conversations with their staff. Presently, we’re acting in an advisory capacity to help the Port incorporate the terms and objectives of the conservation easement into the planning for the future of the farm that is now underway.
Thanks to the due diligence completed by the Land Trust at the time the land was protected, and the knowledge we’ve acquired over many years of monitoring the land on annual site visits, we’re able to share key information about the land and its history that’s relevant to the planning and visioning going on now.
The Port Commission directed the preparation of a “Farm Plan” to provide a clear vision and actions to guide future use and development of the property in a way that supports the local agricultural community and advances public interest while addressing the Port’s financial needs. In September 2023, the Commission adopted a resolution (Resolution No. 797-24) to guide the process. The resolution outlined clear planning objectives and a schedule for plan development, and established a committee of local experts to prepare the plan called the Farm Steering Committee (FSC).
Jefferson Land Trust was asked to play a special advisory role to the FSC, which has nine members: six local farmers and one representative each from the Jefferson LandWorks Collaborative, Jefferson County Conservation District, and the North Olympic Salmon Coalition. The FSC has been working to determine the practical needs of the farm during this transition time, and develop a vision for the farm that will keep it producing economic and other public benefits for generations.
The “Farm Plan” developed by the FSC was recently officially adopted by the Port and is now being implemented. You can view the plan here.
Erik Kingfisher, Jefferson Land Trust’s Director of Stewardship and Resilience, says of the Farm Steering Committee: “They’re like a supergroup of local expertise in farmland and habitat management. The thoughtfulness and intention they’re bringing to the process is a real gift to the Port, and to the land.”
Another function of the FSC is to help the Port design lease agreements; the Port plans to begin leasing some portions of the land for agricultural use starting in September 2024.
Protecting local farmland strengthens our community’s economy, our food security, the resilience of our working lands and soils, and our shared agricultural heritage. By making a permanent investment in a piece of farmland by protecting it forever, Jefferson Land Trust can ensure that the land will be available to bring these benefits to our community for all time.
During this transition at the former Short’s property, the easement is doing just that: ensuring that the property’s greatest values to our community — its vast acres of agricultural land, wildlife habitat, open space, and scenic vistas, and accompanying economic, environmental, social, and cultural benefits — are preserved over time. The land’s permanent protection and the planning process happening now offer us all the opportunity to further consider how the land can best serve the needs of our community, now and into the future.
We’re pleased that the Port Commission has invited Jefferson Land Trust to play a meaningful advisory role in the planning process, and appreciate their ongoing commitment to public participation and transparency. We encourage you to visit the Port’s website, where you’ll find a lot of information about the project — including all records of previous public meetings, a copy of the conservation easement document itself, and much more — as well as information about how you can get involved.
