Tuesday, April 6th, 7:00 - 8:30pm at the Twisp River Pub
 Nearly 400,000 species of insects make their living eating plants. Join us for a talk by Carol Mack, Natural Resources and Agriculture Educator with the WSU Pend Oreille County Extension. Many plants have developed ways and weapons to defend themselves, and in turn the insects adapt to these defenses. Find out how this dance of survival between the eaters and the eaten has led to many of the marvelous plant qualities we treasure, and to the fascinating interactions between six-legged herbivores and their green hosts.
The Twisp River Pub will open at 6:00pm for attendees who would like to purchase food or drinks.
The event is free and open to everyone. For more information, contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org.
With the help of landowner Sue Marracci, the Methow Conservancy just completed its 82nd conservation easement, bringing the total amount of land we’ve protected since 1996 to over 6,400 acres. This conservation easement permanently protects 80 acres in the Upper Beaver Creek area where a mosaic of protected and unprotected private lands are surrounded by a significant amount of state and federal public lands. Irrigated agricultural fields, used by local farmers Vic & Carrie Stokes who also have a conservation easement with us, cover about half of the property. Much of the rest of the property is riparian habitat providing for a variety of animals including mule deer, bald eagles, fish, song birds, bear and cougar.
Read more about Sue Marracci and this new easement in our upcoming Spring/Summer 2010 newsletter which should hit your mailboxes in about a month.
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Marracci property in the Beaver Creek drainage |
Saturday, April 10th from 2:00 - 5:00pm
Are you thinking about building or are you currently building or renovating in the Methow Valley?Come to our Good Neighbor Workshop, a free educational event, to learn about the benefits, both planetary and personal, of building an energy efficient home or retrofitting your existing home. The forum will be presented at a locally designed and built energy efficient home. See for yourself what a home built to basic energy efficient standards feels like and have the opportunity to talk with the designer, Howard Cherrington, and the homeowners, Mike & Stephanie Brands, to better understand what is involved in the process. We’ll also talk about restoring the outdoor building site and will have plenty of time for your questions
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The workshop will be at the Brands' House
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This free workshop is limited to 20 people and is designed for anyone thinking about building or currently building or remodeling in the Methow Valley. Some of the topics we will cover include: the basics of an energy efficient home; energy usage; site selection; aspects of the "thermal envelope" and other insulation concepts; passive solar heating and cooling; active solar systems for space and water heating; materials and methods for "green-built" homes; and retrofitting existing homes with energy efficient options.
Refreshments, handouts and our Good Neighbor Handbook and Shrub-Steppe Restoration Handbook will be freely available.
Location: The workshop will be held at the Brands’ Home at 16 Lodge Lane, which is in the Wolf Creek area of Winthrop.
To Register, ask questions and/or get directions, please contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org
The event is FREE but limited to 20 people, so registration is requested.
Saturday May 29th, 5:30 dinner, 7:30 concert
Please mark your calendars and plan on joining us Memorial Day weekend for a community-wide, all ages celebration of land conservation and community spirit in the Methow Valley on the evening of Saturday, May 29th.
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Owen Bard hangs a leaf on the tree
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Our volunteers and staff are working hard for the next few months with a sharp focus on successfully closing and celebrating the fundraising phase of the campaign. To date, we’ve raised more than $17 million in public and private funds and the value of donated conservation easements and land en route to our overall goal of $20M.
In addition to celebrating the 23+ new conservation easements the Imagine the Methow campaign has already made possible, we’ll also celebrate the people who have been part of this historic effort – from the volunteers who have guided our campaign, to the growing number of donors who, regardless of the size of their donation, have dug deep and made a meaningful commitment to the future of the Methow Valley.
In keeping with the dozens of neighborhood gatherings that have helped us reach our fundraising goal, the evening will include fabulous local food and drink, live music from one of the Methow’s favorite bands, Luc and the Lovingtons, inspiration and gratitude, and a preview of the permanent donor recognition piece.
Stay tuned for details on tickets. You’ll be able to attend dinner and the concert, or if you prefer, just the concert.
The celebration will also be a kick-off of sorts…a chance for us to open the next chapter as we continue to build community commitment to land conservation. You, our members, have truly started a movement in the Methow…and we hope that this campaign is the launching pad for decades of community action, discussion, and success for the land and people of the Methow Valley.
And, in case you or a friend haven’t had an opportunity to learn more about the campaign or add your voice to the effort—it’s not too late. We want everyone who cares about the Methow Valley and conservation to be a part of this effort and help us cross our fundraising finish line. Every gift – of any size – will matter for many generations. For more information, contact Sarah at 509-996-2870 or sarah@methowconservancy.org.
