Please join us on either side of the mountains for a holiday social and unique conversation about the future of the rural west.
 Celebrate an amazing year of conservation with the Methow Conservancy and renowned nature writer Rick Bass. Ring in the holiday season with social time, and desserts and beverages; then share in a unique conversation about the future of the rural west with Rick Bass. These events are free and open to everyone. Beer and wine will be available. Books will be signed and sold. (Please limit books to be signed to two per person.) The event is free.
Rick writes about the nature of the human heart and the heart of nature, and fervently believes that there are still rural places in the west, like the Methow Valley, where small groups of people can make monumental positive change for the future of a place. His latest book, The Wild Marsh: Four Seasons at Home in Montana, is not just a celebration of his home; it is also a powerful argument for becoming intimate with the places we’ve all chosen to call home.
Seattle Event
Monday, December 7th at 7:00pm at the Lake Washington Rowing Club.
910 N. Northlake Way in Fremont. Ample parking is available!
Winthrop Event
Tuesday, December 8th at 7:00pm at the Winthrop Barn.
(This event will also serve as our December “1st Tuesday” lecture.)
Rick Bass is the author of over twenty books, including nonfiction nature writing, essay collections, short story collections, novellas and novels.  Among his works are The Deer Pasture; Oil Notes; Wild to the Heart; Winter: Notes from Montana; The Ninemile Wolves; The Book of Yaak; Where the Sea Used to Be; The Hermit's Story; and Colter: The True Story of the Best Dog I Ever Had. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and an O. Henry Award. He was a finalist for The Story Prize in 2007 for his short story collection The Lives of Rocks. He was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award for Why I Came West.
Born in Texas and raised the son of a geologist, Bass took an early interest in the natural world. He studied petroleum geology at Utah State University, then moved to Jackson, Mississippi to work as a petroleum geologist. There, he began writing short stories on his lunch breaks. One of Rick’s first books, Oil Notes came from this experience. In 1987, he moved with his wife, the artist Elizabeth Hughes, to the remote Yaak Valley near Troy, Montana, where he has worked, through his words, for the last 20+ years to protect wild and rural places.
For more information, contact the Methow Conservancy at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org.
Last week, the Methow Conservancy completed four conservation easements – a pretty remarkable feat that is thanks in part to your support of our Imagine the Methow Campaign for Conservation. These easements, completed by Susan Speir; Rita Pampanin; and the Keith Stennes Family, bring our conservation easement total to 81, protecting 6323 acres and 23 miles of river shoreline. Thank you!
The Speir and Pampanin conservation easements add to a string of easements along the Twisp River – fifteen now, that protect 5 miles of Twisp River shoreline.
The Stennes’ two contiguous easements protect 264 acres and 1.74 miles of the Methow Riverfront. These easements, approximately 3 miles northwest of the town of Methow are the Methow Conservancy’s first completed easements in the Lower Valley.
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| Speir Conservation Easement on the Twisp River |
The Speir easement is 10 acres two miles west of Twisp. The Pampanin easement is approximately 12 acres five miles west of Twisp. The riverfront protected with both easements is nearly ½ mile.
Both easements protect wetlands and lush riparian lowlands of deciduous shrubs and trees, as well as open space and pine forests. The open space and healthy riparian land provides a critical link between the nearly 5,000 acres of upland shrub-steppe habitats of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Methow Wildlife Area to the north, and the Okanogan National Forest to the south. The intact nature of these easements on the Twisp River valley make them extremely valuable as a corridor for fish and wildlife moving up/down and across the valley floor.
Multiple species of anadromous (migrate to the ocean and back) and resident fish use the stretch of the lower Twisp River that includes the Speir and Pampanin easement properties. Federally Endangered spring Chinook salmon and steelhead utilize these properties for migration, spawning, and juvenile rearing, and Federally Threatened bull trout use them for foraging, migration and over-wintering. To thrive, spring Chinook, bull trout and steelhead require adequate flows and cool water. The thick riparian vegetation on both of these easements shade and cool river, as well as provide ground water storage that augments river flows through the drier months.
