Alder Creek Farm, located on the north edge of Nehalem Bay, at 35955 Underhill Lane, Nehalem, was previously a 54-acre dairy farm. On 3.5 of those acres LNCT now has a community garden, greenhouse, and ethnobotanical trail. On the other 50 acres we have established a wildlife sanctuary.
The Trust purchased the property in 2005, with funding support from partners Natural Resources Conservation Service and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, who both hold conservation easements on the Farm’s wildlife sanctuary. We immediately went to work restoring historic riparian vegetation, wetlands habitats, and tidal sloughs, by removing invasive plants and introducing native plant species. After more than a decade of work, and letting nature take its course, what was once cattle pasture now has become habitat for native elk, beaver, deer, and numerous bird species. Our efforts to restore this portion of Alder Creek Farm will continue for years to come, but the work we’ve done to date has already helped native birds and wildlife.
Alder Creek Farm is a stop on the Oregon Coast Birding Trail and also a hotspot on Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society’s eBird.org. An example of successful conservation and restoration, the Farm is enjoyed by community members at special events like the annual Harvest Festival and open house community garden days throughout the year.
The Alder Creek Farm Story
Five community members purchased the 54-acre dairy farm in 2003 and then leased the property to the Trust for management. The Trust acquired the land in November 2005 using funds from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife North American Wetlands Conservation Act small grant, USDA Wetland Reserve funding, and local donations from the community. Aerial photos of the property show significant change over the years. Here are links to aerial photos taken in 1994, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018
planning for alder creek farm
The Board of Directors and staff continue to work on a comprehensive plan for the future of Alder Creek Farm.
