8/1/2007 2:49:00 PM Partnerships protect Compass Rose Farm
Three generations are involved in the Compass Rose Farm undertaking made possible by a unique partnership anchored by Jefferson Land Trust. Family members include Michael and Kateen Fenter (center), Kateen’s mother, Bev Fairing (far left), and the Fenters’ children: Caleb, Elijah and LaVaugna. – Photo by Guy Scharf
Good fortune has seemingly smiled on the Compass Rose Farm project, from the real estate deal to Jefferson Land Trust support and bank financing. A well was drilled successfully on the first try, and two bee colonies were discovered in an old shed. Kateen Fenter holds a honeycomb left after the colonies were transferred to new hives. – Photo by Selden McKee
Kateen Fenter looks out over the forest, pasture and creeks of her family's newly acquired property above Discovery Bay and envisions "the quintessential classic American farm with white picket fence, farmhouse and outbuildings, chickens pecking for bugs in the yard, sheep grazing in the meadow, a flourishing vegetable garden and fruit orchard."
It's called Compass Rose Farm, and Fenter says it's "a place where we can teach people about healthy living and farming and provide local farm produce, eggs, honey and meat to our community ... and a place to raise the next generation of family farmers."
It's a vision that ordinarily would not have had a chance in today's market, where land is valued more for its development potential than its productivity. And until Fenter met Sarah Spaeth, it seemed her vision for this land would never be realized because she and her family could not purchase the land and make the needed improvements on their own.
But Spaeth - land projects manager with Jefferson Land Trust - saw this as an opportunity to further two important goals of the Land Trust: conserve and repair waterways critical to salmon habitat and preserve working lands by supporting small farm operations.
Partnership of partnerships
Snow Creek runs through the property and, together with Salmon Creek in the same area, forms a watershed that is crucial for salmon spawning and reproduction. Many organizations - private, nonprofit and governmental - have teamed up to protect this critical area. So Spaeth pulled together a "partnership of partnerships" to help the Fenters buy the land.
• The Jefferson Land Trust (JLT) board made the decision in 2001 to add the protection of working lands to its mission, to help small farmers and small forest landholders keep and work their lands. Knowing that the force of development was strong, the Land Trust began reaching out to those working the land.
• The Chumsortium, initiated by JLT in 2001, has more than a dozen member organizations working toward protecting and restoring salmon habitat.
• The Jefferson LandWorks Collaborative, patterned after the Chumsortium, was organized in 2006 with JLT as the lead partner. Membership includes the Jefferson County Farmers Market Association, Northwest Natural Resource Group, Washington State University Extension, and ShoreBank Enterprise Cascadia. It serves as a vehicle to help farms and small timber operations become viable and sustainable. The members provide expertise, education, financing and business training.
• The Snow Creek and Salmon Creek watershed provides critical salmon habitat, and the Land Trust has been working with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and other Chumsortium members to put parcels under protection.
• The Fenters have been planning their own working farm for a number of years, so when they saw this land they knew it was what they wanted and how they would use it. Three generations are involved in the undertaking: Kateen Fenter's parents, Kateen and her husband, and their three children: Caleb, Elijah and LaVaugna, two of whom Kateen home-schools.
Many details
The Fenters were renting a 10-acre farm but wanted their own farmland. Bill Perka, Realtor with John L. Scott, showed them this 40-acre parcel with Snow Creek on the eastern boundary, a network of drainage ditches on the west side, wetland areas, and a small forest with large Sitka spruce and a web of vine maples.
"This is a long story of many little details that gradually fell into place," said Fenter. It took three months of negotiation, and the closing took a week.
Financing was clearly a major obstacle, so the involvement of ShoreBank, a nonprofit institution that finances rural economic development, was critical. Mark Bowman, local bank representative, said ShoreBank recognizes the importance of putting families on working farm and timberlands, and supports sustainable and organic farming methods.
"Most banks won't lend money for the purchase of large tracts of land; they consider it too high risk and don't understand how to work with land trusts as creative partners," said Bowman. "We think it is important to put families on working farms and timberlands, and we liked that Compass Rose involves three generations."