Ahhhh, spring in the Methow…..is there anything better, really? Okay, maybe every fresh season here feels like it’s the most wonderful, but there is no other time like spring when we delight in and soak up literally hundreds of flowering plants and migrating birds. Take part in the revival of spring with us in these fun and educational offerings:
April 24th: Native Garden Workshop with Rob Crandall, 9am – Noon. This workshop will be held at the Native Plant garden at Classroom in Bloom’s garden site at the Methow Valley School  District campus (behind and in-between the high school and the elementary school). Rob will cover the basics of native plant gardening, including deer resistant plants and browse protection strategies, weed control, plant identification and drip irrigation. Attendees will be in the native plant garden during this class and will have the chance to look at plants and the landscaping design, and help with spring clean-up of the garden. The class is free. RSVPs are greatly appreciated but not required. Contact Mary for more information or to register by email or phone, 509.996.2870.
May 13 – 16th: Spring Naturalists’ Retreat* with Instructors Libby Mills & Dana Visalli. Thursday, May 13th at 5pm through Sunday, May 16th at 2pm (or so).
The Naturalists’ Retreat is an annual celebration of the Methow Valley in springtime! Come spend a long weekend with us where we’ll enjoy beautiful days in the field and engage in presentations and group dinners in the evenings. Under the friendly and expert tutelage of ornithologist Libby Mills and botanist Dana Visalli you will be amazed by all that you learn and soak up in this fantastic nature and educational experience!
Arrowleaf balsamroot and many other spring flowers will be at their prime in mid-May, and the neo-tropical migratory birds will be  pouring into the Valley after their long journey from South and Central America. We’ll go to a variety of places throughout the Methow Valley on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to experience all that the natural world of the Methow has to offer. In the evenings, we’ll share meals and hear presentations from Dana and Libby on the Methow’s natural history as well as the life and times of Methow birds.
Registration is required and the retreat is limited to 20 people. The retreat cost is $130/person. Participants should be willing and able to take part in the entire retreat including evenings. Participants should be in good physical condition, able to complete moderate hikes and spend 6+ hours in the field. Free tent camping is available at Dana’s property along the Methow River near Twisp or you can make your own lodging arrangements. Thursday evening's dinner is a potluck. Friday's dinner is a shared meal provided by the Methow Conservancy (included in the retreat fee). Saturday's dinner is a group function at a local restaurant where participants will pay for themselves. Locations for day and evening events will be given shortly before the retreat starts. Contact Mary for more information or to register 509.996.2870.
May 22nd: Wildflower and Medicinal Plant Walk with instructor Marlee Mountain, 1- 5pm. This class is being postponed due to an injury sustained by the instructor. Stay tuned for another date later this year.
Winter’s early retreat has signaled an early growing season and has motivated habitat restoration practitioners to visit and assess continuing projects. Two such projects involve private properties that have Methow Conservancy conservation easements on them. Both of these restoration projects aim to restore the natural form and function to some riparian habitat zones along the banks of the Methow River.
The River Rock project started in 2006 along the west bank of the river south of Winthrop. Working directly with the landowner and the Methow Conservancy, Camden Shaw of Plantas Nativas East has installed deer exclusion fencing in multiple areas that protect thousands of irrigated cottonwoods, pines, alder, birch, Hawthorn, serviceberry, and rose, among others. Additionally, 6-foot wire cages protect individual naturally occurring young plants, mostly native cottonwoods, from the voracious Methow deer herd. This project aims to remove deer fencing after 5 years or when the plantings grow beyond deer browse height. Spring site visits include assessments of plant survivorship, irrigation upgrades, fencing condition and weed control.
 The Witte project started in 2009 along the east bank of the Methow River north of Twisp. Again working directly with the private landowner and the Methow Conservancy, Rob Crandall of Methow Natives installed one large deer exclusion fence and planted irrigated native trees and shrubs in area of old pasture and rapidly eroding banks. With time, these deciduous trees and shrubs will restore riparian habitat that will provide shade to the river, anchor the river banks so that they don’t erode and provide woody material to the river system, which fish need for survival.
Both of these projects are supported by salmon recovery funding dollars, are informed by the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Plan and are compatible with the terms and conditions of the conservation easements held by the Methow Conservancy. If you would like more information, please call Steve Bondi or Eric Bard at the Methow Conservancy Stewardship Program (996-2870).
Here’s the list of people who became new members over the last month (February 27th to March 26th): Kathrun Endo, Lisa Wogan & Charles Fisher, and Nancy & David Lill. Thank you!
Steve Nelson is the winner of last month's "find the frog" contest. Congratulations Steve! His name was drawn randomly from the 17 people who found the pacific tree frog on our About Conservation Easements webpage. His prize is one of our brand new long-sleeved shirts!
This month we challenge you to find the western meadowlark hiding on our website. He looks just like the one at the right (same size and everything). If you find him email Mary and tell her the URL (web address) of the page on which you found it. We will put the names of all winning entries into a bowl and draw one winner at the end of the month. The prize will be great - but it's a surprise. The winner will be notified by email and announced in next month's E-News.
