FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seattle, Washington | Together with the Pierce Conservation District, Pierce County, and the Washington State Conservation Commission, Washington Farmland Trust permanently protected the Hunter Farm in Pierce County. 

These 100 acres have been in the same family since 1941, and conservation of the land is helping to facilitate generational transfer to the current landowners’ three adult children. Conservation will also prevent the farm from being split into 10 acre lots and sold for development. 

“We are thrilled to know that the farm will be preserved,” said Mark Hunter, son of Donald Hunter who currently owns the land. “We have all learned many life lessons on the land and hope that it will be the same for new generations who come to explore its wonder.” 

In addition to its agricultural value, Hunter Farm has 40 wooded acres, which provide habitat for elk and other wildlife and add to an existing corridor already preserved by the Nisqually Land Trust. The farm is also in close proximity to many other small- to mid-scale farms that Washington Farmland Trust and partners have conserved over the last 15 years, including the 284-acre Mountain View Dairy as well as Pink Moon Farm, which is directly across the road from Hunter.  

“Working in partnership with organizations like Washington Farmland Trust allows us to preserve large corridors of open space not just for agriculture, but for wildlife habitat and community benefit as well,” said Pierce Conservation District Executive Director Dana Coggon.

In 2008, Washington Farmland Trust was invited into partnership with Pierce County to protect 100 acres in the Orting Valley. Since then, the Trust has remained focused there due to increasing development and fragmentation that pose a threat to the future of farming, as well as the strong partnerships and commitments to agricultural viability that exist throughout the county. To date, Washington Farmland Trust has conserved 866 acres in Pierce County alone, and more than 3,000 around the state. 

“It has been powerful to see the collective impact of our work alongside our partners in this important region over the years,” said Washington Farmland Trust Executive Director Melissa Campbell. “Hunter Farm marks 30 farms conserved by our organization, a milestone that simply wouldn’t have been possible without the steadfast support of funding partners and champions of conservation in Pierce County and beyond.” 

Learn more about all 30 farms Washington Farmland Trust has conserved since its founding at wafarmlandtrust.org/protected-farms.

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Media contact

Molly Goren, Communications Director | mgoren@wafarmlandtrust.org | 206-777-4053

About Washington Farmland Trust

Washington Farmland Trust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and accredited land trust that protects and stewards threatened farmland across the state. We keep land in production by making it accessible to a new generation of farmers. Since our founding more than two decades ago, we have conserved 30 farms, totaling 3,163 acres.