Tucked away off Bridle Trail Lane in Oak Harbor, past a bat sanctuary and through a covering of trees, lives a family of what King Henry VIII deemed the tastiest lambs in all the world. But fear not for the fuzzy infants’ safety because they are extremely well-protected by two guard llamas, and well, King Henry is dead.

Camelot Downs farm came into being in 1988. After a 32-year Navy career, Gary Fisher retired to Whidbey Island with his wife, Lois, and the two purchased 15 acres of land and dozens of colonial animals.

Gary Fisher long ago dreamed of becoming a veterinarian and was excited about the opportunity to work with animals again. He and Lois raise sheep, geese, ducks, chickens, guinea fowl, doves and dogs. They rear colonial breeds only because the species were becoming endangered locally and are said to be more hearty and less likely to contract diseases. Their animals provide meat, wool, breeding stock and friendship for islanders, but the farm itself is known for many things.

“We felt that when we built this house we took a footprint of the forest,” Gary Fisher said, “and we didn’t want to deny the animals these resources. … The key word on our farm is share, and we’re here to do that.”

Camelot Downs is a designated backyard sanctuary, was named a Merit Farm in 2006 and serves as a test site for both animal composting and 40 diseases including the avian flu and West Nile virus. Gary Fisher said they do everything as close to nature as possible on the farm like feeding the animals strictly all-natural feed and giving them bones and shells to nibble on as a source of calcium.

In order to ensure that their legacy would be kept after they pass away, the Fishers placed a conservation easement on the property to permanently remove development rights and made the first-ever conservation easement donation to the PCC Farmland Trust this December along with a donation to help sustain its future operations.

The PCC Farmland Trust is based in Seattle. It is a community-supported, nonprofit land trust that aims to preserve organic farm land in the Northwest. Since its founding in 1999, its staff has secured hundreds of acres statewide.

“It’s been an extreme pleasure to work with the Fishers,” PCC Farmland Trust employee Melissa Campbell said at a ceremony Tuesday held at Camelot Downs. “We’re so happy you’re part of the PCC family. You’ve set an amazing example of what other farmers should aspire to be.”

In addition to maintaining their land, the Fishers serve as WSU livestock advisers, water quality advisers, climate stewards, 4-H club leaders and Beachwatcher advisers. They host multiple tours on their land each year and are part of the Whidbey Island Farm Tour.

“Gary and Lois have touched hundreds and hundreds of would-be farmers over the years and have been a tremendous resource for the small farmer,” neighbor and Department of Agriculture field inspector Michael Hackett said.

For more information about the farm’s donation the land trust, visit www.pccfarmlandtrust.org and search for Camelot Downs.