The Campaign for Sunny M Ranch--we did it!

Welcome to Sunny M Ranch: These 1200 acres of land near the Town of Winthrop hold so many possibilities. They are home to some of the Methow Valley’s most abundant wildlife. The nearly 400 acres of agricultural fields are actively farmed and 10 miles of trails are vital to the local economy. There is also space for a small neighborhood near town that would be affordable for people who work here.

Many mountain communities never get a chance to determine what the landscape near town looks like and how it reflects what the community values. We do.

BREAKING NEWS: The Lucky Seven Foundation, started by Frances and Manson Backus who owned the Sunny M Ranch in the 1940s, recognizes the importance of caring for the land and historic buildings of the Sunny M. They are offering to match every new donation to the campaign to support the Stewardship and Maintenance Fund up to $250K. Your donation to the Sunny M Stewardship and Maintenance Fund is doubled through the Lucky Seven Foundation match!

Donate today--double your donation through the Lucky Seven Foundation match!

Make a multi-year pledge

Big news-we made it! You can still join us.

We met our 1200 donors for 1200 acres challenge (see below) and unlocked the gift of $100K from our Challenge Donors (thank you!)….and with that and the new donations from the past few weeks, we also officially went over our $8.3M goal! It's amazing and awe-inspiring: a community vote of confidence for a special piece of land in the Methow Valley.

What a great win for those who love the Methow Valley! And YOU made it happen. Thank you. Click HERE if you'd like to be a part of the team.

Click HERE for our latest donor update – give it a read to see all the numbers and inspirational stories!

For more on project costs, see The Math.

The Methow Conservancy has a purchase and sale agreement to buy approximately 1200 acres (on the map below in red) near the Town of Winthrop from the Haub Family, with a closing date set for June 15th. The Conservancy seeks to carry forward the Haub Family legacy of stewarding this land for the benefit of the community (both human and wild).

Sunny M Ranch Map
Sunny M Ranch is approximately half of the 2500 acres the Haub Family owned around Sun Mountain Lodge. The Methow Conservancy has a purchase and sale agreement to buy approximately 1200 acres (on the map in red) near the Town of Winthrop from the Haub Family, with a closing date set for June 15th.
Birds eye view of Sunny M Ranch and Winthrop Benj Drummond
Photo by Benjamin Drummond

Preserving Possibilities

One Project, Four Community Values

  • Protect vital wildlife habitat: Much of this land provides important wildlife habitat. It also would be in hot demand for high-end development.
  • Preserve significant farmland: The fields along Wolf Creek and Patterson Lake are productive irrigated farmland and iconic reminders of agriculture’s role in this Valley.
  • Provide housing that is affordable for people who work in the Methow Valley. The property includes land close to the Town of Winthrop that could be ideal for a small neighborhood.
  • Make trail access permanent: 10 miles of beloved trails (including parts of the Community Trail, Power's Plunge, Barnsley Lake and Bitterbrush) important to our economy cross these lands.

1200 Donors for 1200 Acres

Every donation matters to the Campaign for Sunny M Ranch. Every donation represents an individual, a family, or a business that shares a vision for the property. Every donation is an endorsement of preserving possibilities on the 1200 acres of the Sunny M Ranch--a vision that includes wildlife habitat, trails, farming, and affordable housing to support the local economy.

You did it! Thanks to the community of people who love the Methow Valley, we were awarded a $100,000 challenge grant for receiving more than 1200 donors to the Sunny M Campaign. Our "1200 donors for 1200 acres" challenge inspired more than 400 new donations over six weeks. "1460 donors for 1200 acres" doesn't quite have the same ring as "1200 for 1200," but we are thrilled that so many donors want to be a part of the Sunny M equation.

Click HERE to learn more about the team behind the Campaign for Sunny M Ranch, including our list of supporters. THANK YOU.

Whats happening
Photo by Benjamin Drummond
Why this matters even smaller
Photo by Finn Drummond
FA Qs even smaller
Photo by Benjamin Drummond
About Sunny M Ranch even smaller
Photo by Steve Mitchell
Since Time Immemorial even smaller
Photo by Benjamin Drummond
Imagine the Possibilities even smaller
Photo by Benjamin Drummond
The Team even smaller
Photo by Benjamin Drummond
The Math even smaller
Photo by Benjamin Drummond
PRESS photo gallery
Photo by Ashley Lodato
Events even smaller
Photo by Benjamin Drummond
Wolf Creek Fields Benj Drummond
Photo by Benjamin Drummond

Join us

We have until June 15th to raise the funds to buy the Sunny M Ranch lands and care for them forever on behalf of the community, both human and wild.

Donate today

Make a multi-year pledge

Interested in learning more about a multi-year commitment? Contact Executive Director Sarah Brooks to schedule a meeting: sarah@methowconservancy.org or 509-996-2870. Or download our multi-year commitment form here.

Sign up for our Newsletter!

We'll send you emails once a month with all the latest news from conservation in the Methow Valley.

Help the Methow Conservancy purchase 1200 acres of the Sunny M Ranch for the community (human and wild) by June 15th!

Learn more and donate to the Campaign for Sunny M Ranch Now