ACLT’s Double Oak Farm
Regenerative farming for the benefit of the community!
About Double Oak Farm
Double Oak Farm uses environmentally friendly and sustainable farming methods. In addition, ACLT offers an educational garden that demonstrates a dozen methods of natural home gardening and displays historical and Native American farming techniques.
Much of the land ACLT has preserved over the past 30 years was once tobacco farmland. The Double Oak Road property, located off of Dares Beach Road in Prince Frederick, is now home to ACLT’s office, the North Side Trailhead, and ACLT’s Double Oak Farm.
Our Farm donates approximately 80% of its harvest to St. John Vianney’s Interfaith Food Pantry, which means thousands of pounds of fresh, naturally grown fruits and vegetables are given to those most in need right here in Calvert County. We invite you to visit to learn about regenerative practices you can use in your own garden. Contact us at info@acltweb.org to schedule a group visit or to find out more.
A Tribute to Jeff Klapper
Founder, Double Oak Farm
by Autumn Phillips-Lewis, Land Manager
In 2020, ACLT lost a volunteer who donated many thousands of hours to ACLT’s land management efforts over the prior 15 years. On February 24th, Jeff Klapper passed away rather suddenly due to complications from cancer. As a dedicated volunteer and a steadfast ACLT supporter, few volunteers can match the impact that Jeff had on the day‐to‐day operations at ACLT. Jeff had the skill set to complete the most complex tasks and the humility to do the most menial tasks, because he knew how important the small things are. He was a capable carpenter and mechanic and he had a knack for creating beautiful and functional works of art out of metal.
Jeff started the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at Double Oak Farm and played an integral role in building the barn at Double Oak, which the Board of Directors named in his honor after his passing.
Another task Jeff really enjoyed was helping with the fish diversity survey in Parkers Creek. He spent hours looking at macroinvertebrates under the microscope with CCC intern Taylor Roswall for her Holly Hill project. He also played a lead role in stabilizing the historic barn on the Holly Hill property and, of course, many of us know how much he loved our old John Deere tractor.
Everywhere we look we can see Jeff’s fingerprints at ACLT. From our farm, meadows, and trails to our equipment, barns, and donation posts, there are few things that Jeff didn’t have an impact on at ACLT.
Jeff volunteered 350 hours in 2019 and up until just 5 weeks before his passing, he would be found with the Wednesday Woods Workers and the Thursday Trail Adventurers every week. Since he’s been gone, we’ve felt the impact of his loss, but the impact of his years of selfless service will live on at ACLT. We are all grateful that ACLT was the benefactor of Jeff’s knowledge, thoughtfulness, and compassion. He is greatly missed.
Farm Volunteers are Needed — No Experience Necessary
Every August, ACLT gets a new Chesapeake Conservancy & Climate Change (CCCC) Member who acts as the Farm Manager for a year. In addition, we are fortunate to have a core group of volunteers who show up regularly to keep the farm going. They are happy to share years of expertise and teach natural, environmentally conscious farming and gardening to new volunteers. Other garden experiments you can get involved in include: the Food Forest, permaculture, flower gardening, Hugelkultur, and more.
Weekly Volunteer Days
Wednesdays, 10AM-12PM (harvest day, guaranteed weekly)
Thursdays, 11 AM-1PM (varies based on volunteer availability)
Saturdays, 9AM-11AM (varies based on volunteer availability)
Are you available to help? Sign up as a volunteer online and we’ll be in touch.