Food forests and riparian restoration in SW Washington

About the Project

Elkenmist is a 126-acre farm and retreat center in Southwest Washington dedicated to reconnecting people with the landscapes they inhabit. With support from the Tilth Alliance & the WSDA Local Food System Infrastructure Team, we're building a burgeoning community of environmental stewards practicing hands-on conservation and sustainable food production.

Our Mission in Action

For six years, we've tested and refined stewardship practices that benefit both local wildlife and people. Our work includes:

• Riparian restoration — planting native trees and shrubs to stabilize streams and support salmon, beaver, and local ecosystems
• Regenerative grazing — rebuilding soil health, capturing carbon, and restoring plant diversity across degraded pastures
• Environmental education — teaching forestry, animal processing, greenwood building, natural dyeing, and food sovereignty skills

What we're building

Along the way, we've planted over 1000 native trees and shrubs along our riparian corridors, trying various strategies for establishment and maintenance. After so much experimentation, our young treelings are thriving and we feel ready to scale.

This campaign funds the next phase: expanding riparian restoration and developing food forests to increase local food production, strengthen our ecosystem, and train more environmental stewards throughout Wahkiakum County.

Campaign Goals

This next phase includes the expansion of our plant nursery infrastructure & interplanting our infant food forest with a broader array of species, as well as beginning the process of grafting & topworking many of our native species to provide a broader array of fruit yields.

Our hope is that this food forest can serve as a seed population to provide low-cost food and native flora to our local community and beyond.