Tuesday, January 5th, 7:00 - 8:30pm at the Twisp River Pub
Wildlife tracking has as much to do with being aware as it does with knowing tracks. The awareness skills trackers use can make our everyday lives richer. Professional wildlife tracker Gabe Spence will teach us basic track and sign identification; simple practices for sharpening our senses and our minds; how bird language can inform you of things that are happening out of view; and how following animal trails can help you understand animals.
The Twisp River Pub will open at 6pm for attendees who would like to purchase food or drinks. The event is free and open to everyone. Contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org if you have questions.
As we say goodbye to 2009 and ring in 2010, we want to wish you all a festive and joyful New Year, and send a heartfelt thank you for your support of our work! 2009 was an especially big year for the  Methow Conservancy -- from significant increases in protected land to an incredibly successful (and fun) Imagine the Methow capital campaign -- and our success is a direct result of your support. With your trust and funding, we have worked with the Methow Valley community and individual landowners to protect over 6,300 acres with conservation easements since 1996 (including 506 acres in 2009). This protected land includes 23 miles of shoreline along the Methow, Twisp and Chewuch Rivers. The protected working farmland, wildlife habitat, ridgelines, and floodplains, not only give us rural, scenic views today, they also help retain our character and culture and give us possibilities for the future. Thank you for helping us protect the land of the Methow Valley and for preserving possibilities for future generations!
Now, check out our 2009 “Year in Review” in photos here. You’ll love this!
Mondays, February 1st – March 8th (except Tuesday Feb. 16)
6:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Twisp River Pub
It’s time again for our annual Methow Conservation Course, and this year’s course promises to be another fantastic educational experience with stellar instructors from around the state! The 6-week course will explore the secrets of the shrub steppe landscape, revealing hidden facets of our most ubiquitous landscape – from its history and unseen influences to mysterious plant and animal relationships.
Registration is open now. See the course syllabus and registration form here. Read below for more details or contact Mary by email or at 509-996-2870.
North Central Washington’s shrub steppe ecosystem is teaming ecologically with wildlife and unique plants. It is also a rich part of our history and culture, from Native American and early settlers’ interactions with native plant communities to current uses.
We’ll start the course by looking at shrub steppe ecology from the Columbia Basin to the Methow Valley, including the ecoregion’s geological formation. Then we’ll explore the early people of the shrub steppe landscape with guest speaker Jack Nisbet. We will burrow underground in the shrub steppe landscape to explore fossorial animal life, and then come to the surface to understand shrub steppe soils, which are teaming with life despite the arid landscape. Next, we’ll broaden our view to habitats such as water courses and cliff bands, which are unique yet integral to the flora and fauna of the shrub steppe ecosystem. The final course lectures will focus on the ecological role that disturbances such as fire and grazing play on shrub steppe vegetation communities, and how soil, hydrography, and genetic makeup of native plants are important for restoration efforts both on a large and small scale. We’ll also discuss how you can help preserve the cultural and ecological aspects of the shrub steppe in your own backyard. The course speakers include: Dana Visalli, Eric Bard, Jack Nisbet, Mike Schroeder, Kim Romain-Bondi, Jerry Benson, Heidi Newsome and Hans Smith.
 The course runs for six weeks from February 1st to March 8th with one class per week on Mondays from 6:00 to 8:30pm at the Twisp River Pub. An optional dinner is served from 5:30 – 6:00pm for an additional fee. The week of the President’s Day holiday, class will meet on Tuesday Feb. 16th instead of Monday the 15th. The first class, Feb 1st, will start 30 minutes earlier than the other classes; dinner will start at 5pm and the class will start at 5:30pm.
Tuition is $125 for Methow Conservancy members. The tuition for non-members is $150, which includes a discounted one-year membership. Our volunteer/scholarship spots have filled. We expect the course to fill quickly so register soon! See the course syllabus & registration form here. Contact Mary by email or at 996-2870 if you have questions.
It’s official. We’re in the final stretch of our Imagine the Methow Campaign. With almost $17M raised to date in public and private funds and the value of donated conservation easements, we’re more than 80% of our way to our campaign goal. 2010 will mark the year we complete this historic effort!
Our focus over the next few months will be making sure we give everyone who loves the Methow Valley an opportunity to add their voice to this once-in-a-lifetime land protection effort.
 As the ski season kicks in (hopefully with some more snow soon!), we’ll team up with MVSTA to help raise awareness about the incredible efforts people have made to protect land along our beautiful ski trail system.
MVSTA's Nordic trail system is unique in that more than 160 families voluntarily allow the trail to cross their private land. Of these landowners, 21 have also worked with the Methow Conservancy or another entity to place a permanent conservation easement on their property. These conservation easements total 1508 acres. Over the long President's Day weekend, the Methow Conservancy will have colorful signs marking the Methow Conservancy conservation easements along the ski trails. Look for wooden signs with school-kids' poems and art along the trails in the upper valley and in the rendezvous. On Valentine’s Day night we’ll also host a torchlight ski along the community trail, reminding people to “Love this Valley.”
