1st Tuesday Program on the 1st Saturday:  Donald Snow and the Rurbanization of the Intermountain West Saturday, May 3rd, 7:30 p.m. at the Merc Playhouse
(The Merc will open at 7:00 p.m. with refreshments)

"The best way to prepare for growth is to make clear, in public venues, exactly what it is you value about your community and your area and immediately begin protecting those values." – Donald Snow, Whitman College Professor

Free and open to everyone. For more information contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org. 

Land Trust Alliance Comes to Winthrop
The 2008 Northwest regional conference for the Land Trust Alliance is being held in Winthrop May 1st – 3rd at Sun Mountain Lodge!  The conference provides focused learning experiences for a variety of land conservation professionals and other interested people through 20 high-caliber workshops, as well as several full and half-day seminars and field-workshops that allow for in-depth discussion.  On Friday morning, Professor Donald Snow will provide a keynote address specific to land trusts and their role in helping people create or maintain “community.”  See the conference schedule of events and programs, and get registration information here. 

Kid’s Nature Walk at Pearrygin Lake State Park
On Saturday, May 17th, kids ages 7 and up, are invited to join the Methow Conservancy for an on-the-ground exploration of the shrub-steppe environment around Pearrygin Lake.  Volunteers from the Methow Conservancy will lead the one hour outing and teach cool, fascinating facts about plants, flowers and animals.  The event is free and runs from 10:00 – 11:00 am.  At least one parent must accompany the children they bring.  Call us at 996-2870 if you have questions.

The Stewardship Chronicles: The Masked Duck of the Methow
Eric Bard, our Stewardship Associate, wrote this fascinating article for you E-News readers this month.  Enjoy!

If you are just learning about birds, as I am, you may not recognize this fairly generic brown female duck at first glance.  But in the breeding season, between April and June, the very conspicuous male she is paired with will demand your attention! Recently, several people have reported seeing a pair of Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) resting on the rocks in the Chewuch River right below the Winthrop Town Bridge as well as in the Methow River near the Methow Conservancy office. Apparently, there has been at least one pair of harlequins coming to the Winthrop area year since the 90’s.  These birds are sea ducks, so what on Earth are they doing here?  They are breeding of course.  In fact the Pacific Harlequin Duck is the only duck in the world to split large amounts of their time between sea level and mountain environments (see range map below).  In Washington, these ducks breed in Olympic, Cascade and Selkirk mountain streams.  At times, though it is uncommon, they breed in stream locations below 4000 feet, such as the Chewuch and Methow Rivers.  They are not monogamous, but mating pairs may remain together for several years. Spring has finally arrived, and along with our returning Steelhead (around mid-April), female harlequins have migrated east from the Pacific Ocean, and returned inland to “spawn” in their natal locations.  Of course, instead of swimming, they fly low over stream courses and will bring along a colorful mate in tow.  Like the American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), which has recently left our lower streams for higher breeding waters (see January E-News), the harlequin is quite comfortable and even prefers turbulent fast moving waters.   Harlequins also seem to prefer swimming over flying.  With fish-like swimming skills, they are more adept than most kayakers and can escape most predators by diving into rapids. Now safely in their breeding location, spring is the time to create a nest.  Harlequins may conceal their nests in small cliff ledges, tree or stump cavities, log jams, or on the ground.  The pair will produce from 5-7 eggs.  Once the female begins incubation, the male is off again.  He goes to prime molting areas and rocky coastline habitat in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, northern Puget Sound, the San Juans, Hood Canal, or the Strait of Georgia.  He will begin molting his colorful feathers in summer and go back to brown duck status, resembling females and juveniles, except for three distinctive white wing stripes toward the back of his wings.  The now solo moms will incubate eggs for 27 to 30 days.  Chicks will hatch and then leave in a few weeks to head downstream, sometimes to areas of combined broods, before heading back to sea level with females in August.  Seeing Harlequins in the spring is always an auspicious event.  As with our winter dippers, the harlequins require clean water without much sedimentation and an abundance of benthic macroinvertebrate larvae, which is their main inland food source.  These are sure signs of aquatic health!  A state W.D.F.W. (Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife) priority species, as well as a federal “species of concern,” our returning harlequins may have survived potential and ongoing use of fish nets, new shoreline development and logging, oil spills, food contamination, predators such as goshawks and mink, floods, cold temperatures, and probably a few human predators as well.  These threats, in conjunction with a slow rate of reproduction and sensitivity to human disturbance, as well as incapacity to relocate their nests when disturbed, have created a decline in western numbers over the past 40-50 years.  Floaters, fisherman, and birders as well, should take care not to disturb these birds during the breeding season.  So when you see the strikingly colorful plumage of the male Harlequin, please keep your distance and give a smile to our sea duck visitors.

