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Stewardship Matters
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Photo: David Perry |
We are especially pleased to profile Peter Goldmark. Peter ranches 8,000 acres in the Okanogan Valley, about evenly divided between wheat and pasture. He not only maintains natural wildlife habitat on his land, but is committed to maintaining its soil, native grasses, and other forms of biodiversity.
Peter was a member of the Washington Biodiversity Council from its inception in 2004 until he resigned in December 2005. Peter provided a valuable perspective on the Council by bridging the worlds of ranching and biodiversity conservation – worlds that have not always agreed on what constitutes good land use or land health.
Peter’s stewardship is a demonstration to both “sides” that a well-managed ranch can support native species, as well as a household and rural economy. He is particularly interested in harnessing the power of the market to support farm products produced in sustainable and earth-friendly ways. We thank Peter for his service on the Council and for his work on the Double J Ranch.
Click to read his story (5MB pdf document; Adobe Reader required)
We are grateful to Sustainable Northwest for allowing us to post Peter's story, one of 43 inspiring stories in Renewing the Countryside: Washington (2005), a chronicle of enterprising approaches to rural revitalization and natural resource stewardship in Washington State.