Methow Valley News - April 27, 2022

Methow Valley

New Okanogan County courtroom has state-of-the-art upgrades

Security, privacy measures improved

BY MARCY STAMPER

For the several weeks now, Okanogan County has been holding Superior Court trials in a new, spacious facility that provides much-needed security for witnesses and defendants and increased public-health protections by allowing jurors and others to spread out in the courtroom.

The county purchased the building in Okanogan in October 2021 from the U.S. Forest Service for $1.58 million. The cost was covered entirely by funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, which can be used for COVID-related expenses, according to Okanogan County Auditor Cari Hall.

While the county has long needed

a larger courtroom and private office space and meeting rooms for attorneys, defendants and witnesses, the shortcomings of the old courtroom became critical during the pandemic, said Superior Court Administrator Dennis Rabidou, who gave a tour of the remodeled facility at the end of March.

The former Superior Court courtroom in the historic county courthouse seats about 50 people and has a compact jury box, which made distancing to protect people’s health impossible, Rabidou said.

For part of the pandemic, the county made do with a temporary arrangement at the Agriplex, where they set up widely spaced chairs during questioning of jury panels and had ample spacing for judges, court staff and trial participants. The arrangement at the Agriplex allowed the county to safely conduct trials

LBHS student leads campaign for free menstrual products

Supplies, information available in schools

BY MARCY STAMPER

Students at the Methow Valley School District will get free menstrual-hygiene products and educational information about using them, thanks to the efforts of sophomore Ayla Belsby. The schools received their first shipment of tampons and pads last week.

Belsby came up with the project for the civic-action unit in her Individuals and Society class. While some students picked an issue like world peace, she wanted to focus on something that would provide an immediate, tangible benefit to students.

From her research — and personal experience —– Belsby found that the aging metal dispensers in girls’ bathrooms that theoretically provide a pad or tampon for a quarter haven’t been stocked for years. Menstrual supplies have been available through the school health room, but there was no notice on the dispensers letting students know that’s where they could get them, Belsby said. “It was a no-longerfunctioning system,” she said.

Not only did Belsby want to address the needs of menstruators, but she also connected the matter to larger issues. She noted that the school district recognized financial inequities when it replaced the reduced-lunch program with free lunch for all students. The menstrual-product issue contributes to gender inequality, since only some students have to spend money on these products, she said.

Belsby calculated that there are approximately 200 menstruators in the schools. Not having readily available

when many other counties had to simply postpone them, but it wasn’t a long-term solution because the building is used regularly for other purposes, Rabidou said.

The new courtroom seats about 100 people, more than twice the average jury pool, said former Okanogan County Superior Court Judge Chris Culp, who joined the tour just before his retirement at the end of March. “We all admire the old courthouse, but it had been difficult, shuffling courtrooms and judges,” Culp said.

Rabidou had been looking for a long-term solution for Superior Court for years when a staff member spotted the “for sale” sign at the Forest Service building on the way to the landfill. Rabidou headed over that weekend to check it out.

Starting last winter, the county commissioners evaluated the feasi -

bility of the building and potential funding sources. The county has a contract with an architect to explore

options for property development.

Federal money will fund wildfire risk reduction Methow Ranger District included in USFS plan

BY MARCY STAMPER

Several “shovel-ready” forest projects in the Methow Valley Ranger District will get additional federal funding to accelerate treatments starting this year, part of a 10-year plan by the U.S. Forest Service to reduce the risk of wildfire.

This year, 24,000 acres in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National For-

est will be treated with thinning and prescribed burning, using $24.6 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to Okanogan-Wenatchee Public Affairs Officer Victoria Wilkins. The Forest Service plans to treat a total of 124,000 acres through 2024, about 35,000 acres per year. Total funding is $102.6 million.

The funding will be used for work on the ground and staffing for projects already approved, including the Mission Restoration Project. It will support environmental review

for the Twisp Restoration Project, which is in the final planning stages. The Methow Valley Ranger District hopes for a signed decision on the Twisp Restoration Project this summer, so these funds could be put toward forest work on that project this year.

“The funding will enable us to accelerate the rate of implementation for projects such as Twisp Restoration and Mission by paying for components of projects that weren’t yet

EARTHLY CONNECTIONS

supplies for when students have their period made school less accessible for these students for about one week every month, she said. She pointed out that the school district provides other necessary hygiene products, such as toilet paper and soap and water.

She compiled her research in a presentation to Liberty Bell High School Principal Crosby Carpenter and school nurse Adriana Vanbianchi. She followed up with a proposal to Methow Valley School District Superintendent Tom Venable and sent a memo to the school board asking them to fund her project. The board voted the next day to provide $2,000 per year to cover the cost of menstrual products, Belsby said.

Additional education

In addition to the practical and financial aspects of her project, Belsby wanted to educate everyone in the school community about menstruation and to remove the self-consciousness that surrounds the topic for some students and staff members.

She elected to work with August because the company provides products that are more compostable and biodegradable than other brands.

Belsby also liked August’s approach to education and how it destigmatizes a natural, biological process.

Belsby provided the school board with an cost estimate of $1,750 a year for five products — pads and tampons with different absorbencies.

The pads and tampons will be available in girls’ bathrooms at Liberty Bell and at the Independent Learning Center, and in sixth-grade bathrooms, where they’ll be stored in small cabinets. The supplies will also be available in the health room.

of activities or entertainment for attendees at the Methow Recycles Earth Day celebration last weekend at the John Doran Ranch near Twisp. Music, food, art, demonstrations and conversations enlivened the day.

Winthrop delays decision on library charging stations

Local businesses will have opportunity to bid

BY DON NELSON

The Winthrop Town Council wants to see if any local businesses are interested in providing electric vehicle charging stations at the new Winthrop library before signing a contract with an outof-town firm that is prepared to provide the service.

At their meeting last week, council members supported the idea of charging stations at the new library on White Avenue, which is scheduled to open

mid-June, but objected to the exclusive arrangement with Irvine, Californiabased for-profit company Rivian LLC to provide them. The council earlier postponed action on a licensing agreement with Rivian for two parking spots at the library because of concerns that local companies did not have a chance to compete for the location.

Charging stations are currently available in Winthrop at Pine Near RV Park, East 20 Pizza and AbbyCreek Inn. The state grant that is partially funding the library’s construction requires that charging stations be provided on the site. Jill Sheley — executive director of Friends of the Winthrop Library

(FOWL), the nonprofit that raised funds for and is building the new library — said that under the terms of the state grant, FOWL is required only to provide the infrastructure to support installation of charging stations, not to install or operate them. Rivian or any other contractor, not the town or FOWL, would be responsible for operating, maintaining and providing electricity for the charging stations.

Rivian has similar contracts at other public facilities including state and national parks. Winthrop Town Planner Rocklynn Culp said the company is on

Photo by Marcy Stamper

Liberty Bell sophomore Ayla Belsby helped make free menstrual-hygiene products available for all students who need them.

Photo by Steve Mitchell

There was no shortage

Photo by Marcy Stamper

Okanogan County has a new, spacious facility for Superior Court trials. The renovated space provides state-of-the-art security and public health protections.

Dollar General looking at alternatives to Twisp

Evaluating sites in Okanogan, Bridgeport

BY MARCY STAMPER

After conducting the duediligence process for a possible store in Twisp, Dollar General has decided to look at alternative locations in Okanogan County.

“While Dollar General currently does not have any current projects in Okanogan or Douglas County, we continue

to evaluate opportunities to add new locations and extend our mission of Serving Others,” Dollar General Public Relations Coordinator Emma Hall said by email.

