(TWO DATES)
Tuesday, July 6th, 7:00pm - 8:30pm, at the Twisp Grange
Wednesday, July 7th, 7:30pm - 9:00pm at the Mazama Community Center
Author Dave Knibb will give an overview of the grizzly recovery program, and then discuss whether grizzlies are still in the North Cascades, how many, where they may be, and what is their future? Dave will also sell his book, "Grizzly Wars: The Public Fight Over the Great Bear," published by Eastern Washington University Press.
The events are free and open to everyone. For more information, contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org.
Over 1000 acres protected in the Winthrop to Twisp Corridor since 1996
Long-time Valley landowners and farmers Del & Donna Prewitt are the Methow Conservancy’s newest conservators. The Prewitts, along with their ranch partners, placed two permanent conservation easements on over 220 acresof prime farmland on the Twisp-Winthrop Eastside County Road. Nearly all of the soils on both easements are considered “Prime if Irrigated,” “Statewide Important,” or “Unique” soils.  These lands are not only highly productive for farming; they are historically significant, and visually and culturally important to the Methow’s scenic and rural way of life.
The two easements are about one mile from each other. Numerous other Methow Conservancy conservation easements adjoin these new easements to create a large, contiguous mosaic of protected farmland, river frontage and riparian habitat, totaling 585 acres.
The fields currently grow a crop of grass and alfalfa mix and provide grazing for a cow/calf operation. The Prewitt Family has lived on and farmed portions of this land since 1887 and over the decades these agricultural fields have been rotated with crops of oats, barley, wheat, and corn. They are also used for feeding cows and calves throughout the fall and winter, and horses often graze in the fields as well.
We are immensely thankful to the Prewitts and all of the farming and ranching families that have placed trust in us to help them protect the land that they work and love. And thank you for enabling us to do this work! If you’d like to know more about our farmland protection work, please feel free to contact Julie Grialou, our Conservation Planner, at 509-996-2870.
Gratitude. Success. Community Accomplishment. These are some of the words that have absorbed us in the last few weeks (along with “relief!”). Since our June E-news, we reached (and surpassed) our Imagine the Methow Campaign goal! That’s right….you and this incredible community helped raise $20,260,758 in cash, pledges, grants, public funding, and the value of donated conservation easements. Incredible!
We maintained momentum right up to the end of the campaign, including meeting a donor challenge to raise $100,000 within three weeks and securing a competitive public funding grant for farmland protection.
We also shared our gratitude and celebrated success with the community in a fabulous event at the Winthrop Barn on Memorial Day.  “Luc and the Lovingtons” was the perfect band for an evening that was all about our Methow Valley community and this irreplaceable landscape. We’ve posted two videos from that event online – www.methowconservancy.org/imagine. We hope you’ll take a look and most importantly, share the link with friends and family who also know and love the Methow Valley. The videos capture some of the magic of that night and we hope to keep that feeling alive for a long time!
We’ve already begun putting the campaign funds to use on the ground. As you read above, we recently, for example, protected more than 200 additional acres of prime farmland between Winthrop and Twisp. The Imagine the Methow Campaign makes that possible. It has made 23 other conservation projects possible, too. And, it will continue making conservation projects possible for the next several years.
In the weeks and months to come, we look forward to continuing to share news with you from the campaign. While we are done reporting about fundraising efforts and events, we will continue sharing the latest information on conservation projects funded by the campaign. We’re in the process of creating a campaign webpage in our main organizational page (www.methowconservancy.org/imagine) and in the next few weeks we’ll be mailing out our official campaign report, including a preview of our permanent donor recognition display.
We’ve all imagined the Methow of the future. Now it is time to start seeing that vision become real. Enjoy!
The Methow Conservancy has been fortunate this season to have an opportunity to partner with the Pacific Crest Outward Bound School in Mazama. As part of the Outward Bound experience, course groups (students and instructors) give volunteer time to local groups and nonprofits that are working for environmental causes in the Methow Valley. This means that in addition to the usual kayaking, canoeing, backpacking, and climbing excursions, Outward Bound students are learning about the conservation and restoration work of the Methow Conservancy, as well as getting hands-on experience with local land stewardship projects.
