As they were growing older, Richard and Hap Fakkema considered what to do with farm property they had inherited from their Dutch immigrant parents. It’s been a farm for at least 150 years, the Fakkemas owning it for the past seventy. Perhaps develop housing? Maybe log the forest above the pastures? Instead, they decided to go with a Whidbey Camano Land Trust easement and maintain the farm. Richard’s son Cory had been studying regenerative agriculture and the local-grown food movement. Proper stewardship can improve health, quality and resilience just as much as poor management can deteriorate the land, his instructor had said. In 2015, he went to his dad and uncle to see if they were willing to try regenerative agriculture at Beach View Farm. “Both gave me their blessing and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Cory said. “People will be able to walk through the pastures and see how well our animals are being raised and all we’re doing to restore and replenish the land.” “We move the cows to a different pasture every day,” he said. The cows eat the tall grass and leave it behind as manure, which replenishes the soil and encourages water retention. Then chickens rotate through, furthering the replenishment. After the animals eat their fill, the pasture is given up to several months to regrow. Cory Fakkema. photo courtesy of Whidbey Camano Land Trust December sun. I wanted to enjoy it while it is here, so I chose to preview this future trail with its wide-open green expanse of sunshine and meadow, with views of a vast blue expanse of the sea. I parked at West Beach and carefully walked across the highway to Swantown Lake County Park. The air was rich with the scent of the sea, but as I headed east on the grassy loop trail of the park it soon gave way to the rich earthy smells of meadow and farm. A heron stood in a Zen pose at the edge. Various ducks paddled nearby on the lake. Siskins chattered above. At Swantown trail’s east end, a temporary sign rests on an orange barrier fence informing hikers of what will be allowed on the Beach View Farm trail beyond when it opens: hiking. That’s it. No dogs, bikes, horses, motorized vehicles -- and stay on the trail. It’s a working farm! A short bridge leads east to the farm trail. It then heads along the edge of the farm fields, busy in summer with farm equipment and irrigation, but quiet now in winter; a herd of cattle milled on the hill, and a crew of chickens clucked in the meadows near a movable coop as they helped restore the soil just by being chickens. Land mines from recent cow grazing filled the field. In this pre-opening survey of the property, I felt like the farm and neighboring pasture lands are a menagerie of native wildlife. Eagles cried from a nearby fir. A merlin flew right over my head, landing on a fence nearby. A large raptor launched out from an apple tree as I approached. I turned around at the east end and looked back over the trail, the farm fields, the tall meadows, out to Swantown Lake and the Strait beyond. I hiked back to the beach just in time to see the sunset over the Olympics. Even in winter, this will be a dry gravel trail for your feet and open skies above for your imagination. Over three miles round trip will make for at least an hour of walking, seeing first hand a regenerative farm. It is a living testament to working with nature to provide us food now and for the future by building healthy soil, which gives us healthy plants and animals. The farm portion of the trail opens early next year, so this is your tickle to consider visiting when it does. The WCLT hopes to be able to open it “in early 2021” a spokesperson said. jack Part of the introduction is adapted from an article by Harry Anderson, Land Trust board member, that appeared in the Whidbey Camano Land Trust newsletter. Read the full article at https://www.wclt.org/a-new-healthier-way-to-farm/ By the way, this and seven other trails are found only in our newest edition of our book, Hiking Close to Home, 2021 version, available now. Directions: From the south side of Oak Harbor, take Swantown Road to Crosby Road. Turn left and continue along West Beach Road. Park at the parking area a mile south of Joseph Whidbey State Park. Then carefully cross West Beach Road to the east side. Walk east on the unnamed road that is 150 yards south of Swantown Lake. This brings you to Swantown Lake County Park. The trail heads east from here. When the farm portion of the trail is officially open, there will also be parking at the east end of the trail near Wieldraayer Road off of Swantown Road. Look for announcements on our website when the trail opens officially early next year!
In the meantime, you are welcome to walk the trails around Swantown Lake County Park, and the beach at West Beach.
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Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
March 2024
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