Dollar General is a nationwide chain with more than 17,000 stores in 46 states. Over the past year, the company was exploring the possibility of opening a new store in Twisp or other towns in Okanogan and/or Douglas counties.

As part of their exploratory process, an engineer working for Dollar General

had prepared potential site plans for stores in Twisp and in Bridgeport, according to Twisp Town Planner Kurt Danison of Highlands Associates. Danison also handles planning for other towns in Okanogan County and for Bridgeport, in Douglas County.

Danison hasn’t heard anything more about the proposal for Twisp, but the Bridgeport project is moving forward, he said. Last week, after a public hearing, Bridgeport vacated a portion of an alley, part of a multi-step process to ready

911 blotter

the proposed site for development, he said. A developer working with Dollar General has also applied for permits in Okanogan, where the company is considering a site for a store, Danison said.

Dollar General, founded in 1939, focuses on small towns, and 70% of their stores are in communities with a population of less than 20,000, according to their website. The majority of their products are priced below $10, and about one-fourth cost $1 or less, according to the company’s website.

OCEC members elect new board directors

John Rogers and Rick Johnson have been elected to the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative (OCEC) board of directors by the co-op’s membership.

Also on the OCEC board ballot was Stephen Ralph, who came in third in the membership balloting. The top two vote-getters in the election, Rogers and Johnson, will assume the open board positions. They replace former

COVID cases still remain low statewide

COVID cases in Washington remain low as the highly contagious BA.2 Omicron subvariant has become the overwhelmingly dominant strain, accounting for 90% of cases in the state, according to state Secretary of Health Umair Shah.

Although there has been a slight uptick in cases in the Puget Sound area, cases and hospitalizations in eastern Washington are low, state Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases Scott Lindquist said at the media briefing last week.

The state Department of Health (DOH) is less focused on counting every single COVID case, particularly because, with the wide availability of home tests, not all positives are reported, Shah said. Instead, they’re tracking variants to see if they cause serious or mild disease, and keeping tabs on hospitalizations to ensure that the state’s health care system can handle the full range of medical needs. While very contagious, Omicron generally causes only mild illness, they said.

“This is the transition we expected, away from the initial pandemic response to learning to live with COVID,” Lindquist said.

DOH still recommends that people gather outdoors where possible and avoid crowded events, particularly in poorly ventilated indoor spaces. People should keep high-quality masks available for situations without good ventilation, particularly if they don’t know people’s vaccine status, Lindquist said.

board members John Kirner and Cara Godwin, who did not seeking re-election. Voting concluded April 19 and results were announced late last week.

According to personal information provided to co-op voters, Rogers’ professional experience includes more than 30 years evaluating and supporting companies with a focus on engineering, construction

and financial businesses in a variety of industries. He and his wife, Catherine, purchased Mazama-area property in 1997 and made it their permanent home in 2017. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Seattle University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Johnson lived in Alaska for 40 years before moving to the Methow with his wife, Tina Devine, and purchasing a home

Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office

• At 10:28 a.m. on April 15, caller reported that a cow was caught in barbed wire at a location on Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road.

• At 10:37 a.m. on April 16, a theft of batteries and diesel fuel from a tractor in a barn on Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road was reported.

• At 1:39 p.m. on April 16, report from Knotty Pine Road, Winthrop, of an ongoing issue with three dogs that are allowed out and constantly bark and growl at people.

• At 9 a.m. on April 19, caller on Littell Road, Mazama, reported ongoing issue with neighbors’ kids and dogs trespassing.

person.

• At 8:35 p.m. on April 16, a threat of a suicide attempt was reported at a location on White Avenue, Winthrop.

• At 8:34 a.m. on April 17, a burglary was reported at a storage room on East Methow Valley Highway.

• At 6:20 p.m. on April 17, an auto theft was reported on Industrial Park Avenue.

• At 4:56 a.m. on April 18, a burglary in progress was reported on Lower Beaver Creek Road.

• At 11:04 a.m. on April 18, a theft was reported on Cascade Drive.

on Studhorse Mountain Road. He holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana, and worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska for three years. After earning a master’s degree in wildlife management at the University of Alaska/Fairbanks, he worked for a consulting firm in Fairbanks for more than 30 years, retiring as program manager in avian ecology.

THE STARS ARE OUT

• At 6:40 p.m. on April 19, a non-injury accident was reported at Patterson Lake Road and Twin Lakes Road, involving collision with a deer.

• At 5:53 p.m. on April 19, it was reported that someone threw a rock through a window at a business on East Methow Valley Highway in Twisp.

• At 3:45 p.m. on April 21, caller reported that a person with a warrant outstanding might be living on Libby Creek.

Twisp Police Department

• At 9:21 a.m. on April 16, caller reported that there appeared to be someone camping overnight on the Twisp play field on Airport Road.

• At 3:52 p.m. on April 16, caller on Magers Street reported that an approximately 10-yearold child appeared at the caller’s door, appeared terrified and said they were running from another

CAMPAIGN

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Belsby also wrote and designed educational posters for the bathrooms, including detailed posters that will be hung inside bathroom stalls with instructions about the use of pads, tampons, and other means of catching menstrual blood. The posters include clear diagrams and QR codes that link to videos and additional information.

Belsby has already observed increased comfort by students and staff about menstruation and has seen the subject become less taboo, she said. “Everyone in my class is superchill,” she said. Many young people start out feeling selfconscious, but this is a process that creates life, she said.

Belsby’s campaign was aptly

• At 3:57 p.m. on April 18, caller on Canyon Street reported they were being threatened with assault.

• At 8:31 a.m. on April 20, it was reported that rocks were thrown through window at location on East Methow Valley Highway.

• At 11:13 a.m. on April 20, called on East Second Avenue reported that someone came and stole some items.

• At 5:41 p.m. on April 21, an incident of fraud was reported at a retail location on Highway 20. Winthrop Marshal’s Office

• At 12:45 p.m. on April 17, caller on Riverside Avenue received a strange and harassing phone call accusing them of dumping a dog on the upper West Chewuch.

• At 10:40 a.m. on April 18, a non-injury auto accident was reported on Horizon Flats Road.

• At 9:31 p.m. on April 20, a suicide attempt was reported at a location on White Avenue.

timed. While she was doing research for her project, she learned that the state Legislature passed a law last year that takes effect in the 202223 school year requiring all public and private schools to make menstrual-hygiene products available at no cost. The products must be available in all bathrooms designated for female students and in genderneutral bathrooms in schools serving students in grades six through 12. In schools serving younger students and where there is no gender-neutral bathroom, menstrual-hygiene products must be available in a school health room or other designated area. The law passed by large bipartisan margins in both the House and Senate.

Belsby said she’s excited that her project will have a substantial impact that will continue after she graduates.

Photo by Marcy Stamper

Delicate shooting stars have started to emerge on sunny hillsides around the valley. The genus, Dodecatheon, comes from two Greek words — dodeka, meaning 12, and theoi, meaning gods.

He is currently conducting interviews with county staff to understand needs for space and other requirements, Okanogan County

Commissioner Chris Branch said.

Since the county acquired the building last fall, Rabidou has overseen basic renovations that will make the space highly functional for the next several years. Much of the furniture and equipment had already been acquired for the temporary set-up at the Agriplex.

Security, privacy

The new courthouse facility has up-to-date security, including a screening and metal-detection system similar to that used for luggage at airports.

Some features — like the screening equipment and ways to separate individuals involved in a trial — are mandatory for security. There are also rooms that provide privacy for childcustody cases and for witnesses, as well as judges’ chambers, offices for prosecutors, and rooms where lawyers can meet privately with clients — all amenities that were lacking at the old building.