Fun in the Field with the Methow Conservancy

June 22nd:  Our Dynamic Rivers ~ 2nd Annual River Ecology Raft Trip, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Join us for an on-the-water exploration of the Methow River with a variety of instructors.  This float trip, guided by trained, local river guides, will meander through wildlife habitat, floodplain development, and pristine, tranquil areas on unique and ever-changing river channels.  Learn about salmon migration, riparian ecology, river dynamics (hydrology and geology) and watershed planning concerns.  Cost $80/person.

June 14th:  Conservation in the Rendezvous Field Tour, 9:00 a.m. to Noon.  Join the Methow Conservancy for a free public tour in the wild hills above the Gunn Ranch in the Rendezvous.  The Methow Conservancy Stewardship Director, Steve Bondi, will lead participants through the sagebrush hillsides, aspen woodlands, and rocky ridge tops that make this conservation property unique.  Along the way we hope to observe bitterroot and death camas, harrier hawks and vesper sparrows, pygmy short horned lizards and large marble butterflies, among other wild creatures.  Learn why this property is so important to conservation of the open landscapes, scenic hill country, and wildlife habitats of the Rendezvous.  Please bring snacks and water, sturdy walking shoes, and extra layers.  Rattlesnakes may be present on the property.  This event is free and open to the public but we’d like to hear from you so that we have a sense of group size.  Contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org.  Meet at the Winthrop Barn by 8:45 to carpool to the site. 

July 19th:  Native Plant and Fire Ecology Hike, 8:00 a.m.  If you’re interested in native wildflowers and plants and how fire plays a role in our forested landscape, this is the hike for you.  With the help of Native Plant Society volunteers, Therese and Pete Ohlson, we’ll learn about native wildflowers, talk about forest community recovery after a burn and explore fire's role in our landscape.  Pete is the Forest Service’s Okanogan-Wenatchee Fire Ecologist and Therese is the Forest Service’s Methow Valley District Botanist, with a WSU master's degree in fire ecology.  This hike is jointly sponsored by the Methow Conservancy and the Okanogan Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society.

We’ll carpool from Winthrop at 8:00 a.m. and drive about 45 minutes mostly through areas of the Tripod Fire to the Tiffany Springs Campground.  Rain or shine, we’ll hike 6 – 7 miles to Tiffany Mountain and Freezeout Ridge on a one-way route (we’ll leave some cars at the end for a shuttle).  There are great vistas and lots of burned and unburned habitat to see.  There are some minor passes to hike up, but generally the hike will be rolling, though moderate to arduous depending on your fitness level.  We’ll have lunch at Honeymoon Pass or on top of Tiffany Mtn.  Bring your own lunch and plan to be out most of the day.  This event is free and open to the public but we’d like to hear from you so that we have a sense of group size.  Contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org.

Volunteer Opportunities Abound
If you have some extra time on your hands and want to make a contribution to the conservation and stewardship of the Methow Valley, we know just the place for you!  Between helping our education and membership staff in the office and assisting our stewardship staff with multiple projects around the valley, we can keep you busy.  Volunteer as much as you’d like or just once, it all helps.  
Our Stewardship Program will continue to have projects throughout the summer and fall so if you are unavailable now, but would like to be kept informed about volunteer opportunities, let us know, and stay tuned to E-News.

We need volunteers to help us with the following jobs:

As you can see, these are unique opportunities that could use a lot of volunteers. To sign-up or ask questions call us at 996-2870 or email us

Events
Below, you'll find announcements about events or publications (ours and those of other organizations) that we think you might find interesting.

  May 10th:  “Growing the Basics” Class, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Local 98856.  “Local 98856” owner and successful gardener, Tess Hoke, is beginning a “Local Living” series.  The first class, "Growing the Basics," will provide information on how to plan, plant and enjoy a simple and successful home garden. Participants will explore all aspects from site preparation through harvest. Cost is $10 per person. Class materials will be provided. Drop in at Local 98856 for the class or call 997-0978 for more information.

  May 18th:  The Riparian Connection: Birds, Water and Avian Romance Mini Conservation Course.  This educational field class is full. 

  June 2nd:  Natural History Book Club Discussion of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen, 6:00 -7:15 p.m. at the Methow Conservancy office.  Note this discussion is on the first Monday of June due to the Memorial Day Holiday.  This is the last book club before our “summer break” - visit our Book Club page for a list of what we have read if you’d like to catch up!