Southeast Alaska remote island homestead near Juneau
Alaska
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
Rick
Member since 2015
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Alaska
Juneau Airport, Juneau Alaska Marine Highway terminal at Auke Bay
Reviews
Chloe
United States
•
August 2025
I had such an amazing time on Shelter Island! Everyone was so nice! Thank you all so much for welcoming me into your amazing home. The work we did was so fulfilling, I felt very strong and capable. Seeing whales, orcas, and bald eagles all the time was amazing!!!! I also really enjoyed the opportunities to go to Juneau and go fishing! Dinners were SO yummy! The deep fried halibut Karen made was probably one of the best things I've ever had!!! The cabin I stayed in was so cozy! I am so grateful for these amazing people and this opportunity to connect with nature!! The time I spent here really has changed my life!!
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Leila
Italy
•
July 2025
My stay here was exceptional to say the least, I stayed a month and it was definitely not enough! The whole family welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like one of them.
Rick and Karen are so pleasant to be around and have so much knowledge, wit, wisdom and love to share if you are willing to listen and learn. They always made sure I was well cared for and was having a good time.
Work hours are totally manageable and honestly quite fun and after a delicious dinner a long evening awaits, to play cards or music, kayak, explore, rest or whatever suits you best, there is a lot to do!
The guest quarters are cozy and sweet, and the views are just stunning.
One hundred percent recommended if you plan to get dirty, live, laugh and love.
To Rick and Karen, Tyler, Jesse and TC... Thank you! You have created something beautiful, every moment was special and I'm so grateful I got the chance to be part of it
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Noah
Italy
•
July 2025
I was on the island for a month, but I should have stayed the whole summer, the time spent there was incredible. Rick and Karen are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet, they make you feel at home, and part of the family. They are very caring, encouraging and have a lot of interesting stories and knowledge to share. The work is fun and fulfilling and there is ample time to play and explore. The kayaks where a great way to explore the surrounding beautiful nature whith it's vegetation and wildlife.
Spending time with Jesse, TC and Tyler was also a lot of fun playing games or going out on the boat.
The only downside that comes to mind is that leaving is hard. I feel very blessed to have had the chance to stay here and hopefully be back some day.
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Liv
United Kingdom
•
June 2025
My visit with Rick + Karen was the most perfect first experience with WWOOF - they welcomed me into their home and life and made me never want to leave. Their life on Shelter Island is incredibly special and it was a privilege to be apart of their story for a month. If you get the opportunity to stay with these truly amazing (and crazy!) people then grab it!! It will be life altering - the amount I learnt, laughed and loved on Shelter was incredible, and I hope I repaid all that I gained in splitting a heck of a lot of wood!
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Taylor
United States
•
June 2025
Rick and Karen opened their homes & hearts to me during my stay. This was such a beautiful and rewarding experience. I felt full of gratitude everyday. I found a place, a family, a home, that felt hard to say goodbye too. I’ll reflect on this chapter for the rest of my Earth walk. There is much to learn and they are the best of teachers, so excited and passionate about life and our Earth. It’s hard to put this experience into words, you’ll have to see for yourself. Thank you thank you.
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Helen
United States
•
October 2024
Getting to stay on Shelter Island and working on this beautiful homestead was a lovely time. This was our first WWOOF experience, and a great one; very highly recommend this farm to all considering. Rick, Karen, Jesse, TC, and Tyler welcomed us into their home so generously. It was easy to feel close to everybody right off the bat as we ate every meal in their home and worked on the land they’ve been working on for decades. Rick and Karen have copious wisdom and experience in many spheres of life that they will undoubtedly share with you if you are interested. They are extremely caring people. We learned a lot about what it’s like to live on a relatively remote Alaskan island; water catchment and usage, food preservation and storage, what it’s like to rely on the forest around you for fuel and warmth, etc. We were there in spring so there was a lot of wood splitting, some chainsaw work which was new and very fun/empowering, trail maintenance, a bit of planting, that kind of thing. The best part of being here was really just getting to know Rick and Karen and spending time in their world. Hearing their stories, talking about literally anything and everything after dinner, laughing and joking, singing and playing music together and sharing art and poetry. Thank you so, so much!
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