Events

  June 3rd:  “1st Tuesday” Program - Annual Methow Conservancy and Methow Natives “Native Plant Workshop and Social” 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. outdoors at Methow Natives.  Enjoy food, drinks and native plants with local botanists.  Get tips on what to plant where, how to restore your property, landscaping ideas and what deer won’t eat!  Free with donations accepted.

July 16th (3rd Wednesday!): How Mining Affects Communities 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Mazama Community Center after the Community Market.

Have you heard about the mining initiative for a copper deposit between Flagg Mountain and Goat Peak?  According to the Pacific Copper Corp. website, "Pacific is currently carrying out a drill program to verify drilling and exploration results from 1975, which may eventually lead to a new feasibility study."

While modern-day mining for copper directly above Mazama would take a very long process and may not happen in our lifetimes, if ever, the history of mining in the area and the increased value of minerals and precious metals gives people cause to be more informed of and involved in the current situation.

Dr. Dan Peplow, affiliate professor for the College of Forest Resources at the UW, and Sarah Augustine, director of Suriname Indigenous Health Fund, will help us understand the fundamentals of mining impacts.  Using Dan's research on the impacts of contamination from abandoned mines in the Methow Valley as a backdrop, and their experience working with communities in Suriname impacted by mining, Dan and Sarah will share information on how a community can be prepared and involved in the mining process, and work to mitigate the effects of mining on environmental and public health.

Other Events

July 9th: Pearrygin Lake State Park 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 the Methow Conservancy at 996-2870 if you have questions.

July 16th: " When Mining Comes to a Community" From 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Mazama Community Center after the Wednesday Community Market.  According to the Pacific Copper Corp. website "Pacific is currently carrying out a drill program to verify drilling and exploration results from 1975, which may eventually lead to a new feasibility study."  Dr. Dan Peplow, affiliate professor for the College of Forest Resources at the UW, and Sarah Augustine, will discuss the fundamentals of mining impacts, using Dan's research on the impacts of contamination from abandoned mines in the Methow Valley as a backdrop.  Dan and Sarah will also share information on how a community can be prepared and involved in the mining process.  Free and open to everyone. For more information contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org. 

 July 17th: Film Preview:  Harvesting Hope, Cultivating an Agricultural Community, 7:30 at the Confluence Gallery.  This will be a preview of the Terry Hunt's film-in-progress, followed by a discussion of sustainability issues shared by artists and farmers.  Hosted by the Confluence Gallery; for more info call 997-2787.

July 19th:  Methow Conservancy Weed and Native Plant Education Table, 9:00 a.m. – Noon, at the Farmer’s Market in Twisp during the Saturdays in July.  We’ll take your questions, success stories, weed war stories and share what advice we can.  We’ll also have both our Good Neighbor and Restoring Shrub-Steppe Handbooks freely available, so come by and say hello.

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.

July 26th:  Methow Conservancy Weed and Native Plant Education Table, 9:00 a.m. – Noon, at the Farmer’s Market in Twisp during the Saturdays in July.  We’ll take your questions, success stories, weed war stories and share what advice we can.  We’ll also have both our Good Neighbor and Restoring Shrub-Steppe Handbooks freely available, so come by and say hello.