Hanging microphones throughout the large space will streamline the empaneling of jurors, and mean that Rabidou and other court staff

FUNDING

will no longer have to run around the room with microphones during the questioning of potential jurors. Other amenities will make trials more comfortable for jurors, such as a separate snack and break room.

Considerable choreography was necessary to make the cramped quarters at the old courthouse meet security requirements. Staff had to manage the use of rooms and hallways so witnesses, defendants and victims wouldn’t see each other, Culp said.

District Court will remain in the old courthouse, but will be able to use the former Superior Court room if they need additional space. The county clerk will ultimately move to the new building. Other departments will stay in the historic building.

“It will be a 21st-century courtroom,” Culp said. “It’s pretty exciting. This is a tribute to Dennis Rabidou. It would not have happened without him.”

“It’s all about being able to keep trials going and justice moving,” Rabidou said.

Strategic planning

There are two existing tenants in the new building — a division of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife used for wildfire training, and Okanogan County Childhood Development Association, which operates an early-childhood program. Both will be staying in the building for now,

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funded,” Wilkins said.

For initiatives such as the Midnight Restoration Project and a new planning area called the Upper Methow, which are in the early stages, the funds will support research and planning. Ultimately, the USFS anticipates using the money for work in the forest. “We are still working through specific locations and types of projects to be funded within these larger project footprints,” Wilkins said.

Money will also go to the South Summit II project, where thinning is already underway.

Part of broader plan

The projects are part of the Central Washington Initiative, which encompasses 2.45 million acres of fed -

eral, state, tribal and other lands from Winthrop to the Yakima area. It’s one of 10 landscapes in eight states the Forest Service selected for work this year after reviewing 29 candidates.

The Forest Service looked for projects that are ready for implementation, that bring investment to underserved areas, and that have been developed collaboratively with their communities, the agency said.

Six of the 10 communities in Washington at greatest risk from wildfire are covered by the Central Washington Initiative. Threats from wildfires, evacuations and smoke have become part of life in these areas, resulting in high costs to forest health and local economies, the Forest Service said.

The forest work is informed by both the national Wildfire Crisis Strategy and the state Department of Natu-

but will need to move within a couple of years, Okanogan County Commissioner Chris Branch said.

The county is currently working on a strategic plan for the building and site. Among the possibilities under consideration are a new juvenile facility, but any plans for that are far in the future. A juvenile facility would require a conditionaluse permit from the city of Okanogan, Branch said.

The county has issued a $9.51 million bond that will go toward future renovations to the building. It will also pay for upgrades to a Sheriff’s Office building that will be used for storage and a new morgue, Okanogan County Treasurer Leah Mc Cormack said.

The county is also working on permitting for two new Public Works shops, one on the Twisp-Winthrop East County Road, and the other in Tonasket. The shops would provide adequate storage for snowplows, some of which now have to be parked outside. That delays response time, sometimes for hours, because the plows and sanders need to be thawed and loaded, Okanogan County Road Maintenance Engineer Gary George said. The county hopes to put the projects out for bid by early May, he said.

The main source of funding for those buildings is from the county’s capital projects fund, Mc Cormack said.

ral Resources’ 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan.

The two agencies have made great strides working together in eastern Washington, state Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said. “The OkanoganWenatchee National Forest has been home to some of Washington’s largest wildfires in recent years, but we are well positioned to work alongside the Forest Service to reduce wildfire risk and restore forest health,” she said.

“Together with partners, we will plan and implement projects at a scale needed to address the risk of large, destructive fires which are so impactful to our communities. I’m excited to begin this important work to increase the pace of restoring our fireadapted landscapes,” Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Supervisor Kristin Bail said.

Highway

20 clearing: WSDOT closing the gap

Wrapping up its fourth week of clearing the North Cascades Scenic Highway for traffic, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reported on April 22 that its eastside crew (working from the Methow Valley side) cut a single path to the summit of Washington Pass.

“Snow depths of nearly 8 feet on the highway at the top of the pass means the SnoCat and loader need to knock

LIBRARY

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a national campaign to generate business, and contacted other entities in the Methow Valley about installing charging stations here.

At last week’s council meeting, Mayor Sally Ranzau said the two parking spaces that would have charging stations (out of 42 total spaces in the library parking lot) could be used by anyone if no vehicles were being charged.

Ranzau said the proposed 10-year agreement with Rivian would be a “decent option” for the town, which would not be responsible for any costs. But several council members expressed concern that the proposed arrangement was reached “under the radar” without a chance for local interest or participation, giving an unfair advantage to Rivian.

Council members supported developing a “request for proposals” to provide charging stations. Public Works Director Jeff Sarvis said he had not previously put together such requests, so some research would be required. “We’ll need someone with experience,” he said.

Ranzau said the town staff would come up with a requestfor-proposals in the near future. “We’ll see if we can get some more takers,” she said.

“From the early days of construction, members of the community approached FOWL requesting that we provide electric vehicle charging capa-

down and move snow to about 6 feet for the blower to clear a path on the roadway,” WSDOT reported.

On the west side, crews reached milepost 153, leaving about 10 miles between the two crews, WSDOT said.

“The entire road width and shoulders must be cleared and any pavement and guardrail damage must be repaired. We know many of you are eagerly waiting for your first trip over

bility,” Sheley said in an email to the Methow Valley News. “We researched the various options and technical requirements, and we concluded that we could cost effectively install the necessary infrastructure for two Level 2 charging stations, with the potential to expand to four Level 2 charging stations. Various pathways exist to meet our environmental sustainability goals, including installing EV charging stations. As we look forward to the many ways our new library will serve our community of residents and visitors for years to come, we hope the Town will take advantage of the infrastructure we’ve provided and install Level 2 EV charging stations.”

In other business, the council:

• Endorsed the Winthrop Planning Commission’s approval of the Methow Housing Trust’s Cascade Meadows North planned development. The 8.4acre planned development will create 26 lots for affordable single-family homes of one, two and three bedrooms, and a 22-unit multi-family complex being developed in partnership with the Housing Authority of Okanogan County. About 37% of the development would be open space.

• Supported authorizing the use of Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) funds, which are generated by hotelmotel occupancy taxes and must be used to promote tourism, for expenditures related to the upcoming Winthrop ’49er Days celebration. AbbyCreek Inn owner Josh Buehler, repre -

the North Cross this year, but we’re still too far out to say when we will reopen for sure,” WSDOT said.

The road remains closed at the Ross Dam Trailhead at milepost 134 on the west side and at the Silver Star gate at milepost 171 on the east (Methow Valley) side. Snowclearing work began on March 28 this year. Last year, clearing began on April 5 and the route opened on May 5.

senting the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce, asked for $1,500 for the band that will play at Saturday night’s street dance, $1,700 to rent a mechanical bull that will provide free rides, and $600 for dresses for the celebration’s royalty. Organizers of the event told the council they would do a better job in the future of bringing such requests to the LTAC and council with more advance notice.

• Agreed to submit a joint application with the Town of Twisp for a state Department of Commerce grant, totaling $50,000, that would be used to “develop an action plan to encourage the creation of additional affordable and market rate housing, targeted to increase the housing stock for those that live and work in the Methow Valley,” according to the grant application. Culp said the towns would hire a consultant to conduct the wideranging study. The Twisp Town Council earlier approved the joint application.

The scope of work proposed for 2022 would include a survey of existing conditions including economic factors affecting the local housing market, a review of current and anticipated needs, and an inventory of existing housing that would “identify areas or existing rentals that may be higher risk of displacement/ conversion to short-term rentals from market forces.” The target date for completing the report would be Aug. 1.