Methow Recycles has a new Winthrop Drop-off area! This site is at the top of Horizon Flats Road,  directly across from North Valley Lumber. There is a green bin for flattened corrugated cardboard, and a red bin with slots for aluminum cans, newspaper, and magazines & catalogs.
Also, a spring Metal Drive is planned for May so hold onto all your scrap metal a little longer. The dates in May have yet to be determined, but they will be accepting vehicles, scrap metal, appliances, barbed wire, cable and more. Please get in touch with Betsy Cushman at recycle@methowrecycles.org if you have a vehicle in need of recycling. They can help with paperwork, fluid removal and towing. Please refer to the Methow Recycles website for details & updates.
Below, you'll find announcements about events or publications (ours and those of other organizations) that we think you might find interesting.
April 6th: 1st Tuesday program: “Plant Insects, Co-Evolution and Pollination” with Carol Mack, 7:00 – 8:30pm at the Twisp River Pub. See above for details.
April 10th: Good Neighbor Workshop ~ Practical Advice for Building & Living in the Methow Valley from 2:00 - 5:00pm. Click here for more info.This free workshop is limited to 20 people and is designed for anyone thinking about building or currently building or remodeling in the Methow Valley. Some of the topics we will cover include: the basics of an energy efficient home; energy usage; site selection; aspects of the "thermal envelope" and other insulation concepts; passive solar heating and cooling; active solar systems for space and water heating; materials and methods for "green-built" homes; and retrofitting existing homes with energy efficient options. To register: contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org
April 17th: Earth Day at Pearrygin Lake State Park, 9am to 1pm. Park Ranger, David McWalter is organizing another fun free event this year with music, food and prizes. There will be special treats and prizes for kids! Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by helping clean-up the park (rake leaves, clean campsites, prune trees and shrubs, stack branches and debris to be chipped later, walk the lakeshore picking up litter). Contact David at 996-2370 or Pearrygin.Lake@parks.wa.gov for more details or to RSVP.
April 24th: Native Garden Workshop with Rob Crandall, 9am – Noon. At the Native Plant garden at Classroom in Bloom’s garden site at the Methow Valley School District campus. Rob will cover the basics of native plant gardening, including deer resistant plants and browse protection strategies, weed control, plant identification and drip irrigation. See above for more details.
April 30th: The Twisp Rural Roots Film Festival submission deadline. Visit www.ruralrootsfilmfestival.org for more information or call 509- 846-5842. Submissions are being accepted now through April 30th in the following categories: Short Fiction, Documentary (Short & Full Length), and Short Animation. The Festival will be held May 28-30th at the Merc.
May 4th: 1st Tuesday program – “Washington's Botanical Rarities: Rare Plants & Conservation” with Wendy Gibble from the Washington Rare Care Program at the University of Washington Botanical Gardens, 7:00 – 8:30pm at the Twisp River Pub.
May 13 – 16th: Spring Naturalists’ Retreat with Instructors Libby Mills & Dana Visalli. The Naturalists’ Retreat is an annual celebration of the Methow Valley in springtime! Come spend a long weekend with us where we’ll enjoy beautiful days in the field and engage in presentations and group dinners in the evenings. Under the friendly and expert tutelage of ornithologist Libby Mills and botanist Dana Visalli you will be amazed by all that you learn and soak up in this fantastic nature and educational experience! Registration is required and the retreat is limited to 20 people. The retreat cost is $130/person. See above for more details including how to register. 
May 22nd: Wildflower and Medicinal Plant Walk with instructor Marlee Mountain, 1- 5pm. This class is being postponed due to an injury sustained by the instructor. Stay tuned for another date later this year.
May 29th: Imagine the Methow Campaign Celebration Party, 5:30 dinner, 7:30 concert. Save the date! Fabulous dinner, Luc and the Lovingtons, and a very good time. Stay tuned for event and ticket details.
June 12th: Kids’ Fishing Day at the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery, 10am- 2pm. Kids of all ages will have a fabulous fun time at this continuing annual event. The activities and booths are seemingly endless, and will include a Methow Conservancy Beaver station! And, of course there will be perfect fishing opportunities for the little ones.
Our Cancellation and Refund Policy
If you cancel or leave a fee-based course for any reason:
Full refunds will be given if the request is received two weeks or more before the day of the program (class, workshop, fieldtrip, etc.). If the cancellation is made less than two weeks before the start of the program, the Methow Conservancy will give a full refund only if we are able to fill your spot. If you cancel 24 hours or less before the start time of the program or after the class has started there will be no refund of the program fee. Although we rarely need to do so, we reserve the right to cancel a program. In this case you will receive a full refund.
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