Blue Mountain Land Trust (BMLT) is taking bold action to secure the future of Hayshaker Farm, an 11.53-acre farm and regional food hub on the edge of College Place, WA. With development rapidly encroaching and the current landowner prepared to sell, this property, farmed since the early 1900s, was at risk of being lost to residential development. BMLT stepped up to purchase the property, keeping the land in agriculture and accessible to the farming community. Hayshaker Farm is the second property BMLT owns, the first located in Washington, and a major step to protect local food systems. 

As farmland disappears across the Pacific Northwest, protecting agricultural land has never been more urgent. Blue Mountain Land Trust (BMLT) is excited to announce the permanent protection of Welcome Table Farm, a 24.62-acre diversified vegetable farm located on the south side of Walla Walla. Through a conservation easement, this protection ensures that the land will remain in agricultural production while safeguarding critical fish and wildlife habitat along Yellowhawk Creek.

Through the dedicated efforts of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), fish populations now have a better chance at recovery in one of the most productive steelhead tributaries in the region. Blue Mountain Land Trust is working to permanently protect CTUIR’s investment in the river restoration project to ensure its longevity, forever.