Friday June 25th was the first of three work events we scheduled with Outward Bound this summer. The day began in the Cedarosa area between Mazama and Lost River where we have several conservation easements. A couple dozen young students and instructors met with Stewardship Associate Eric Bard to tour the area and discuss topics including conservation easements, riparian habitat and ecology, flood history, a bit of hydrology, development issues and invasive plant species. The main objective was to hand-pull invasive Canada Thistle, Burdock and another unidentified biennial thistle.
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Invasive thistle in disturbed area |
Burdock |
Canada Thistle and burdock are both quite tenacious. Canada thistle is a perennial and can develop roots up to 15 feet deep. Seeds can last in excess of 20 years in the soil. A disturbed area such as the one shown in the upper left becomes a nice host site for invasive species. Accidentally bring in some seed on machines that haven’t been cleaned and you have a one-two punch. The riparian habitat and wetlands within undeveloped areas of Cedarosa are very high quality and provide important habitat for a host of bird species, fish, and other wildlife. Limiting development in the Channel Migration Zone, as well as controlling the spread of invasive species are key land management tools for this stretch of the Methow River.
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Cedarosa Aspen Stand |
Fortunately, the group got the weeds before they went to seed and were also blessed with relatively easy pulling due to the wet spring we’ve had. This particular Outward Bound crew was enthusiastic, hard working and great at pulling weeds! Hitting these weed outbreaks hard while they are still in fairly well constrained areas will do a lot to limit their ability to spread.
We give a big thank you and round of applause to Outward Bound and their hard working students and instructors. Later this season, new groups of students will join the Methow Conservancy for more land stewardship project work.
Thanks Outward Bound!
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| Iceberg by Maria Coryell-Martin |
The Confluence Gallery & Art Center in Twisp is tackling what curator Caryl Campbell terms a “bigconceptual topic” in its late-summer exhibit “Weathering Change.” Campbell has asked artists to explore a provocative question: How does society – and primarily the arts – adapt to an evolving, changing world? Two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork will reflect artists’ responses to the many changes around us, whether in the larger world – such as through climate change or forest fires, or as a result of economic and cultural shifts – or in transformations in their own personal worlds. Maria Coryell-Martin will show paintings that grow out of her expeditions to Greenland to chart receding glaciers and northern pack ice. Seattle-based documentary artists Benjamin Drummond and Sara Joy Steele, who specialize in multimedia stories about people, nature, and climate change, will exhibit their photography. Other artists, including Mary Powell, Judyth Sherwood, and Sue Marracci, will focus on the continuity of landscapes that have been preserved from human change and development. Several special presentations are planned in conjunction with the exhibit, and the Methow Conservancy will also have a presence at the gallery, reflecting the organization’s work in conserving a range of habitats in the valley.
“ Weathering Change” runs from July 31 to September 18, with an opening reception on Saturday, July 31, from 4 to 8pm.
Here’s the list of people who became new members over the last month (May 26th through June 30th): Nancy Chapman; Connie & Paul Clement; Lucy & Michael A Copass; Karla Forsythe & Jim Crane; Mary Louise Harris; Rebecca Roberts; Sonya Stoklosa; Sara Tifft and Susy & Fritz Zuch
Thank you!
Below, you'll find announcements about events or publications (ours and those of other organizations) that we think you might find interesting.
July 7th: Grizzly Bears and the North Cascades, 7:30pm - 9:00pm at the Mazama Community Center (after the community market and pizza night). David Knibb, author of Grizzly Wars, will discuss the current efforts to recover grizzly bears in the North Cascades which is designated as a grizzly bear recovery area. Are grizzlies still in the North Cascades? Come, learn and askquestions. David will sell and sign copies of his book as well (repeat of the July 6th program in Twisp).
July 8-11th: 59th Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society, in conjunction with the Washington Butterfly Association, is being held in Washington State for the first time (in Leavenworth). See www.lepsoc2010.com
July 10th: Bear Tracking, 8am – Noon.
