Gathering Ground Announces Major Expansion of its Programs to Advance Sustainable Agriculture, Education, and Community Engagement

Washington Island, WI, July 11, 2025 — Gathering Ground, a nonprofit founded in 2016, announces a major expansion of its programming and facilities to deepen its role to promote sustainable agriculture and access to healthy food, offer interdisciplinary hands-on education, and build strong connections between people and nature, particularly in the Washington Island community.

This expansion is enabled by its acquisition of the 40-acre Aznoe Farm in May. The historic farm provides additional farmland and infrastructure for Gathering Ground necessary for the new and expanded initiatives.  

Gathering Ground’s new initiatives will grow upon the strong foundation it has built as a teaching farm practicing sustainable and resilient agriculture and engaging the community with educational and community opportunities, such as the Ground School, the weekly farmers market, the community garden, and events such as the Farm & Field Bike Tour and the Island Garden Tour. 

“The Aznoe Farm acquisition immeasurably strengthens our ability to carry out these missions in a more impactful and we hope, inspiring way,” said Alessandra Rolffs, executive director.

Farming

Building off the Lakeview farm’s chestnut orchard and vineyard, Gathering Ground has already planted new vegetable crops at Aznoe Farm, such as squash, onions and garlic, to help address food insecurity issues throughout Door County. “We’ve started discussions with the food pantries of the County, including Washington Island, to make these vegetables available to help mitigate the serious cutbacks in federal food support that are threatening the food security of a significant number of Door County residents,” said Russell Rolffs, farm manager.  

Gathering Ground also plans to expand its experimentation with sustainable agriculture as the farm endeavors to become certified as fully organic. “Farming at Gathering Ground is about more than producing food. It’s about nurturing the land, creating resilient habitats, and inspiring people to understand the role farms can play in conservation and biodiversity,” commented Russell Rolffs. 

“For example, we will explore farming techniques such as alley cropping and windbreaks to strengthen the resilience of our land. We will make Gathering Ground available to colleges and other research organizations interested in performing scientific research on our farms,” he said. 

Education and Community Engagement

Through its Ground School summer internship program for college students and field trips for K-12 students, Gathering Ground has already established itself as an “outdoor classroom.”  Now, with the expanded infrastructure at Aznoe Farm, it can expand its capabilities to provide lifelong learning for people of all ages.  

As Miranda Dahlke, board member and science teacher, notes: “Gathering Ground has been a resource to connect my students with nature and where their food comes from. I can only see this connection growing beyond school-age students.”  

As early as this fall, Gathering Ground will offer workshops and experiences to Island residents and visitors tied to the land.  These will include Folk School workshops such as field-to-kitchen classes and home composting workshops.  Book clubs, cooking classes, seminars on agricultural topics are all under consideration for future events.  “We will continue to offer the successful farmers market and community garden that already serve island residents and visitors,” said Alessandra Rolffs.

With the housing provided by Aznoe Farm, Gathering Ground plans to increase the size of its Ground School summer internship program for college students starting in 2026.  Looking ahead, Gathering Ground hopes to develop an apprenticeship program for adults with some farming background who are interested in learning first-hand how to embark on a career in agriculture.  

Recognizing its role as stewards of our farms, Gathering Ground will preserve the Aznoe and Lakeview farms in perpetuity as working farmland. The Town of Washington Island’s 20-Year Comprehensive Plan recognizes the need to preserve the agricultural tradition and open spaces of the Island. Gathering Ground has developed its expansion plans in alignment with these goals.

“Our goal is to cultivate a thriving, resilient local food system that inspires action and builds connections across generations—honoring both the heritage and future of Washington Island farmland,”said Alessandra Rolffs.

To support this expanded vision for sustainable agriculture and community education and engagement, Gathering Ground is developing its “Planting for the Future” fundraising campaign and will provide more information to the island community this summer. If you would like to be informed of our progress, please sign up for our newsletter at www.gatheringgroundwi.org or contact executive director Alessandra Rolffs at alessandra@gatheringgroundwi.org.