Recognizing that not everyone can spend the winter in the Methow Valley, in late February we’ll bring the Methow to Seattle. In addition to local food, drink and music, we’ll include a fabulous auction of Methow art and Methow experiences. Over the past six months a number of Methow artists have volunteered to spend time on some of our conservation easements to create an original piece of work inspired by that landscape, and we are currently brainstorming creative Methow experiences to share with you. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the campaign. Stay tuned for more details and to preview the art and experiences underway!
And, of course, throughout the winter and spring we’ll continue to host gatherings of people interested in learning more about the campaign and we’ll continue to add leaves to our Leave a Legacy Tree. With more than 1,400 donations to date, we’re thrilled about the response to the campaign – but we’d hate to leave anyone out. So, if you know someone who loves the Methow Valley and who will want to commemorate their commitment to this place by donating to the campaign, please encourage them to visit our campaign website at www.imaginethemethow.org or call Sarah at the Methow Conservancy office at 509-996-2870.
While the Methow Conservancy is well known for using conservation easements as a tool to protect private land with willing landowners and promote voluntary conservation, we are not the only conservation easement purveyor here in the Methow Valley. Since 1991 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has created nearly 20 conservation easements with willing landowners on over 2,000 acres of critical fish and wildlife habitat here in the Valley. These WDFW easements allow for land protection yet do not become part of the public lands of the Methow Wildlife Area owned and managed by WDFW.
Conservation easements held by WDFW, like those held by the Methow Conservancy, ensure the protection of certain “conservation values” while reducing or eliminating development potential. Conservation values can include wildlife habitats, rich agricultural lands, and scenic landscapes. The landowner retains the full rights of private ownership, including restricting public access and selling the property. Easements are permanent and require scientific monitoring. WDFW has contracted with the Methow Conservancy to monitor their easements since 2003, and we look forward to future opportunities to partner in this way. When we monitor, we visit the property, ideally with the landowner, take photographs at set locations, and visually survey the land to document man-made and natural alterations to the landscape. Just like with our easements, our goal in working with WDFW on monitoring their easements is to get to know the land and the landowners in order to facilitate and encourage good land stewardship in perpetuity.
Conservation easements held by WDFW include some well-known local private properties, including most of the Arrowleaf properties near Mazama and portions of the Gunn Ranch in the Rendezvous. Some of these properties also have winter MVSTA ski trails on them, yet they remain private and access beyond the winter-only trails is by permission only. WDFW easements also protect habitat in the upland shrub steppe and in the riparian zone along the Twisp, Chewuch, and Methow Rivers. The 81 Methow Conservancy conservation easements plus the WDFW easements added to the state and federal public lands spread throughout the Valley ensure habitat connectivity for wildlife across the valley floor and to the uplands, and for fish up and downstream in local rivers.
Next time you stop to admire some portion of our fantastic valley landscape, keep in mind that there are many people and entities involved in local conservation, and that the rural character and beauty of the Methow isn’t by chance. Thank you for helping make the Methow Valley the special place that it is!
February 20th, 10am - 2pm
There is plenty for naturalists to enjoy afield in winter. On this 4-hour outing, we will practice our winter plant identification skills, follow animal tracks to decipher what kind of mission they were on, and observe the behavior of the winter birds we encounter. We will talk about the remarkable adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive the ‘energy bottleneck’ of winter….all the while watching for the first signs of spring! This fieldtrip will be conducted on skis (preferred) or snowshoes, and is limited to 15 people. Bring your own lunch. Cost is $15/person and registration is required. Contact Mary at 996-2870 to sign up or for more info.
Thank you to everyone who has already responded to our annual membership appeal that was mailed out recently! Here’s the list of people who became new members over the last month (December 1st to the 31st ). Thank you to them and all of you who support our work! Paul Bannick,
Claudia & Stephen Burr,
The Collins Family,
Kristi Larson & Bruce Firestone,
Annette Frahm,
Pamela & Christopher Gerges,
Mary & Dave Hyde,
in honor of Riley & Cassidy Fulton,
Pamela McCabe,
Lisa Michelbrink,
Sarah Parrington,
Anonymous,
Lorri & Corey Traylor,
and Peggy & Ronald VanBianchi
Below, you'll find announcements about events or publications (ours and those of other organizations) that we think you might find interesting.
January 2nd, 16th, 17th: Nature of Winter Snowshoe Tours. The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association (MVSTA) hosts snowshoe tours throughout the winter. Local naturalists lead the tours which are about winter ecology, wildlife and tracks, snow and more. These family-friendly tours leave from Mazama and Sun Mountain Lodge at 11:00 a.m. on the scheduled dates. MVSTA trail passes or a MVSTA snowshoe trail passes ($5) is required for each person. Snowshoes are available for rent at Winthrop Mountain Sports, Sun Mountain Lodge and Methow Valley Ski School & Rentals. Tour size is limited to 20 people. Reservations are not required; space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For additional information, contact MVSTA at www.mvsta.com or 509-996-3287.