Imagine seeing the Methow through the eyes of a black bear. These omnivorous creatures weigh as much or more as humans and manage to survive primarily through hunting and gathering wild foods, while remaining largely undetected by us. Spend a half day tracking these amazing creatures and learn about bear biology and life history through observation of track and sign in the field. You will explore areas of the Methow Valley where bears congregate, and discover what they eat, where they sleep, and the signs they leave behind. You’ll also learn how to identify and follow a set of bear tracks. Cost $40/person. To register or for more information, contact Methow Wilderness School at 509-997-7169, methowschool@yahoo.com, or www.MethowWildernessSchool.com.
July 24th & 25th: The Art of Trailing - How to Find an Animal with the Methow Wilderness School, 8am – 2pm.
This class, taught by guest instructor and expert trailer Brian McConnell, teaches what everyone thinks of when they think of tracking--following a string of tracks and sign to the animal. This skill is invaluable for hunters, wildlife photographers, biologists, and anyone who loves seeing wildlife because it puts you where the animals are. If you want to know the story of what the animal was doing, to collect data on its habitats and behavior, or to be successful in your hunting, trailing is the skill you want to perfect. Trailing brings together all of the skills one uses in wildlife tracking, and is one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding aspects of tracking. In this class, you’ll learn from an expert hunter and tracker about how to pick the best trail, how to follow the trail, and how to approach an animal undetected. Cost: $150/person. Class size is limited to 5! To register or for more information, contact Methow Wilderness School at 509-997-7169, methowschool@yahoo.com, or www.MethowWildernessSchool.com.
July 28th: Beavers in the Methow Valley. 7pm at Sun Mountain Lodge. Methow Conservancy Stewardship Director, Steve Bondi, will give a presentation on the beaver project for Sun Moutnain Lodge guests and the public.
July 31st – September 18th: Weathering Change show at the Confluence Gallery in Twisp.
 August 3rd: 1st Tuesday program – Classroom in Bloom, 7:00-8:30pm at the schoolyard garden. Join us for a tour of the amazing "Classroom in Bloom" schoolyard garden at the Liberty Bell campus. See and learn about how this garden program is on the cutting edge of an important national movement and is becoming a model for rural America. After a brief overview by Executive Director, Lexi Koch, garden staff will lead groups of program-goers to various sections of the large garden and share specific insights. Hand-crafted artisan pizza and garden-fresh veggies baked in the outdoor cob oven will be available for sale at 6:30pm. The event is free and open to everyone. September 7th: 1st Tuesday program – Predicting Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions: What Can and Can't Now Be Done?, 7:00-8:30pm at the Merc Playhouse in Twisp. Dr. Stephen Malone of the University of Washington Department of Earth and Space Science will share the nuances of predicting disastrous earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. What is the current state-of-the-art in making such predictions? An apparent paradox is that, while volcanic eruptions can often be predicted using earthquake data, there is currently no scientifically valid method of predicting earthquakes, despite claims often made in the popular press. This talk will cover some successful predictions of volcanic eruptions and compare these to some previous attempts at earthquake prediction. What is fundamentally different about earthquakes that make them so hard to predict? What are some promising avenues of research that may lead to success in the future? Finally, while not true prediction, how could earthquake early warning technology be used today to mitigate some earthquake hazards? Will accurate earthquake forecasting be possible in the near future or will we forever wonder when the next big earthquake will occur?
 September 25th: Annual Cider Squeeze and Social, 2:00 – 4:00pm at Dave and Marilyn Sabold's house in Winthrop. Join us for another entertaining celebration of conservation and the harvest season with an apple cider pressing, great food and conversation. It's free and all are welcome. Please bring your own jugs for cider, and apples or food if you wish. RSVPs appreciated but not required. Contact us at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org for more info.
October 6th: Annual Methow Mixer, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Flagship REI store in downtown Seattle. Join us at this unique event where we bring the Methow to the Westside for an evening of food, fun and prizes. Stay tuned for more details!
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