The Methow Valley is a rural mountain valley on the east side of the North Cascades in north central Washington. The Methow has a dry climate and averages 13 inches of precipitation a year, most of which falls as snow. The valley elevation starts at 1,500 -2300 ft and extends to the North Cascades, which average 8,000-9,000 ft.

There are 3 rivers in the valley bottom and many large and small tributaries. Habitat types vary from riparian areas (areas near water) of cottonwood, alder, and aspen to a mid-elevation shrub steppe environment of bitterbrush and bunchgrasses intermixed with ponderosa pines and douglas fir. Higher elevations support lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce and western larch. Alpine meadows are found above here. These varied habitats harbor a large variety of plant and wildlife species. This area supports healthy populations of large mammals such as mule deer, black bear, mountain lions, coyotes and lynx. Also present in limited numbers are moose, wolves, wolverine, mountain goats and possibly a few grizzly bears. Small populations of chinook salmon, steelhead and bull trout still spawn in the rivers; and wintering populations of bald and golden eagles can be seen along the rivers.

This Valley is also home to a permanent population of approximately 5,000 people and the local economy is based on tourism, service industry jobs, resource management, home construction, cattle ranching, and farming. While the Methow valley remains a relatively pristine environment, the natural attractiveness of the area has led to an increase in growth and development. This development in combination with past management activities such as logging, road construction and fire suppression have led to increased pressure on natural resources and changes in traditional ways of life. Some of the natural resource issues that have resulted include: increased road and home construction, subdivision of large tracts of land, limited water resources, high levels of sedimentation in the rivers, a decrease in quality riparian and fish habitat, loss of ponderosa pine, bunchgrass and aspen habitat, and an increased risk of catastrophic fire. These problems negatively affect many facets of the valley including traditional ways of life, such as ranching and farming; fish and wildlife habitat; and resident threatened and endangered species such as the spring chinook salmon, bull trout, steelhead trout and white-headed woodpecker. Immediate restoration becomes important to counter these negative affects and to preserve this area for the people and animals that live here and their future generations.