 January 5th: Methow Conservancy “1st Tuesday” Program: “The Art of Wildlife Tracking” with Gabe Spence, 7:00 – 8:30pm at the Twisp River Pub (pub opens at 6:00pm). Wildlife tracking has as much to do with being aware as it does with knowing tracks. The awareness skills trackers use can also be used to make our everyday lives richer. Professional wildlife tracker Gabe Spence will teach us simple practices for sharpening our senses and our minds, how bird language can inform you of things that are happening out of view, and how following animal trails can help you understand animals.
January 9th: Methow Wilderness School “Wildlife Tracking Class”, 9am–3 pm. Learn tracking basics with expert tracker Gabe Spence. $60/per person. Get more information and register at www.MethowWildernessSchool.com or 509-997-7169.
January 16-17, 30–31 and Feb. 13–14, 27–28: Methow Wilderness School “Winter Wildlife Tracking Seminar.” Become a skilled tracker and naturalist through a four-weekend Winter Tracking Seminar. In the Tracking Seminar, you will be immersed in the six arts of tracking. Through group tracking exercises, naturalist training and guided independent study, you will gain a unique combination of field experience and technical skills. The seminar is taught by expert tracker, Gabe Spence, and runs from 9am to 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays.  Cost is $640/per person and registration is required. Visit www.MethowWildernessSchool.com or contact Gabe at 509-997-7169 or MethowSchool@yahoo.com.
February 1st: Methow Conservancy 2010 Methow Conservation Course starts (meets on Monday evenings through March 8th). The 6-week course will explore the secrets of the shrub steppe landscape, revealing hidden facets of our most ubiquitous landscape – from its history and unseen influences to mysterious plant and animal relationships. See above for more details!
 February 9th: Methow Conservancy “1st Tuesday” Program (on the 2nd Tuesday): “The Worlds of David Douglas with Jack Nisbet ,” 7:00 – 8:30pm at the Twisp River Pub. During his short but intense life, Scottish Naturalist David Douglas demonstrated a knack for appearing in places on the brink of extraordinary change. His writings and natural history collections reflect on these situations in ways he never could have imagined, and deepen his legacy in the Northwest.
This presentation, with author and historian Jack Nisbet, will explore the circle of British scientists that provided the background data for Darwin's theory of evolution; the tribal and fur trade communities that set the tone for much of modern Inland Northwest culture; and differences between the flora and fauna that Douglas recorded and what we experience today.
The Twisp River Pub will open at 6:00pm for attendees who would like to purchase food or drinks. Nisbet's books will be sold and signed.
The event is free and open to everyone though donations are appreciated. For more information, contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org.
February 13th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 27th: Nature of Winter Snowshoe Tours.The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association (MVSTA) hosts snowshoe tours throughout the winter. Local naturalists lead the tours which are about winter ecology, wildlife and tracks, snow and more. These family-friendly tours leave from Mazama and Sun Mountain Lodge at 11:00 a.m. on the scheduled dates. MVSTA trail passes or a MVSTA snowshoe trail passes ($5) is required for each person. Snowshoes are available for rent at Winthrop Mountain Sports, Sun Mountain Lodge and Methow Valley Ski School & Rentals. Tour size is limited to 20 people. Reservations are not required; space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For additional information, contact MVSTA at www.mvsta.com or 509-996-3287.
February 14th: Love This Valley Torchlight Ski with chocolate and treats from the town trailhead out 2km. Presented by the Methow Conservancy from dusk until 8pm.
February 20th: "Ecology of Winter" Field Class, 10am - 2pm
 There is plenty for naturalists to enjoy afield in winter. On this 4-hour outing, we will practice our winter plant identification skills, follow animal tracks to decipher what kind of mission they were on, and observe the behavior of the winter birds we encounter. We will talk about the remarkable adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive the ‘energy bottleneck’ of winter….all the while watching for the first signs of spring! This fieldtrip will be conducted on skis (preferred) or snowshoes, and is limited to 15 people. You bring your own lunch. Cost is $15/person and registration is required. Contact Mary at 996-2870 to sign up or for more info.
February 20th: Methow Wilderness School “Cougar Tracking Class,” 9am – 3pm. Join expert wildlife tracker, Gabe Spence, for a day of tracking and trailing cougars in the snow. Learn how these elusive predators deal with the challenges of winter, and the basics of identifying common cougar sign, such as scats, tracks, and kill sites, as well as indicators of gender, age and size. $60/per person. Register at 509-997-7169 or www.MethowWildernessSchool.com.
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