Vancouver Food Network

The Clark County "78th Street Farm" is located at 1919 NE 78th Street, north of Vancouver, Washington. An agricultural research station for the Washington State University extension service from the 1940's to this decade, the property was the Clark County poor farm before that, with low-income housing in what is now the administrative building and burial for indigents on the west crest of the hill. With almost a hundred acres of contiguous (and mostly-undeveloped) land, it represents a unique opportunity. The future of the site is currently in the balance, as various parties jockey to see what will become of it, making now an important time for input and increased public awareness.

History of the Property and Project

The first recorded owner was reportedly named William Anderson, and an 1888 map of "Clarke County, Washington Territory" already shows it as county property. It served as the Clark County poor farm from the 1880's until the 1940's and was deeded to Washington State University for use as an agricultural research station from 1949, reverting to the county as WSU moved to their new campus. Initial plans for conventional development by the county were not well-received, and the project was suspended in late 2004.

The current "garden park concept plan" emerged from this process, including a series of technical workshops on permacultural concepts in 2008 and a citizen's "sounding board" of "stakeholders" that first met in August of 2008. This concept plan is scheduled to be completed by mid-year, and as part of this there will be a presentation and "public workshop" on Thursday, 9 April 2009, from 6 to 8 pm at Gaiser Middle School Cafeteria, just east of I-5 exit 5 at 3000 NE 99th St.

The Once and Future Farm

The rich history of this site and its unique topography present many unique opportunities, as an aerial view of the area demonstrates. Situated atop one of Clark County's most productive wells and crested by a smooth east-to-west ridge, it contains superb traffic access from 78th Street, good soils, a gentle south-facing slope and many other features. Among the possibilities are

1. A no-frills "grower's market" in the compacted field area at the property's northwest corner, to nurture emerging local growers without a carnival atmosphere
2. New warehouse and educational facility for the Clark County Food Bank in the northeast corner, with easy access by freeway and for low-income residents
3. Certified community kitchen to encourage economic development by local micro-businesses
4. Various possibilities such as meeting space or agriculture and culinary training for young people, leveraging existing utilities along 78th Street
5. Community gardens in currently certifiable organic areas slightly southeast of the current building
6. Greenhouses and other facilities for education, showcasing programs such as WSU Master Gardeners, who are currently on the site
7. Small, multi-acre "incubator" farms to help train and establish a new generation of younger, local farmers
8. Outdoor education opportunities for youth of all kinds, from 4H to class groups to after-school programs, perhaps leveraging the science of agriculture and ecology to provide less-expensive, hands-on learning opportunities formerly provided by outdoor school, but across grades and for more children
9. Senior activity and nutrition programs, such as "meals on wheels" and other programs run by local groups such as Loaves and Fishes
10. Extensions or tie-ins with Hazel Dell Park at the southeast corner, perhaps to include a community center or conventional community gardens

The possibilities are tremendous to use this site for multi-generational education and recreation, in a way which will benefit and filter out to the entire county. Whether you are young or old, rural or urban, comfortable or poor, grower or eater, there are many great possibilities for you.

May we have the vision to develop them in a way which honors the history of this site and promotes health for this and future generations to come.

For Further Information

• Abundance Permaculture has the most succinct explanation of the site's history, as well as a variety of technical reports on potential uses, developed in an extended series of workshops from September through December, 2008.
• Clark County's page includes "sounding board" and other documents, such as topographic and natural features maps.
• Glenn Grossman's superb ClarkFoodFarm.blogspot site has several posts on this and other local food issues.
• "Farming Gaining Ground in County" by Tom Koenninger. The Columbian, March 4, 2009.
• "Monument to a Hard Life: Poor Farm" by Gregg Herrington. The Columbian. February 19, 2001.
• "Poor Farm's Dead Nameless No More" by Gregg Herrington. The Columbian. May 11, 2001. Discusses the 2001 book The Clark County Poor Farm by Rose Marie Harshman, Kitty Oman and Mary Snell.
• "Washington State University Research-site Plan Eyed with Caution." Daily Journal of Commerce, October 4, 2004.
• Clark County press release from October 11, 2004 on suspension of the initial WSU partnership.
• PDF file of the January 2008 "garden park concept plan."
• "For Future of Poor Farm: Possibilities Crop Up" by Michael Anderson. The Columbian. March 26, 2008, p. C1.
• "In Our View: Poor Farm Plans." Editorial. The Columbian. March 27, 2008.
• "78th Street Site Returns to County; Draft Concept Plan Calls for Public Uses." Clark County press release, May 8, 2008.
• "Changes Coming for Historic Research Center" by Alice Perry Linker. The Reflector. June 25, 2008, p. A14.
• The "78th Street Aggies" group on Facebook is one place to share ideas