Materials circulated by the Great Peninsula Conservancy during the 2011 campaign to raise funds to purchase a conservation easement on the Petersen Farm made three references to protecting the site’s forests “in perpetuity,” and preserving “native forests that provide habitat for a variety of wildlife.” One donor explains why she feels misled, and the conservancy and the farm’s owner explain why logging has taken place.

POINT: What we were told — and not told

Others are as outraged as we are over the clearcut logging that took place on the Petersen farmstead in the Clear Creek Valley.

We supported and donated to the efforts of the Great Peninsula Conservancy to “save the farm.” We were not told that the efforts would only be to get grants to save the land, not the trees. According to a member of the conservancy, “trees are renewable.” How many lifetimes will it take for trees that majestic to grow again?

We give the Great Peninsula Conservancy a “D” on this effort. Instead of majestic evergreens, we will have fields of Scotch broom — what a great tradeoff!

Bonnie Chrey
Silverdale

COUNTERPOINT: ‘Petersen Farm remains a farm’

Petersen Farm is cherished by many in our community for its farming legacy dating to the 1890s.

When longtime owner Gerry Petersen passed away in 2009, with no heirs and a will that expressed a strong desire to keep the land as a farm, Mr. Petersen’s family asked Great Peninsula Conservancy if we could help.

Knowing that the farm, located next to State Route 3 just north of the Silverdale mall, had high commercial value, the goal was to use a conservation easement to permanently restrict some uses of the land while allowing others that would help the farm to survive.  Prohibiting subdivision and housing developments was a no-brainer.

Deciding what restrictions to place on the trees was not as obvious. While prohibiting logging might seem the best way to protect the farm, two factors led to a different conclusion.

Factor one: economic viability of the farm. The farm has long operated at the margin of economic viability with income from the sale of beef cattle and hay. All the farm buildings, dating to about 1902, are in a state of disrepair, and wetlands and forests on the farm limit acreage available for farming. If our goal was to make the farm viable, Great Peninsula Conservancy needed to be careful not to unduly restrict the farm’s future income.

Factor two: grant restrictions. A federal farmland grant, which paid one-half the cost of the conservation easement (appraised value of $510,000), allowed only a small percentage of the farm’s forestland to be included in the conservation easement. Simply put, Great Peninsula Conservancy didn’t have the money to protect all of the trees.

With the federal grant, a significant price reduction extended by the Estate of Gerald Petersen, and generous donations from the community, Great Peninsula Conservancy was able to purchase a conservation easement protecting 115 acres of the 167-acre farm in 2014. For the 37 acres of forestland included in the conservation easement, trees may be cut and the land either will be replanted with trees, or, in some cases, may be replanted with crops.

In 2015, the Petersen Estate sold the farm to the Berry family of Port Orchard, who intends to raise cattle and institute sustainable long -term forest practices. The new owners have paid careful attention to the impacts of the recent logging activity. From experience, they know that leaving logging debris scattered on the land will help to thwart invasive plants like blackberry and Scotch broom from impairing the 7,880 tree seedlings that were planted in spring 2016. The brush also will decompose in place and return nutrients to the soil — a far better alternative than piling and burning the debris.  Larger items of wood waste were donated to the Kiwanis Club of Silverdale to sell as firewood, using the proceeds to benefit the local community.

On the farming front, the Berry family has upgraded fencing on two existing pastures, getting them ready to receive cattle after years of disuse. As soon as leaks in the water system serving the pastures are repaired, the public can look forward to seeing cattle on the farm once again.

The conservation easement strives to protect the land and its integrity forever. The central core of Petersen Farm will not grow houses, big box stores, or car dealerships. Petersen Farm remains a farm.

Sandra Staples-Bortner
Executive director
Great Peninsula Conservancy

Dave Berry
Owner, Petersen Farm
DJ Cattle and Land