Giving Thanks for Bill Knutsen
This year we have been celebrating 25 years of farming. It has been an amazing journey and we give thanks for the many people who have graced our farm over the years with their love of the land, love of farming and love of healthy eating. We are truly indebted to so many for their Herculean efforts over the years. We give some of our greatest praise to Bill Knutsen, who allowed us to farm his property starting in 2000, pulling us into the realm of true farming, true flooding, and true stewardship for salmon and the land. We never looked back. He is astounding, with his 80 years of knowledge bridging the generations of farmers, water conservation boards and King County. We will forever be telling his story as it gave way to our purpose. Thank you, Bill, for believing in us and believing in our mission and teaching us your many lessons.
We have also derived palpable history and peace from Charles Wilkinson’s book, Messages from Frank’s Landing. This book brings light and heart to salmon and treaties, through Nisqually tribal leader, Billy Frank, Jr., and his 95-year-old father. Six acres along the Nisqually River, known as Frank’s Landing, had been targeted for years by state game wardens in the so-called Fish Wars. Today, the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is the largest estuary restoration project in the Pacific Northwest, where the fresh water of the Nisqually River combines with saltwater of the Puget Sound. This book delivers messages of respect and responsibility for the earth we all share. It is a gem, and we recommend reading it while eating lots of delicious, organic veggies. Giving honor and thanks this season to the past, while trying to reconcile as we move into the future, will be our challenge and our gift.
Make sure to find us on Instagram @fullcirclefarms.
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