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“1st Tuesday” Program AND Holiday Social
Join us for a special evening of amazing photography with John Scurlock. Flying in his home-built airplane, John has amassed an amazing collection of photos of the mountains of the Northwest. John’s photos are both documentary and flat-out stunning at the same time. In fact, they are so amazing they have been assembled into a new book, Snow & Spire: Flights to Winter in the North Cascade Range, that will make its debut at our community program! Come prepared to be awed!
The event is free and open to everyone. For more information, contact us at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org.
The Ecological History of the Methow Valley, from the Cascades to the Columbia This course is full - Please call 509.996.2870 or email Mary if you would like to get on the wait list. This year’s Methow Conservation Course will step back in time to take an ecological and conservation-based tour of the Methow’s rich history. Considering how humans both The once-weekly evening class, hosted by the Methow Conservancy at the Twisp River Pub will run from January 30th to March 12th with one class per week on Mondays from 6:00 to 8:30pm at the Twisp River Pub (the Pub is closed to the public during our class). An optional dinner is served from 5:30 – 6:00pm for an additional fee. Class will not meet the week of President’s Day (the week of Feb. 20th). We’ll start the course off with renowned naturalist, teacher and author, Jack Nisbet. Jack will set the stage for our class, drawing from the first written accounts of the Methow drainage, from mouth to mountaintop. Next up, we’ll hear from another highly prized instructor, Bob Mierendorf. Bob has long been the archeologist for the North Cascades National Park and will help us get a clearer Participation in the course includes a binder of reading materials and a field-trip. Tuition is $125 for Methow Conservancy members. The tuition for non-members is $150, which includes a discounted one-year membership. Need-based scholarships are available to a limited number of people who are able to volunteer some time to help with the course. This course is full - Please call 509.996.2870 or email Mary if you would like to get on the wait list. A complete syllabus will be posted to our course webpage as soon as it is available.
Gratitude We recently mailed our annual appeal letters and the response has been wonderful so far. We know your decision to support our work is a thoughtful one, and we can’t thank you enough for your ongoing support. We are honored to play a role in helping you protect this remarkable valley that you love. You – and the 800+ other members like you – are the cornerstone of our Annual Operating Fund. We rely on private individuals, businesses, and groups to provide 70% of our Annual Operating Budget. Yes, we make every effort to secure public funds and grants for our work, but at the end of the day, it is people like you who make it possible for us to do our conservation work in the Methow Valley. If you have already renewed your membership, thank you! If you’d like to renew or join, use the easy “Donate Now” button on our membership page, or return the form you recently received in the mail. We welcome your thoughts and questions anytime. Reach us at 509-996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org. Thank you!
Holiday Gift Ideas from Yours Truly Here at the Methow Conservancy, not only do gift memberships (donations made in someone’s honor) make great gifts, but we have several wonderful items for purchase as well. Check out our eye-catching, organic cotton Methow Conservancy t-shirts, tote bags, and hats. Plus, our new Methow Valley pocket Field Guide and our Young Naturalist Activity Booklets are all the rage. See all of those items here. 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.
Other 1% or more business partners are the Chewuch Inn and Central Reservations. 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!
Still Blogging See the blog, including the latest post by Sarah Brooks here.
The History of Hancock Springs, and much more The full Hancock Springs article is also available online with more photos here.
New Members Here’s the list of people who became new members from October 25th through November 28th: Candy Gamble & Tom Alderson, Susan & Ken Armstrong, Julia & Joshua Dubey, Lisa & John MacLean, Allan Sande, and Tall Timber. Thank you for becoming members and supporting our efforts!
Events December 6th: Methow Conservancy Annual Holiday Social AND “1st Tuesday” Program at the Twisp River Pub. Holiday Party starts at 5pm with drinks, appetizers and awards. The 1st Tuesday program, “Heart of the Distant Mountain: Photographic Flights Across Western North America,” with renowned photographer John Scurlock will run from 7:00 – 8:30pm. John will cover his efforts over nine years to photograph mountains and glaciers from northern California to southeast Alaska and from the Coast Ranges to the Rockies. The highlight will be images from his great obsession, the North Cascade range in winter. The event is free and January 3rd: 1st Tuesday program, “Green Fire,” 7pm at the Twisp River Pub. See the first full-length, documentary film ever made about legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold and his environmental legacy! Green Fire shares highlights from his extraordinary career, explaining how he shaped conservation and the modern environmental movement. It also illustrates how Leopold's vision of a community that cares about both people and land continues to inform and inspire people across the country and around the world, highlighting modern projects that put Leopold’s land ethic in action in a multitude of ways. Free. January 7th – February 18th: Inspired by the Methow, Confluence Gallery art show featuring works from local and regional artists inspired by the Methow landscape. The Methow Conservancy is partnering with the Gallery on the show. Many artists used Conservancy conservation easements as the inspiration for their piece. January 30th – March 14th: Eight Annual Methow Conservation Course – The Ecological History of the Methow Valley from the Cascades to the Columbia. February 7th: 1st Tuesday Program, “After the Fire – Five Years Post Tripod,” with Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest Service staff, 7:00- 8:30 at the Twisp River Pub. Free. March 6th: 1st Tuesday program - "New Land--North of the Columbia," with speaker Lorraine McConaghy, author and historian with Seattle's Museum of History and Industry, 7:00 – 8:30 at the Twisp River Pub. Co-sponsored by the Methow Conservancy and the Shafer Historical Museum. 
