At Sea Pony Farm, caring for the landscape does not mean taming it.
The goal is not to create a manicured landscape. It is to care for the property in a way that respects its natural character — its wild edges, organic shapes, and sense of belonging within the surrounding natural environment of the Tongass.
Nick of Archon Tree Services Inc., traveled to the Sea Pony Farm Property in 2026 to care for the fruit and Sitka Alder trees in the orchard and to remove and trim larger Sitka Spruce and Hemlock trees that posed safety risks to the property. But the work required a different mindset than a typical arborist job.
“Usually, people want symmetry. They want pruning to look modern. They want to see that work has been done,” Nick reflected. “At Sea Pony Farm, it was the opposite. How do we do the necessary work for the health and safety of the property while making it look like we didn’t touch it? It took me a few days to shift my brain to thinking this way. Every cut I made shifted from automatic to more intentional.”
That meant thinking carefully about every tree and branch: preserving bird perches, leaving healthy trees undisturbed, and shaping the work around the natural aesthetic of the property and how it fits into the landscape. It meant asking not only what needed attention today, but what would allow the property to continue growing naturally over the next ten years and beyond in its setting surrounded by the West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness.
“From the water, the work blends into the landscape. The orchard and surrounding trees still feel like part of the place rather than something imposed upon it. That was the intention.”
For Nick, that connection came quickly.
“I felt like I could sit on the beach in Lisianski Inlet and stare out at the views for eight hours. I found myself pausing a beat longer than I normally would at the top of the canopy to just look at this place.” he said. “If I were trapped anywhere in the world, I’d want it to be here.”
We are deeply grateful to Nick and Archon Tree Services for bringing skill, flexibility, and a thoughtful stewardship ethic to this special place. Every project at Sea Pony Farm helps us care for what the Bealers entrusted to our community while creating a space that can continue inspiring connection, creativity, and care for the Tongass for generations to come.
Sea Pony Farm was once the home of renowned Southeast Alaska artists Eric and Pam Bealer, who left the property to the Sitka Conservation Society with the hope that it would “continue to help and protect this land that we so love.” Today, we are caring for and restoring the farm as an outpost for wilderness stewardship and a place where artists, community members, and changemakers can experience the Tongass firsthand.