• Approved appointment of Ardis Bynum to the Westernization Design Review Board.

Photo courtesy of Gerald Smith

Snow continued to block portions of the North Cascades Scenic Highway near Washington Pass last week, but clearing crews made progress from both sides of the pass.

Moratorium movement

Until recently, overnight housing rentals weren’t much of an issue in Twisp. There aren’t many licensed in the town, and not all of them are currently operating as overnights.

It only took one new application — which will convert an existing rental house in a single-family residential neighborhood to a nightly rental — to change all that.

The nearby residents of West Twisp Avenue not only took notice, they also took action, and got other residents involved as well. They began to organize opposition and raise questions, write letters, speak at Town Council meetings and gather petition signatures. Their communications have been forceful but also thoughtful, articulate, informed and respectful. Now, thanks to that classic grassroots movement — activism, Twisp-style — the town is on the verge of taking a six-month breather from accepting conversion applications.

A proposed moratorium ordinance was on the agenda for this week’s Town Council meeting, and may already be approved by the time you read this. It would be a good move, for many reasons — starting with the willingness of Town Hall leadership to listen to its constituency. The idea for a moratorium came from directly from the citizenry. Attention must be paid.

Some have argued that because there are so few overnight rentals in Twisp, and so little interest in them until recently, there’s no cause for alarm or action, and thus no sense of urgency.

In the current political climate, that feels like backwards thinking. The prevailing argument, thankfully, seems to be that now is exactly the right time to consider the future of overnight rentals in Twisp, before it turns into the kind of problem that many other towns in the West — including Winthrop — have found themselves hastily struggling to catch up with.

A six-month moratorium on conversion applications would likely not be an onerous hardship, and would give the town and its residents time to consider, as more than one person has said, what kind of place Twisp wants to be.

The main concerns raised about overnight rentals — which some residents believe should be banned outright — are that they undermine an already depleted housing stock that doesn’t meet the needs of people who already live and work here; that random overnight rentals in the midst of established neighborhoods will deteriorate the existing residents’ quality of life; and that they compete with other lodging options in town. All are legitimate questions.

A few years back, faced with a growing number of conversions and loss of local housing stock, the Town of Winthrop imposed a couple of moratoria before revising its overnight rental policies. Overnights are not banned, but were certainly prescribed in a way that addressed neighborhood concerns. Twisp has been looking at how Winthrop dealt with the process, and may find some helpful guidance there.

A moratorium would also be a good launch for the kind of productive discussions we are confident can happen in Twisp.

A lot of smart, well-meaning people have already invested time and energy into moving this issue to the forefront, and likely intend to keep it there. It’s been suggested that an ad hoc advisory committee could be formed to develop ideas about how the town might respond. That would be wise and inclusive way to take advantage of citizen interest and involvement, and perhaps help ensure buy-in to the town’s formal process.

The Twisp Town Council hasn’t exactly been eager to embrace the overnight rentals topic — to be fair, it hasn’t been a hot-button issue until a few weeks ago, and the council is dealing with a lot of other challenges, most of them pressing. But public sentiment on overnight rentals has been powerfully voiced and consistently on message: this is a concern, and people who live in Twisp think the town’s leaders need to acknowledge and respond.

They’re right about that, and the council seems to be on board with considering a moratorium. At a previous meeting, even though the vote was 3-1 in favor of initiating the process for a moratorium, the Town Council was essentially unanimous. The one dissenting vote reflected disagreement with the possible inclusion of certain exceptions in whatever restrictions a moratorium might impose.

A moratorium would be only the beginning point, and addressing the overnight rentals question — especially within the context of the valley’s vexing housing issues —won’t be a fast or easy exercise. And it’s too soon to assume outcomes. Patience, persistence and good faith will be required. Twisp is up to it.

Box 97: Letters to the editor

‘No’ to Twisp Restoration

Dear Editor:

I am adamantly opposed to the Twisp Restoration Project, currently planned to begin next month. I live on the Twisp River Road and this road is a quiet, winding road that I and many other people use for walking and bicycling, in addition to the occasional car and truck traffic. The logging traffic detailed in the Methow Valley News on April 13 coming down this bucolic road, and then on Highway 20 through Twisp and Winthrop, will be nothing short of dangerous and destructive to our way of life here.

In addition to the noise, pollution and danger the logging trucks will create, this project is not based in grounded science. Mechanical forest thinning does not decrease the chances of forest fires. In fact, this type of thinning often increases fire spread by putting more fine fuels on the ground. Additionally, thinning in some instances can increase fire spread by exposing the forest floor’s fuels to greater sun drying and greater penetration by wind through the open forest stands. It is literally drying out the forest floor, making it much more fire prone.

Please call the ranger district, Hampton Lumber and tell them “no” to their lumber trucks storming through the Methow Valley.

Tamar Baber Twisp

Getting the litter

Dear Editor:

It’s litter pick-up season for several teams who take care of Highway 153 and other roadsides. Thank you to everyone who cleans up. The roadsides I walked this year were really clean! Way to go, Methow! Thanks for tying down or securing your loads.

WRITERS

There was way less construction debris than other years. However, to the person who balls up the aluminum foil wrapper from her/his meal and throws it out between Highway 20 and Lower Beaver Creek Road — Methow eyes are watching out for you and someone will report your license plate number someday. The most abundant litter? Vehicle parts (accidents?) and orange plastic lane markers.

Litter pick-up day was a feel-good experience this year. We care about the Methow Valley and it shows.

Jan Sodt

Winthrop

Short of the goal

Dear Editor:

Earth Day wasn’t a bad idea. So far, we can be sure that to save the environment for future generations to steward it will take more education and more involvement than watching TV and feeling good about planting some seedlings.

By Len Baublitz

To allow more management agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, to continue to damage our public land with “restoration” projects by “harvesting” old-growth forests with commercial logging and beef production only moves the ecosystems closer to the elimination of a sustainable environment. Agencies, such as the Department of Interior and EPA , require public surveillance and support to assure their roles in assuring a healthy environment.

“Perhaps our descendants will live to see the day when it is too late to do anything about our environmental pollution (Cottam, 1965).” Dr. Clarence Cottam served the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 25 years as Chief of Wildlife Research. He became a mentor and model for me in 1965. On the first Earth Day I followed his guidance to present the day’s theme lecture, “No More Business as Usual;” unfortunately, we have not achieved that goal.

Don Johnson Libby Creek Watershed Association

RANGE A do-it-yourself, homegrown national park

ON THE

BY ASTA BOWEN WRITERS ON THE RANGE

National parks have been getting a lot of love since the pandemic, so much that this summer you need reservations at many. For example, you must make a reservation just to drive Montana’s legendary GoingTo-The-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, and passes can sell out within hours of release.

That’s better than stalking parking lots before sunrise and finding trails turning into conga lines, but it makes me all the more interested in a new national park that’s in the works. It’s even closer to home than I would have thought possible.

that helped protect that Doug fir from spruce budworm back in the forest.

When it comes to the food chain, those of us at the top will do well to understand what’s at the bottom, and here’s the rub: Saving trees is not enough. We also need the birds and bugs, and they can’t all live in national parks.

Despite our wealth of public lands, most of the country is under private ownership. Tallamy’s idea is to capitalize on that with a large number of small projects — as small as a city lot in the old railroad town of Livingston, Montana, or even a corner of your own front yard.

