We purchased 4 acres of beachfront, old growth, Tongass rain forest on a remote island near Juneau, Alaska in 1987. We saved, built, and labored until we could finally move onto our dream land permanently in 1995. Our journey is what many of our WWOOF volunteers describe as their own dream also. When you visit, you will be helping us plant seeds to grow our gardens. On a deeper level we hope to help you plant seeds to grow your dreams.
We were formerly a remote fishing lodge. Now we are retired and grow and wild harvest for our living. Karen is Admiral of all she surveys. She is the green thumb, a Master Gardener and is looking forward to working with you in her green houses, nestled in her environmentally friendly garden beds. She will share her disdain for slugs and encourage conservation in all things. Rick is Captain of the boat, chief builder, and enjoys making music, sharing good books, cooking, and playing on the tractor. We are open-minded and thrive on the satisfaction of a good day’s work. We welcome volunteers who are interested in sharing and learning the values of living, and making a living, in harmony with the earth.
We value the ideals of permaculture and sustainability and attempt to employ them in our daily lives. We have operational solar and wind power as well as a diesel generator. We have catchment for water and tend to our own waste disposal. I would say we are off the grid, but it has been so long (30 years) --what is a grid anyway?
Skill building can include self-sufficient living practices, renewable energy, gardening, growing and working with herbs, tincture and tea making, building construction, firewood gathering, composting, outdoor survival, fishing, small boat handling, chickens and understanding the nature of nature.
We invite you to share in our tasks and rewards. Depending on current projects our workdays are about 5 hours. The rewards include good, healthy food and a cozy little cabin to call your own. The work can be physically demanding at times but more than that it is intentional and fulfilling. We hold ourselves to a high standard and hope you do also. That said we love fun, and enjoy our WWOOFers like our family.
We appreciate participation in meal preparation and cleanup. We are salad gobbling omnivores which includes lots of greens from our gardens (in season), fresh-caught seafood and island venison.
Kayaks are available and fishing (in season) is an opportunity. Our island is located in the feeding grounds of humpback whales. You will see whales and eagles in the wild daily. Karen plays the mountain dulcimer and harmonica, and I play the guitar and washboard. We have an assortment of instruments available to share. We look forward to our volunteers enjoying their stay.
We provide transportation to and from Juneau in our quick, safe landing craft. Trips to town are available on a fairly regular basis but not daily. Volunteers must be in good physical condition. Couples welcome, no kids or pets please. Minimum stay is three weeks, but longer is better. We can take one to three volunteers at a time. We see WWOOFing as a two-way exchange; we want to help you fulfill your goals as well as you helping us fulfill ours. While you are here, we all must blend. We encourage freedom of thought and respect for all things. We will make ourselves available at any time to sit down with you and discuss how things are working out. We tolerate smoking but request it be discrete. There is another WWOOF farm nearby providing the opportunity to share experiences. Come, be a part of our island community.
We live on an isolated island with no stores. Our gardens are seasonal. We cook on a wood stove in a small kitchen. We who live here are all omnivore, gluten and lactose tolerant. We sprout and grind our grains and produce an abundance of food in our gardens; however we spend just as much time hunting, fishing and preserving meats. Food gathering, preparing and preserving is what we are about. We eat from our own food stores rather than from the grocery stores. Because of this, it is difficult to accommodate food preferences or restrictions that are different than ours. It sometimes requires completely separate meal preparation and trips to town to buy separate groceries. We can make slight adjustments but vegan, celiac and major food restrictions are very difficult to accommodate. We will consider on an individual basis. We provide nice warm cabins for our volunteers, but you will need a sleeping bag. You should bring warm layered work clothing, lots of socks, rain gear, hoodies are good for keeping the bugs at bay and rubber boots are a good idea. Water is a valued commodity and laundry days can come infrequently. Summer temperatures range between the mid-fifties to a rare eighty, sixties being the norm.
Organic methods: Permaculture, conservation, composting, e
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Forestry
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Meat processing
Traditional crafts
Renewable energy production
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Permaculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
1.6
Hectares
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4
Acres
