Joneses Lease Lopez Sound Farm & Forest

Lopez Community Land Trust is pleased to announce that Andrew and Lena Jones have been selected through a competitive process for a long-term lease at Lopez Sound Farm and Forest Preserve! We are excited to welcome Lena, Andrew, and their family to Lopez Island.

Lena grew up in Bellingham, while Andrew hails from generations of dairy, mushroom and crop farmers in Pennsylvania. He is a trained welder, metal fabricator, and electrician, with experience building microbrewery grain mills, apple processing equipment, and farm machinery. Lena has a Master’s degree in writing and a background in publicity, marketing, teaching, and non-profit work. Together, they have a wide range of farming experience, as well as a team of advisors to draw on from San Juan County, greater Washington state, and across the country.

Lena and Andrew are long-term thinkers, committed to stewarding the land and increasing food security on Lopez Island. They are currently exploring the viability of perennial fruit and nut trees and annual staple crops such as oats, beans and edible seeds on the farm. They anticipate drawing from regenerative organic principles, permaculture systems, ecological landscape design and agroforestry traditions to improve soil health and sequester carbon.

Lena and Andrew will spend this first year getting to know the land and planning the farm while they settle in on Lopez. We hope you have the opportunity to meet them and welcome their family to our Island community.

The long-term farm lease is possible through the LCLT program called Lopez Island Farm Trust. Learn more about the LIFT program here .