About that yard

despite being right across the street from a park, which consisted of mowed grass and just a few trees. Using thick layers of mulch and water-wise native plants, she turned a hot, south-facing part of her yard into a refuge drawing bees, moths, and before long, butterflies. As conservationist Paulette Epple noted, “The last plant blooming in the fall is smooth aster and it is always crawling with bees.”

Another bird enthusiast tried for years to attract hummingbirds to her feeders, with no luck. But after swapping out her petunias and marigolds for more birdfriendly plantings, she was rewarded with her first calliope hummingbird.

Even in downtown New York City, along the reclaimed Highline Park, Doug Tallamy found native plants growing on “grit,” plus four species of native bees, and two monarch butterflies nectaring away — all 30 feet above city traffic.

CORRECTION:

In a caption for the Liberty Bell High School boys’ soccer game in the April 20 issue, the player heading the ball should have been identified as Jackson Schmekel. The News regrets the error.

Methow Valley News

Joanna Bastian Shelley Smith Jones

Ashley Lodato

Sarah Schrock

Ann McCreary

Brooks

Erik

Len

Baublitz

Rosalie Hutson

Solveig Torvik

Ward

Dave

It’s also closer to you. “Homegrown National Park” is the brainchild of Doug Tallamy, an entomologist at the University of Delaware and author of “Nature’s Best Hope.” His pitch: We’re in trouble biologically, and it has to do with things we often take for granted, basics like soil and water, and pollinators for most of the crops we eat, without which we two-leggers could quickly become extinct ourselves. Half a century after banning DDT, we’re still losing 60 million birds a year, and it’s not just their pretty singing that’s at stake.

You could thank a yellow warbler, for example, for the coffee you’re drinking, which might have been ruined back in Costa Rica if not for the birds providing pest control on the plantation. As for those timbers holding up the roof over your head? It’s birds like the chickadee

Harts Pass

So it’s about my yard, and maybe yours. They don’t have to be ecologically pristine to be biologically valuable, and you don’t have to dig up the whole lawn to make a difference. But if we build it, who will come? Even a few square feet of native plants can bring a missing species back home.

In Livingston, after Beth Madden planted her “postage stamp”” lawn with native shrubs and wildflowers, the variety of visiting birds grew from seven species — mostly non-native starlings, pigeons, and such — to more than 50. She saw flocks of warblers feasting for hours on tiny bugs to fuel their migration and a giant sphinx moth pollinating the new bee balm.

Over in Bozeman, a resident who started with a typical lawn found herself in the middle of a “pollinator desert,”

My own yard is a study in benign neglect, but last spring my neighbor and I decided to put in a “friendship hedge” along our property line. Together we planted two types of native currant bushes, and pollinators were on them before we’d even put the tools away. Come fall, the bushes with the most berries turned out to be — surprise, surprise — the same variety as a wild currant that was already growing just up the hill.

You won’t find it in a travel brochure, but Homegrown National Park is open year-round. No crowds, no lines, and no reservations required.

Asta Bowen is a contributor to Writers on the Range, http://writersontherange. org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She writes in Montana.

By Erik Brooks

Asta Bowen

’49er Days ready to roll

Winthrop’s annual ’49er Days celebration gets started at noon on Friday, May 6, when participants in the annual Ride to Rendezvous, a week-long horse packing excursion through the Methow Valley high country organized by the Washington Outfitters and Guides Association (WOGA), finish their journey in downtown Winthrop.

Saturday’s (May 7) activities begin with a performance by the West Coast Country Heat dance team on Riverside Avenue, starting at 10:30 a.m. Next up is the annual parade along Riverside Avenue.

After the parade, from noon-2 p.m. kids can take part in a number of free, old-fashioned games in front of Sheri’s Sweet Shoppe on Riverside Avenue. From 1-5 p.m., give mechanical bull rides on Riverside Avenue a try at no charge.

Beginning at noon in Mack Lloyd Park, Winthrop Kiwanis will offer barbecue pulled pork

New Confluence exhibit celebrates love of life

Show explores connections to natural world

sandwiches until 2 p.m. or until they sell out.

From 1-4 p.m., WOGA members will gather for visiting, festive old-time music and story-telling in the park. The annual outfitters dinner will be from 5-6:30 p.m. — steak, barbecue and Dutch oven fixings for $25.

Back on Riverside Avenue, line dancing lessons will be offered by West Coast Country Heat from 6-7 p.m., followed by a street dance at 7 p.m. featuring music by the Johnny Green and the Pack String band. The sponsoring Winthrop Chamber of Commerce asks a $10 donation; kids 12 and under are free.

On Sunday (May 8) at Mack Lloyd Park, WOGA hosts a Mother’s Day cowboy breakfast from 8-10 a.m. for $10. At 10 a.m., there will be a packers’ demonstration. For complete information, visit https://winthropwashington.com/events/western-heritage; or www.woga.org.

REAL ESTATE

1 – 800 – 669 - 9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1 – 800 – 927- 9275.

BY ASHLEY LODATO

“Biophilia: A Love Story” opens at The Confluence: Art in Twisp on Saturday (April 30), inviting gallery visitors to consider their own connections with the natural world as they observe the sculptures, paintings, jewelry, plants and other artwork featured in the exhibit.

With its Latin roots of “bio” (life) and “philia” (love), “biophilia” means “love of life.” It’s a term that gained attention when psychoanalyst Erich Fromm described it as “the passionate love of life and all that is alive” in 1973, and again a decade later when biologist Edward O. Wilson proposed that humans’ instinct to connect with the natural world is in part genetic.

Genetic or not, biophilia is a concept widely experienced, interpreted and celebrated through art.

Although the exhibit’s opening so close to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day may seem strategic, it’s sheer coincidence, said co-curator Janet Fagan. “About a year ago several of us on the show committee were saying the same thing in different ways. We wanted to take an introspective pause to consider our collective relationships and personal relationships to the environment,” she said.

“Biophilia: A Love Story” is opening at a time when most of us are hungry for signs of life, said co-curator Jennifer Molesworth. “We’re waking up from winter, the birds are returning, the flowers are starting to bloom,” she said. “We’re loving the time we’re starting to spend outside — the signs of life are all around us.”

Living in the Methow Valley, as opposed to an urban environment, said Fagan, “is so much easier when nature surrounds you.”

It’s why so many of us chose this place, she said, “because of an innate appreciation for the natural environment. In an urban setting you have to work so much harder to find those pockets and places to appreciate the natural world.”

In contemporary society, Fagan said, there’s a tendency to lose touch with the natural world, so “it’s important to take time to pause, reflect, and connect with nature.”

Molesworth believes that those of us who live in rural places like the Methow Valley, surrounded by nature, are more able to “recognize how dependent we are on the natural world,” and hopes that one of the outcomes of the exhibit is that visitors experience their connections with nature from both sides: their enjoyment and appreciation of it, as well as their

responsibility to it.

Tapping the positive Fagan, who donates a portion of her sales to environmental and conservation non-profit organizations, said, “As an artist I think about this all the time. I have a broad view of my responsibility as an artist. In the big picture I’d like artists to be a counterweight of all the negativity in our world, whether it’s environmental, social, health-related, or political. There’s a plethora of bad news, unrest, and dis-ease. As artists, we have the ability to tap into positivity and joy and to share it with others.”

Fagan said that the artists who answered the call for “Biophilia: A Love Story,” “made the conscious choice to work joyfully in this show.” In their call for submissions, Fagan and Molesworth only specified that artists “consider their relationship to living beings and environs that support our natural world and visually depict the harmony or disruption of these connections” in their artwork.