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| Pampanin Conservation Easement on the Twisp River |
These riparian and transitional conservation easements also support numerous mammals including mule deer which need access between shrubby uplands for winter forage and rivers for daily watering. The wetlands and the riparian plants including aspen, cottonwood, water birch and willows also provides excellent beaver habitat. Beaver activity can help retain and expand wetland habitat, as well as promote water storage that is critically helpful to the endangered fish and many other species.
We thank both Susan Speir and Rita Pampanin for working with us to permanently protect their properties. Susan Speir recently noted, “We are so lucky to have the Methow Conservancy help us preserve the important habitat of this valley. Over the years, I've been heartbroken to see the destruction of riparian areas. Now, I feel privileged to have partnered with the Conservancy to place a conservation easement on my property and ensure that this beautiful land along the river that I love will always remain wild."
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| Stennes Conservation Easement on the lower Methow River |
The Stennes property has been a working farm and ranch since Britanus Stennes, a Norwegian immigrant, settled and homesteaded the land in 1894. Five generations later, the Stennes’ are still farming and caring for this beautiful and highly visible property along Highway 153 and the Methow River that includes shrub steppe habitat, riparian habitat along the Methow River, and a variety of agricultural fields mostly devoted to the fruit trees of Cascade Crest Organics, the Stennes family business.
The high quality farmland soils of the Stennes property are the primary reason the Methow Conservancy and the Stennes’ sought to protect the land. Still, there are many more conservation values. The Stennes property is so diverse that the habitat provided by the riparian and river front areas, as well as the large areas of intact shrub-steppe are critically important, not to mention the scenic beauty and open space qualities.
Shrub-steppe, the semi-arid habitat that extends throughout most of the Columbia Basin, is vital for a diversity of species. Various land uses have diminished this important habitat by more than 50% in the state of Washington, and the Methow Conservancy has made this a priority habitat to protect. Vegetation of the shrub-steppe, dominated by bitterbrush, sagebrush, and perennial grasses, is an important source of food and cover for a variety of wildlife and birds. Perennial bunchgrasses in addition to a vast array of flowering forbs are prolific on the Stennes easement. The deep anchoring roots of these plants prevent the rapid erosion of soils by water or wind. Protection of the soil and the native vegetation in these dry areas is an important aspect of land conservation in the Methow Valley.
Connectivity between the greater Methow River riparian zone and upland shrub steppe and forest habitats provides excellent foraging habitat and movement corridors for species moving up and down the valley. WDFW identifies the area of the Stennes easement property as winter range habitat for mule deer. The mixed woodlands and shrub-steppe found throughout the property provide excellent habitat for a variety of bird species, some common, some not so common. Golden eagles, a Washington State Candidate species, forage in cliff areas near the river. There have also been sightings of Western Grey Squirrel, a Federal Species of Concern and Washington State Threatened Species. Other noted priority species include Bald eagles which frequent the area and pallid bats which have been noted near the highway bridges. Harlequin ducks, a federal species of concern, have also been noted in this stretch of the Methow River.
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| Stennes Conservation Easement on the lower Methow River |
Upon finalizing the easement, Keith wrote to us, “The Stennes Family (Keith & Deb, along with their sons Kevin and Mark and their 5th generation families) are pleased to have been able to work with the Methow Conservancy to achieve our goals of maintaining this special piece of property our family has been blessed to have owned, farmed and been entrusted stewardship of since 1894. It is exciting to know that this land that I have been privileged to live on and farm for a lifetime will be passed on to the future generations to steward, use and enjoy in much the same form that it was with the earlier generations.”
The Stennes’ commitment to conservation runs deep. We are grateful and fortunate to have worked with them, and we’d like to congratulate them on being the first lower valley family to place a Methow Conservancy conservation easement on their property!
Speaking of the shrub steppe……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 cultural from Native American and early settlers’ interactions with native plant communities to current uses. Join the Methow Conservancy for their 6th annual 6-week “Methow Conservation Course” to explore the secrets of the shrub steppe landscape. This course will reveal hidden facets of our most ubiquitous landscape – its history, unseen influences, and mysterious plant and animal relationships.