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 the North Cascades Basecamp and from Sun Mountain Lodge at 11:00 a.m. on the scheduled dates. Reservations are not required; space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For additional information, see MVSTA or call 509-996-3287. The dates are December 28 & 31; January 14, 15, 21 & 28; February 4, 11, 18, 19 & 25; and March 3. December 17th (Bridgeport) and 18th (Twisp): Audubon's Annual Christmas Bird Count. Each year, from December 14 to January 5, the National Audubon Society’s longest-running wintertime tradition, the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), takes place throughout the Americas. Count results from 1900 to the present are available through Audubon's website. During the 112th CBC (2011-12), thousands of volunteers of all skill levels are expected to take part in this census of birds. The count takes place within "Count Circles", which focus on specific 15 mile (24 km)- diameter geographic areas. Each circle is led by a Count Compiler, so if you are a beginning birder, you will be able to join a group that includes at least one experienced birdwatcher. In addition, if your home is within the boundaries of a Count Circle, then you can stay home and report birds that visit your feeder, once you have arranged to do so with the Count Compiler. There is a $5 fee for adults to participate in field counts; feeder watchers are free, as are children 18 and younger. See a list for all the North Central Washington counts here. The Twisp/Winthrop area count is Sunday, Dec. 18th. Contact organizer Leahe Swayze at 997-2549 for details. The Brewster/Bridgeport area count is Saturday, Dec. 17th. Contact Meredith Spencer at 509-686-7551 for details.
The North Cascades Basecamp is continuing to offer a slew of programs and workshops throughout the winter. See their full calendar of Thursday night presentations and weekend workshops here. Get
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John will cover his efforts over nine years to photograph mountains and glaciers from northern California to southeast Alaska and from the Coast Ranges to the Rockies. The highlight will be images from his great obsession, the North Cascades in winter. John will also touch on what it takes to build an airplane, and talk briefly about the history of aerial photography. Trails End Bookstore will be there with us selling his new coffee-table book. Trails End has generously offered to give 10% of the evening’s sales to the Methow Conservancy!
shape their environment and are shaped by it, our six-week course will cover numerous topics, looking at what has affected the Methow’s land, water, wildlife and people over time.
picture of the Methow Valley and the surrounding region prior to settlement. How have things changed since the glaciers receded? What does the Methow’s archeological history tell us about the landscape and how the first people lived on it and with it? Our third course will focus on the initial influx of settlers and the heavy use of natural resources, from land to water and timber to minerals, to sustain livelihoods in the Valley. On February 27th, Greg Knott will join us for an evening about water and how it has influenced, nurtured and dictated activities in the Methow. From the first river diversions for farming to the consequences of river alterations to the salmon wars that called for “efficiencies,” we’ll discuss one of this Valley’s biggest features. In our fifth class, we have a real treat for participants! Karen West will moderate a historical photo slideshow and facilitate storytelling from a panel of local historians and “old-timers.” Come prepared with your questions! We’ll close the class with a look at the last crucial 40 years when the Valley was “discovered,” including the opening of Hwy 20; the debate around a downhill ski resort in Mazama; the establishment of planning and restrictive zoning codes; and the implications of a notable socio-economic shift. 
you are asked to give. Most of you are probably receiving lots of mail and email from organizations and charities asking for your support. 
Another creative gift idea that helps the Conservancy is to purchase something from the 
Methow Valley Calendars by 
everyone is invited! 
Meets on Mondays from Jan. 30th to March 14th, from 6:00 – 8:00pm with an optional dinner beforehand. No class on Feb. 20th. Registration is required and space is limited. Tuition is $125 for members, $150 for non-members. 
Wow, the conservation opportunities in the Methow seem limitless these days! There are numerous programs and workshops being offered by other entities. See below for some great ways to connect with the natural world of the Methow and the universe as a whole. 
December 21st: “Journey of the Universe,” 7pm at the Merc Playhouse. Celebrate the solstice with this 1-hour film on the evolutionary story of the universe, earth, life and humans. The event is sponsored by the Methow Naturalist/Methow Biodiversity Project. For more information call Dana Visalli at 997-9011. Free/donations welcome. 