“We tried to leave the call open-

JACK EXHIBIT OPENS

Methow Arts in Twisp will host a free opening day reception on Thursday (April 28), from 5:45 – 7 p.m., for the exhibition “Heart Songs for the timx (Heart Songs of all Living Things)” by syilx artist Michelle Jack, a member of the syilx/Northern Okanagan/Penticton Indian Band.

Jack will give a brief presentation about her work, background and inspiration. She describes herself as an abstract image maker/scholar and draws on this wide range of art forms to tell the essential stories of her people and the land.

Appetizers and refreshments will be served. RSVP at info@methowartsalliance. org. For information, visit www.methowarts.org or call (509) 997-4004. The exhibition continues through May 15.

MAKERS MARKET THIS WEEK

The Methow Makers Market, a monthly “pop-up” market featuring local artisans selling their works in downtown Winthrop’s Confluence Park, debuts this year on Saturday (April 30), from 2 – 7 p.m. Other dates are May 21, June 18, July 23, Aug. 13 and Sept. 10, from 2 – 7 p.m. each day. The market is organized by Phoebe Rudd, a local jewelry artist and salon owner.

LIVE MUSIC

Methow Music Monthly, compiled by local musician George Schneider, is a free listing of live music events in the valley. Email Schneider at MethowMusicMonthly@gmail. com to be included in the listings or to receive the monthly listings via email.

Several performers will appear at the Sun Mountain Lodge dining room. There is no cover charge but dinner reservations are required. Call 996-4707:

• Dave Nolet plays and sings bossa

ended, to allow artists to place themselves in context,” Fagan said. “We hoped that artists would feel close nature and explore that closeness through their work. But we thought we might get submissions with a dystopian view of the natural world [given the climate change-related events of recent years]. We didn’t get any critical statements, though — only hopeful messages in the art.”

“My heart is really filled,” Fagan added. “It’s clear from the celebratory nature of this artwork that we are united by a deep love and closeness with our surroundings.”

Molesworth said she sees “a lot of reverence for the natural world and our place in it” in the pieces submitted by 36 different artists, including Seattle artist Lance Burke’s recycled materials art, Perri Howard’s new series, Sarah Jo Lightner’s living wall, jeweler Joanne Marracci’s wearable landscape art, and charcoal sketches by Victoria Weber, a young artist who grew up in the Methow Valley. Each co-curator will also exhibit

nova music Wednesday evenings from 5:30 – 7 p.m., through April 30.

• Lynette Westendorf plays solo jazz piano Thursday evenings from 6 – 8 p.m., through April 28.

• Terry Hunt plays solo classical guitar Friday evenings from 6 – 8 p.m., through April 29.

Other events:

• April 29, 7 p.m. at the Twisp River Tap House, Norman Baker performs, no cover. (509) 881-5751.

• April 30, 7 p.m. at the Twisp River Tap House, “Surprise Local Band.”(509) 881-5751.

LBHS PRESENTS ‘TWELFTH NIGHT’

The Liberty Bell Drama Company, in partnership with Methow Arts and The Merc Playhouse, presents its production of “Twelfth Night,” described as “a rousing contemporary musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy about mistaken identity and self-discovery.” Performances will be on May 18 – 21 at 7 p.m. and May 22 at 3 p.m. at The Merc in Twisp.

Tickets are $15 and available only at the door. Methow Valley School District students and families of cast and crew get in for free. There will be no reserved tickets available. Doors open 30 minutes prior to show times.

The production will feature an original jazz-funk-pop score. Students in the drama company are also designing and creating costumes, envisioning and building the set, painting backdrops, and designing all of the promotional materials. Many valley musicians and singers are working closely with the students on the musical numbers.

SPRING ART WALK

The call is out for artists, makers, performers, food producers and other creative types to participate in the Twisp Spring Art Walk, scheduled for Saturday, May 14, from

one piece.

“By being aware of the beauty, connection, and joy around us all the time we can combat a lot of despair,” Molesworth said. “We can always pause to breathe and listen to the birds. As artists, our work has the power to remind people to open a door or a window, to inspire them to step outside.”

Concurrently, “Forest Dreams,” a collaborative exhibit, will show in the Community Gallery. Artists Janet Fagan and Chris Pope invite viewers to “step into the dreams of the forest” and examine their artwork, which “visually depicts the collective visions of all that the forest witnesses and imagines … from the literal to the fantastic.”

The Confluence will host an opening for “Biophilia: A Love Story” and “Forest Dreams” on Saturday from 5-7 p.m. The opening and the exhibits, available through June 11, are free to the public. The Confluence is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. For more information visit www.confluencegallery.org or call (509) 997-2787.

11 a.m. – 4 p.m. in downtown and surrounding areas.

If interested in participating, and for full event details including how to apply for a free vendor booth, email twispwashington@gmail.com or visit http://twispwa.com/ spring-art-walk.

There will also be an after-party from 4 – 7 p.m. Food trucks will be available and downtown restaurants will be open during the event.

OPEN MIC AT CONFLUENCE

Cascadia Music and The Confluence are partnering to offer open mic sessions on the third Thursday of each month from 5 – 7 p.m. at the gallery on Glover Street in Twisp. Admission is free; donations will be appreciated. For information, email cascadiamv@ gmail.org. The next open mic will be May 19.

MERC’S SUMMER MUSIC CAMP

The Merc Playhouse in Twisp is offering its summer music camp, directed by Megan Hicks and including performances of “Disney’s Winnie the Pooh,” on July 11 – 16 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily.

Kids in third through eighth grades are invited to participate. The camp focuses on all the skills necessary to participate in a musical production: singing, dancing, acting, auditioning, character development and theater discipline. No prior experience necessary.

Tuition is $250. Scholarships are available. Email info@mercplayhouse.org or call 997-7529 with questions or scholarship inquiries.

“Winnie the Pooh” will be performed at 4 p.m. on July 15 and at 2 p.m. on July 16.

For more information, visit www.mercplayhouse.org/theatrically-speaking/ announcing-summer-musical-theater-campat-the-merc.

Artwork courtesy of The Confluence

“Mother Matriarch,” charcoal-on-paper by Victoria Weber, will be part of the new exhibit opening this week at The Confluence in Twisp.

10 FOR SALE

2006 KIA SPECTRA Well maintained! Very clean! One Owner! 34MPG, clutch, everything works. Runs & drives excellent. $2,200. 509-997-9722

14 YARD SALE

GARAGE SALE! 41 Northcott Rd, Winthrop, April 30 & May 1, 9am4pm..LOTS OF STUFF.

SAVE THE DATE! HUGE Moving Sale on Saturday, May 7, 8 am to 4 pm Tools, tires, sports equipment, housewares, clothes, toys, holiday decorations, bedding, and much, much more CHECK THIS

NORTH CASCADES BANK is seeking a Customer Service Representative/Teller and Personal Banker to be integral parts of our Twisp Branch. If you don’t have experience in banking but are up for the challenge, we encourage you to apply at https://www.northcascadesbank.com/careers. Customer Service Representative starting wage: $17.00, Personal Banker starting wage: $18.00. Questions? Contact Human Resources: Tiffaney Balloun 509-682-4502. Equal Opportunity Employer | Protected Veterans | Individuals with Disabilities

METHOW VALLEY LUMBER has immediate openings for the following positions - CONTRACTOR

SALES, COUNTER SALES PERSON, full time, and CUSTOMER SERVICE

YARD ATTENDANT /FORKLIFT OPERATOR, full time. Must have valid driver’s license. Please stop by for an application.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE Confluence: Art in Twisp $28-30 per hour, 32 FTE, salaried non-exempt Health care stipend, paid vacation, sick days, PTO Responsible for the overall management and operation of The Confluence. The ideal candidate is • Passionate about visual arts • High energy • Outgoing • An excellent communicator Please email letter of interest and resume to: hiring@confluencegallery.org by April 30, 2022. Visit www.confluencegallery.org for the full job description.

