Knapp Farm Conservation Easement

Orcas Island

The preservation of farms and farmland is a passion of Gene Knapp and his wife Tish. It’s been that way since they bought one of the oldest farms on Orcas Island back in 1966. In 1997, they made sure their farm will be saved for future generations to enjoy by donating a 30-acre conservation easement on the land to the Preservation Trust.

Deeded in 1883 to James Jorgenson by President Benjamin Harrison, the Knapp Farm parcel, which lies to the north of Buck Mountain, is rich in open fields and woodlands and boasts 100-plus year-old fruit trees that still produce fruit. The oldest standing barn on Orcas Island (built circa 1890) is located on the property and underwent an extensive restoration effort in 2022 and 2023, with all of the timber for the project being felled from the property and milled onsite.

“I spent a lot of time on a farm when I was a boy and feel some good life lessons came from it,” explained Knapp at the time of their decision to protect their land.  Tish was raised on a 4,000-acre cotton farm in Mississippi, and remarked,  “We wanted our children to have the same opportunities to live closer to nature than you do in a city.” Numerous generations of Knapps have gone on to be raised on the farm and graduate from Orcas High School.

Gene Knapp’s firm belief in saving farms also inspired him to take a seat on the initial board of the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank, and later to serve as a San Juan County Councilmember.

The Knapp farm’s natural, scenic, agricultural, woodland and open space qualities enhance the rural character of this quiet corner of Orcas Island. Aside from a menagerie of livestock, the farm boasts vistas towards the north out to Sucia, Matia and Puffin Islands, the Strait of Georgia and the Cascade and Coastal Mountains of the mainland beyond. When viewed from Buckhorn Road, the bucolic scene truly remind us all to pause, and rest, and be thankful for the bounty and beauty of our islands.