The course will start with an overview of shrub steppe ecology from the Columbia Basin to the Methow Valley, focusing on the ecoregion’s geological formation. We will then 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 (burrowing) animal life; come to the surface to understand shrub steppe soils, teaming with life on this arid landscape; and elevate to unique habitats such as water courses and cliff bands, which are uncommon and hidden, 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 have played 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 the prioritization of shrub steppe landscapes in conservation, and 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 and Heidi Newsome. A complete syllabus will be available by or before the January E-News.
 The Methow Conservation Course was initiated in 2005 to take a Methow-specific look at natural history and translate that knowledge into both local and universal conservation-based themes. Now in its sixth year, the Methow Conservation Course is designed for both the novice and the experienced naturalist. The course is offered with the goal of inspiring more observation and knowledge of, interest in and connections with the natural world.
The course runs for six weeks from February 1st to March 8th with one class per week on Mondays from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Twisp River Pub. An optional dinner is served from 5:30 – 6:00 for an additional fee. The week of the President’s Day holiday, class will meet on Tuesday Feb. 16th instead of Monday the 15th.
Tuition is $125 for Methow Conservancy members. The tuition for non-members is $150, which includes a discounted one-year membership. Scholarships are available. One to two volunteers are needed to help with the course and will be given a reduced or waived course fee. We expect the course to fill quickly so register soon! Contact Mary at info@methowconservancy.org or 509-996-2870 if you have questions or would like to register. A registration form may also be viewed and printed here.
It’s an annual tradition. Every November—usually on the coldest, drippiest, bone-chillingest day—our staff gathers to put up the outdoor white lights. Our building is a part of downtown Winthrop and we participate in all of the Westernization activities, including the official town lighting that takes place during this past weekend’s “Christmas at the End of the Road” celebration.
This year we used more lights than ever. Jason and Emily came up with the clever idea of wrapping in lights our beautiful Imagine the Methow “Leave a Legacy” tree with its shimmering copper leaves. Throughout the winter, our tree will glow brightly at night, proudly displaying the leaves of more than 1,400 donors who all have made a commitment to conservation in the Methow Valley.
 More leaves are added to our tree each week. Though we’ve quieted down from the loud roar of our summer/fall “Every Dollar Counts” Challenge, we are still working each day to bring us closer to our goal of $20 million in public and private funds and the value of donated conservation easements for land protection in the Methow Valley. We currently look on track to complete the campaign in late spring/early summer 2010. En route to a big community celebration when we do finally reach our campaign goal, we’ll be planning various outreach efforts. Look for us out on the ski trails again this winter, at various events around the Methow Valley and in the Seattle area, and every where in between.
As we raise funds, we are also putting them to work strategically on the ground. As noted earlier in e-news, in the last month we closed four new conservation easements, all made possible by our Imagine the Methow Campaign. To date, the campaign has made 22 new conservation easements possible, protecting almost 1,000 acres of land in high priority areas. Our list of projects-in-progress is longer than ever (more than 25 easements). The window of opportunity to make a real and lasting difference in the landscape of the Methow Valley is upon us, and because of the campaign, we stand ready to take action.
It is true that this beautiful valley speaks to all of us. It is also true that what it says to future generations depends on the choices we make today. Thanks to all of you who have added your voice by supporting the campaign. You have made an incredible gift to future generations – the gift of a Methow Valley with clean rivers, working farms and ranches, breathtaking beauty, and abundant wildlife.
If you would like more information about the campaign or if you would like to add a leaf to our tree by donating, please visit our campaign website at www.imaginethemethow.org or call Sarah Brooks at 509-996-2870.
It’s that time of year. What’s meaningful but simple? What’s important and shares your love but doesn’t simply get put on a shelf?
 Why, a Methow Conservancy donation in someone’s honor of course! Our colorful and attractive hats, t-shirts or totes are pretty cool too.
Our eye-catching Methow Conservancy t-shirts, tote bags and hats are all made of organic cotton. See each item in full color, as well as how to order, at our gift page.
If you’d like to give a gift in someone’s honor, or purchase a membership for someone, simply call us at 509-996-2870 or see our membership page.