CREATIVE COORDINATOR, THE Confluence: Art in Twisp $21-24 per hour, non-exempt, 30 hours per week on average Paid vacation, sick days, PTO Supports the Executive Director with a focus on artistic endeavors. The ideal candidate has • Excellent writing and communication skills • Strong customer service skills • A background in arts Please email letter of interest and resume to: hiring@confluencegallery.org by April 30, 2022. Visit www.confluencegallery.org for the full job description.

FREESTONE INN IS hiring seasonal, part-time and full-time positions for Bartender, Server, Jacks Hut employee, Housekeeping, Front Desk & Line Cook. Full time employees are able to receive full benefits including medical, dental, & 401K after 60 days. Please reach out to Marvin Sutton at msutton@freestoneinn.com, or stop by our front desk to fill out an application.

METHOW CONSERVANCY

SEEKS an Associate Director to serve as a strategic, collaborative, and engaging leader for our communications, outreach, and operations. Visit https://www. methowconservancy.org/job to read the full job announcement and application instructions.

METHOW HOUSE WATCH, Inc., is seeking an organized, self-sufficient, trustworthy and dependable person to join our 27-year old business. We have an immediate full-time opening to help us check on and maintain homes throughout the valley. Paid holidays and sick pay included. Trucks and equipment provided. Must have valid WA driver’s license and pass a background check. Pay DOE. Send qualifications to derek@ methowhousewatch.com.

TWISPWORKS SEEKS A Pro -

gram Director who approaches this work with curiosity and a collaborative spirit. The bulk of the work for this position is performed in collaboration and engagement efforts across the community and region via TwispWorks programs and support. This position requires awareness of socio-economic dynamics that create the existing business/entrepreneurship structures in the Methow, as well as the ability and desire to address structural inequities with systemsbased economic approaches.

Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Urban Planning, Public Relations, Fundraising or related areas. Relevant experience can be substituted for education requirements. Experience: 5 years of progressive economic development experience or equivalent in community relations, urban planning, community development, communications, marketing and fundraising. This position is full-time (32 hours/ wk). Pay is negotiable depending on experience, and ranges from $2530/hr and includes medical, dental and vision insurance as well as generous paid time off benefits plus professional development opportunities. For details about the position and how to apply please see the full job description at https://www. twispworks.org/jobs/ METHOW CYCLE AND Sport is seeking to add new team members

Requires a love for cycling, skiing and/or SUPing along with a motivation to learn new information and skills Both positions require great customer service and ability to work as a team in a fast-paced environment PT and/or FT, benefits included Position #1 Customer Service: experience preferred; Position #2 Service Department:

2 yrs experience required Email cover letter and resume to juliem@ methowcyclesport com No phone calls please THE TOWN OF Twisp is accepting applications for Lifeguards for summer employment. Applicants must be at least 15 years old, confident swimmers and able to obtain any Certification Training required, which will be provided by the Town. A background check is also required. Pay range starting at $16/hr. DOE. Applications will be accepted through April 28th by 4 p.m. local time, Interviews will be held May 5th 4-6 p.m. Applications are available at Town Hall at 110 E. Second Ave. or online at https://www.townoftwisp. com. Questions call Lori Rodio 509-997-1311 or email lorir@ townoftwisp.com. EOE

METHOW VALLEY NEWS is seeking a part-time Office Assistant Immediate opening Monday –Friday, hours may be flexible, 25-30 hours per week Experience with Microsoft Office programs and data base management preferred, IT skills a plus, friendly personality required for walk-in customer service, answering the phones and responding to online inquiries If you are interested in joining our team, send an email with cover letter and resume to editor@ methowvalleynews com, or drop your information off at our office on the TwispWorks campus at 502 S Glover St , or mail it to P O Box 97, Twisp, WA 98856 No calls, please HANK’S HARVEST FOODS has openings for evening shift 12pm9pm including weekends. Competitive pay and year-round work with benefits available. Apply in person in customer service. No phone calls please.

SUN MOUNTAIN LODGE – THE KITCHEN has immediate openings for the following positions: Dishwashers – Both AM and PM shifts | Line Cooks – Both AM and PM shifts | Assistant Baker | Kitchen worker 12AM-8AM Grave yard – cleaning, polishing, prepping. THE FOOD & BEVERAGE DEPARTMENT is seeking to fill positions in the Bar and the Dining Room: Bussers | Servers | Hosts/Hostesses. No experience is required, we will train. Both parttime and full-time opportunities are available. In BANQUETS, we are searching for: Servers – for both AM & PM shifts. Previous experience is a plus but not necessary | Shift Leads/Supervisors – These positions require proven supervisory skills | Assistant Manager – This position can be a year-round opportunity with full-time scheduling from May through September and part-time for the remainder of the year. THE FRONT DESK is in need of a relief Night Auditor and a part-time receptionist. THE SPA remains busy, has established safety protocols, and offers competitive commissions with flexible and varied schedules available, and requires: Licensed Estheticians | Licensed Massage Therapists. APPLY ONLINE: https:// www.sunmountainlodge.com/aboutus/employment/ Hours and pay for all positions will depend on experience; be competitive; include fulltime benefit package for those who qualify. CINNAMON TWISP BAKERY is now hiring for several positions: evening prep baking, sandwich chef and front counter. We are looking for experienced, responsible, and motivated individuals to join the fun at the bakery. Send your resume to info@cinnamontwispbakery.com

PARDNER’S MINI MARKET. Help wanted! We are looking for part/full time workers. Must be 21+ to apply for full time head clerk positions. Seeking individuals with great customer service. Come on down and pick up an application today!

BIG TWIN LAKE Resort is hiring a seasonal campground attendant. Part time or Full time, schedule is flexible, but applicants must be able to work weekends. Job entails covering the front desk, cleaning camping cabins, and maintaining restrooms. Looking for someone with excellent customer service skills who feels comfortable learning our computer-based reservation system. Starting wage is $18 per hour. Please send resume to bigtwinlake@comcast.net.

TWO LOCAL HOTELS looking for enthusiastic, dependable employees to join our Front Desk team. Applicants do not require previous experience; we will train the right candidates. Starting wage is $18.00 per hour, and negotiable depending on experience. Applicants must be able to work holidays and weekends. Position:

Full Time. Please send resume to: tawny@frankhotels.com or call/ Message 360.324.8995

TWO LOCAL HOTELS looking for enthusiastic, dependable employees to join our housekeeping team. Applicants do not require previous experience; we will train the right candidates. Starting wage is $21.00 per hour, and negotiable depending on experience. Applicants between the ages of 14 to 17 wages will be discussed at the time of interview. Applicants must be able to work holidays and weekends. Position: Full Time. Please send resume to: tawny@ frankhotels.com or call/Message 360.324.8995

TOWN OF TWISP Police Clerk. Seeking applicants for a 32 hr/wk. Police Clerk position. Candidates should have: 2 or more yrs related office experience; strong computer and organizational skills; public service skills; strong verbal and written communications; and proven ability to exercise good judgment in stressful situations. Acceptable driver’s license record and background check are essential requirements. Current pay range is $15.00 to $18.22 per hour depending on experience. This position is under a collective bargaining agreement, including retirement, medical/vision/dental insurance, and paid leave bennefits. An application packet can be obtained by visiting townoftwisp.com, or in person at Twisp Town Hall 110 E. 2nd Ave, Twisp, WA 98856. Applications can be returned at Town Hall or via email - clerktreasurer@ townoftwisp.com. If you have any questions please contact Randy Kilmer, 509-997-4081. Open until filled; first review May 6th, 2022. The Town of Twisp is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

LARIAT COFFEE ROASTERS is now hiring! Looking to fill a position in our retail store. Need a dependable team player with good customer service skills. Email your resume to info@lariatcoffee.com or stop by our retail store in downtown Winthrop to pick up an application. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

BEAR CREEK GOLF Course is now hiring full time/part time positions for Clubhouse/Course keeper staff. Must be customer service oriented. Alcohol and food are sold on premise. Ability to obtain Food Server and MAST card required for Club House staff. Course keeper duties include mowing, weed eating and operating various lawn maintenance equipment and more. Additional opportunities for special events. Email bearcreekgolfcourse@methownet.com for application or pick up at 19 Bear Creek Golf Course Rd. 509-996-2284.

