The San Juan Preservation Trust has acquired the 687-acre Red Mill Farm on San Juan, the largest working farm in the San Juan archipelago.

Red Mill Farm is located in the heart of San Juan Valley, which contains extremely fertile agricultural land. The property was purchased in the 1960’s by Dodie Gann and her late husband and author Ernest Gann.

After donating a 40-acre parcel to the San Juan Preservation Trust in 1980

(the first land transaction in the organization’s 33-year history), the Ganns followed up in 1991 by

donating a conservation easement on their Red Mill Farm property that restricted future development

to 13 home sites.

The couple’s long commitment to land conservation was spurred to action as they saw important

farmland in the valley being carved into small residential parcels. “If you watch it being destroyed, you

get protective,” Dodie said. “It gives me a very warm feeling to know that long after I’m gone, this will

still be here.”

When Gann died in 1991, the property’s ownership was divided in two, with one-half interest going to Dodie Gann and the other half-interest going into a trust that benefited Ernie Gann’s family from a previous marriage. In a series of transactions ending May 18, Dodie Gann donated her half-interest in the property to the San Juan Preservation Trust, which then purchased the other half-interest from the beneficiaries of Ernie Gann’s trust for $1 million.

“After years of worrying about the future of our farm, it feels like a heavy weight has been lifted from

my shoulders,” said Dodie as she was honored at the trust’s annual meeting on May 19.

While this represents a significant investment in the future of local food production in the San Juan

Islands, there will be no changes in the foreseeable future. Dodie Gann has retained a life estate that

allows her to live on the property through her lifetime, and Greg Black, who currently manages Red Mill

Farm and its cattle operation, will continue in his current role. The trust will assume the responsibility for paying property taxes, which will remain unchanged.

When combined with adjacent and nearby farm properties under trust ownership and conservation easements, the San Juan Preservation Trust has now protected almost 1,000 acres of farmland.

For more info about the acquisition of Red Mill Farm, including a map, our plans for the property, and a video clip of Dodie describing her motives for conserving her farm, visit www.sjpt.org.