Another creative gift idea that helps the Conservancy would be to purchase something from the Cathedral Peak Gallery. This small gallery near the Mazama Store offers a beautiful selection of nature photography by local Methow artists. All of the profits from Gallery sales are donated to the Methow Conservancy. In the last six years, over $8,500 has been donated to our land protection and conservation education efforts. The Gallery is located behind the Windermere Office at the Mazama Junction. It is open by appointment any time by simply calling the Mazama Country Inn at 996-2681 or 800-843-7951. In December, look for special holiday hours on weekends.
Check out all our business members for more ideas, but most of all have a wonderful solstice and holiday season wherever you may be and enjoy the gifts of nature!
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| Chris with a golden eagle at Chelan Ridge |
Chris Street was an enthusiastic, young biologist from Missoula who worked with eagles, falcons, and hawks at Chelan Ridge; studied how woodpeckers responded to wildfires in Montana; and helped the Methow Conservancy restore wetlands through our multi-partner Beaver Project in the Methow Valley. Steve Bondi, our Stewardship Director, worked with Chris this summer on the beaver project. Chris passed away in November from complications related to cancer. Those of us who knew him are inspired by his spirit. He was always polite, respectful and humble. Chris was playful and full of energy. He was kind, generous, hard working, adventurous (last summer he climbed 13 major peaks here in the Methow), positive, funny, and easy to be with. He will be missed dearly. Chris’s family has set up a memorial fund at HawkWatch International in Chris’s honor that will help continue the work at the Chelan Ridge Raptor Migration Project that Chris loved so much.
Do you make notes of the birds in your yard? Have you ever wondered where the birds have been since you saw them last? Are there are more woodpeckers this year than last year? Join “Project FeederWatch” to help scientists answer these questions. Project FeederWatch is a survey of birds that visit feeders in backyards and community areas throughout North America, and anyone can participate. With or without a feeder, birds can be abundant if there is a water source and/or shrubs and trees that provide winter food. Participants pay a small fee and receive a “research kit,” then periodically count the birds they see at their feeders or a particular spot they frequent from now until early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Project FeederWatch is a joint research and education project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada. Find out more here.
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 (Oct 29th through Nov. 30th). Thank you to them and all of you who support our work!
Marcia & John Boyd, Jeanine & Skip Butler, Mary Graham & David Ellis, Catherine & Richard Gaspar, John L Scott Realty, Joanne Kaufman, John Kelly, Paul Lambert, Heather & Greg Oaksen, Kim Des Rochers & Mark Smaalders, Dirk Smith, Phil Troyer, Laura Wharton, and Kate Wisniewski. Plus one anonymous gift and one made in honor of David, Amaryllis and Alex Scott.
Click here for an up-to-date list of all Imagine the Methow Capital Campaign donations.
Below, you'll find announcements about events or publications (ours and those of other organizations) that we think you might find interesting.
 December 7th: Holiday Bash with Rick Bass in Seattle, 7:00pm at the Lake Washington Rowing Club, 910 N. Northlake Way (in Fremont). There is plenty of parking! Help us celebrate another amazing year of conservation in the Methow with renowned nature writer Rick Bass. We’ll ring in the holiday season with social time, and desserts and beverages. This event is free and open to everyone. Books will be signed and sold. See more details above.
December 8th: Holiday Bash with Rick Bass in Winthrop, 7:00pm at the Winthrop Barn. Help us celebrate another amazing year of conservation in the Methow with renowned nature writer Rick Bass. We’ll ring in the holiday season with social time, and desserts and beverages. This event is free and open to everyone. Books will be signed and sold. This event also serves as our December “1st Tuesday” program. See more details above.
Dec 23, 26, 27, 30: 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.
December 27th: 22nd Annual Methow Valley Christmas Bird Count
This event is open to anyone who is interested in birding and learning more about and participating in the citizen science of compiling the Audubon’s National Bird Count. There is a $5 per person fee required by Audubon. Ken Bevis is organizing the event this year, and following the count there will be a potluck dinner. For more information contact Ken Bevis at 997-0995 or krbevis@methownet.com.
January 2nd, 16th, 17th: Nature of Winter Snowshoe Tours. Please click here for details.
 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).
February 1st: Methow Conservancy 2010 Methow Conservation Course starts (meets on Monday evenings through March 8th). See above for more details!
February 13th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 27th: Nature of Winter Snowshoe Tours. Please click here for details.
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.
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