Once the Fenters had negotiated a purchase price with the seller, ShoreBank worked with them to develop a business plan and arrange the financing. Simultaneous with the purchase, ownership of a house on Fish and Wildlife land was transferred to the Fenters, and the Land Trust purchased a conservation easement on most of the land.
"And that money we received for the easement goes right back into the land to pay for utilities and septic, house our animals, get the sheds in usable condition, and move and fix up our farmhouse," said Fenter.
Fenter heaps praise on Spaeth, who "made all of this happen with her skills, abilities and connections with many people and organizations. Without her, this would not have happened."
Summer move
In early June the family moved from their rented 10-acre farm to their own land. The seven family members moved themselves, 18 sheep, two goats, 37 chickens, two cats and a dog, along with a few tents, shelters, fencing, and a trailer for temporary housing for people and equipment. They will camp on their land this summer while an exhaustive list of projects is undertaken: move a farm house onto the property and get it ready for occupancy, put up a chicken house for their totally free-ranging chickens to be safely housed at night, fence pasture to contain the sheep, establish a vegetable garden, plant fruit trees and berry bushes, and bring in electricity, put in a septic system and bring water from the spring to the house. And that's just the basics.
The "partnership of partnerships" will continue to be involved with the development of the farm and habitat protection. Jefferson County Conservation District, with money from the Land Trust, will fence off the riparian and wetlands area so the Fenters' sheep can graze without damaging the protected areas. Al Latham of the Conservation District said his organization will look for grant money to plant native vegetation on 20 acres of Snow Creek riparian area, four of which are in Compass Rose Farm. And ShoreBank will provide business expertise as the farm develops.
Michael Fenter, a graduate of the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, works for Sea Marine at Hudson Point, and Kateen Fenter's father is a long-haul truck driver as well as a beekeeper and weaver. And while Kateen and her mother, Bev Fairing, are the farmers in the family, there will be plenty of work for the men and the Fenters' three children.
Small miracles
"Since getting this property, a couple of remarkable things have happened," said Kateen Fenter. First, due to protected property restrictions, there was only one place on the whole property where the well could be drilled. "It's hard to get good water around here, but right there at 12 feet we hit an artesian well."
The second relates to bees. "We had planned to set up bee keeping, since my dad is an apiarist and has all the equipment but no bees. And then we found two hives in the wall of one of the sheds on the property, complete with full bee colonies. So dad brought out his hives and gear and they moved the bees from the shed to their new hives."
Sarah Spaeth sees these two small miracles as an auspicious beginning for this undertaking. "I think she's as excited as we are about this," said Fenter.
Fenter is also the family shepherdess and raises the sheep for wool and meat to sell. She and her mother are spinners, and her father weaves.
The farm is not the dream of a starry-eyed city girl wanting to go back to nature. Kateen Fenter grew up in a farm environment and has been planning for years to get back to the farm. She and Michael are both from the Pacific Northwest, and they decided to follow their dreams a few years ago. So Michael became a boatbuilder and now it's Kateen's turn, to get back to the farm.
Kateen's parents have also dreamed of having a small farm, so when they all shared their visions and hopes they realized they could do it together. "We pooled our dreams and our resources," said Bev Fairing. "None of us could have done it alone. And there is no one I would rather farm with than my daughter."
"We live in such a pure environment here on the peninsula," she continued. "It is my hope that this will open up opportunities for other small family farms, and that this area will become a viable provider of healthy food for local and outside markets."
With the energy and expertise of three generations and the valuable support of the Land Trust and other public and private entities in the area, the Fenters' vision will become a reality. Our community can watch the tradition of the family farm being revived at Compass Rose Farm.
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Article comment by:
aaron deford
i would like to know how to get in touch with the compass rose farm so that i can get a group together and go out there and help them get things done with my church if you can give me any information on them it would be great thank you
Posted: Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Article comment by:
Charalet Dunnigan
Lovely article for a worthy family. We've been friends with Bev and Scottie since our engagement 9 years ago. They graciously invited us into their lives and dreams when we all lived in Oregon. I know they will be a blessing to all willing to receive it in Port Townsend. You are lucky to have them on your peninsula!
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