Protecting Healthy Land and Water

The Methow Valley is a sight to behold. It is a place to soothe the soul. A place where wildlife can roam free. A place where farmers still grow food and families raise kids who know nature. It is a place where diverse people knit their lives together around a shared love for the landscape. It is a place to seek solitude and refuel the human spirit. Whatever the Methow Valley means to you, the Methow Conservancy is here to help all people recognize that together we must care for a Valley this inspiring.

Goldeneye Reflection
Goldeneye by Jason Paulsen

A Place Worth Protecting:
The one million-acre Methow Watershed, just east of the North Cascades and west of the Columbia River, is one of the few remaining places in the lower 48 states where people still share space with most of the historical wildlife. It is home to hundreds of wildlife species, including over 40 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife priority habitats and species, 11 of which are state or federally listed as threatened or endangered.

In addition to its breathtaking beauty, the Methow Valley supports a number of working landscapes—with active farms, ranches and orchard still run by mulit-generational families.

Coon3
A Twisp River Conservation Easement by Mary Kiesau

Our Approach:
We believe rural communities like the Methow Valley can find a balance between growth and conservation. This means working with the towns to find thoughtful places for growth while permanently protecting the best wildlife habitat, fertile soils, and scenic views that make this Valley the Methow Valley.

We protect healthy land and vital soils in the Methow Valley through conservation easements, fee acquisitions, and other conservation tools. We have protected nearly 12,000 acres in the Methow Valley, including 33 miles of shoreline and more than 2,400 acres of irrigated farmland, plus additional rangeland acres.

We have historically worked with conservation easements as our tool for land protection. Conservation easements are permanent legal agreements that keep the land in individual or family ownership and on the tax rolls but ensure that the special features of the property are protected forever. Covering more than 10,000 acres from Lost River to Pateros, these 120 permanent legal agreements between private landowners and the Methow Conservancy protect wildlife habitat, fertile soils, and stunning views.

Fee acquisition of land, however, has become an increasingly useful tool for us (and is a protection tool that many land trusts use exclusively). We currently hold about 1500 acres in fee ownership (most of that is the Sunny M Ranch, which we protected with widespread community support in 2023) and have protected more than 10,000 additional acres through conservation easements.

In a couple of situations, we have served as "bridge buyers," acquiring pieces of property that were important to protect in a timely manner, but only holding them short-term until they could be transferred to public ownership. The Meadowlark Natural Area in Winthrop is one such example, and we hope that Mill Hill in Twisp will be another private-to-public conservation win for public access to trails near towns.

“I truly believe that the Methow Valley can be an example for the rural mountain West—a place where we find a balance in conservation, community, and economy--a place where people, wildlife, and agriculture can thrive. This vision will remain at the heart of our work.”

— Sarah Brooks, Executive Director

Inspiring people to care for the land of the Methow Valley since 1996.

Join Team Methow Conservancy and support conservation work in the Methow Valley!