34 SERVICES

LEUSCHEN CONSTRUCTION, LLC

• New Construction

• Custom Homes

• Remodels & Additions

• Garages & Carports Give us a call! 509-429-5626 #LEUSCCL811M9

CLEAN UP AND haul away wood debris, pallets, fencing, lumber, brush and lawn clippings “Fireproof your property” Metal scrap, steel, iron, aluminum, etc , and basic garbage cleanup hauled to the dump Call 509-997-2128 for free estimates

STATEWIDE CLASSIFIEDS

HELP WANTED MANAGING EDITOR. THE awardwinning Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle is seeking a top-notch managing editor to lead the newsroom in the largest community newspaper in beautiful North-Central Washington. Visit www.omakchronicle.com\classifieds EOE

THE BUSINESS OF BIOCHAR

C6 Forest to Farm will host a community Zoom meeting on the evolving business of biochar and the plan to establish a self-supporting local biochar production, on Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m. Visit C6’s website for the Zoom link: http://C6F2F.org.

MEDMATE TRAINING

Methow At Home offers free online volunteer training in the MedMate Program, with Betsy Weiss, on May 10 from 4 – 5 p.m. A MedMate provides support formulating questions and setting goals for a medical visit and ensures the member has the information they need going into a visit. They support the member during a visit through taking notes and if invited by the member, might ask clarifying questions. Register at https://methowathome. clubexpress.com.

LEGION HOSTS BREAKFAST

American Legion Post No. 0143 will host a community breakfast on Saturday, May 14, starting at 9 a.m. at the Legion Hall in Twisp. Join Legion members for pancakes, coffee and camaraderie. Open to all members of the community. A donation for entry is suggested.

PRAYERS FOR PEACE

Methow Valley United Methodist Church, 193B Old Twisp Highway, welcomes everyone to join in praying for peace in Ukraine and around the world on Wednesday evenings at 5 p.m. For more information, call 997-7779.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ADVERTISE STATEWIDE WITH a

$325 classified listing or $1600 for a display ad. Call this newspaper or 360-344-2938 for details.

DO YOU OWE OVER $10,000 to the IRS in back taxes? Our firm works to reduce the tax bill or zero it out completely FAST. Let us help! Call 888-994-1405. (Hours: MonFri 7am-5pm PDT).

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LEGAL NOTICES

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

TOWN OF TWISP

CASCADE DRIVE PROJECT

General Notice

The Town of Twisp will accept electronic bids for the work described below until 1:30 PM, Friday, May 13, 2022. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, bids will be opened and read aloud virtually via the following link: meet.google.com/jkm-ewaf-xtu

You can also dial in using your phone: (US) +1 513-796-6531 PIN: 257 270 329#

A bid summary will be issued after opening, emailed to all bidders and posted on the Varela website. Obtaining the Bidding

Documents

The BIDDING DOCUMENTS may be examined at the Issuing

Office:

1. Varela Engineering & Management, 601 W. Mallon Ave., Suite A, Spokane, WA 99201

GARAGE SALE FOR OPEN ROADS

A garage sale to benefit the Okanogan Open Roads Coalition will be held on May 13 and 14 from 9 a.m.

4 p.m. at the Malott Improvement Club in Malott. For information on how to donate money or items, call Lorah Super at (425) 308-3851 or Ruth Hall at (509) 429- 4503.

SUMMER GARDEN CAMPS

Registration is now open for Classroom in Bloom’s summer garden camps, which will be offered in five four-day sessions in June and July. Most of the camps are for ages 6 – 10 and will be from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. daily. Dates are June 27

30 (for 5- to 7-year-olds); July 5 – 8 (Tuesday through Friday); July 11 – 14; July 18 – 21; and July 25

28. Cost is $240 per camp; scholarships are available. Visit www.classroominbloom.org/ new-events/2019/6/24/summer-gar@gmail.com.

MENTAL HEALTH MONTH

COLOR WALK

Join the 2022 Mental Health Month Color Walk on Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Eastside Park Fitness Trail on Omak Avenue in Omak, a free, family-friendly event with a variety of activities scheduled. To register, visit http://mvhealth.org/colorwalk.

LITTLE STAR SPRING FLING

Mark your calendar for Sunday, May 22, date of Little Star School’s 40th birthday Spring Fling, at Mack Lloyd Park in Winthrop from 2

5 p.m. with live music, food and drinks, activities for children and alumni, and a fundraising challenge. More details to come.

2. Visit www.varelaplanroom. com under “Public Jobs”. Prospective bidders may view digital files at no cost.

To Bid the project, Bidder shall download a full set of the BIDDING DOCUMENTS from www. varelaplanroom.com under “Public Jobs” and shall be on the Plan Holders List. Bids shall be submitted electronically via the Varela Plan Room website and in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders. Additional bid acceptance and contract award provisions are specified in the Contract

Documents.

A bid summary will be issued after opening, emailed to all bidders, and posted on the website. This project will provide the full depth reclamation of the existing roadways with cement treated base and 5 inches of HMA surfacing, as well as the following:

• Pulverizing in place of 3200 SF of Asphalt.

• Installation of approximately 630 tons of asphalt.

All bid proposals shall be accompanied by a bid proposal deposit in cash, certified check, cashier’s check, or surety bond in the amount equal to five percent (5%) of the amount of such bid proposal. Should the successful bidder fail to enter into such contract and furnish satisfactory performance bond within the time stated in the specifications, the bid proposal deposit shall be forfeited to the Town of Twisp.

For additional information regarding this project, contact Kurt Holland at Varela Engineering & Management by phone at (509) 328-6066, or email at kholland@ varela-engr.com

The project is being funded by the Transportation Improvement Board funds 6-E-886(009)-1.

The Town of Twisp is in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, 03-Bid Advertisement Electronic subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises

will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Town of Twisp is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women and minority-owned businesses to submit bids. The Town of Twisp has the right to reject any or all bids. A bid will be awarded in the best interests of the Town.

Published in the Methow Valley News April 27, May 4, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

Methow Housing Trust, Danica Ready, 31 W Chewuch Rd Ste 102 Winthrop, WA 98862, is seeking coverage under the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Construction Stormwater NPDES and State Waste Discharge General Permit.

The proposed project, Cascade Meadows North, (parcel #3421110139) is located at ‘new road’ as an extension of Cascadian Way off of Rabbit House Road and SR 20 in Winthrop in Okanogan County. This project involves 6 acres of soil disturbance for Residential, Utilities construction activities.All discharges and runoff goes to ground water. Any persons desiring to present their views to the Washington State Department of Ecology regarding this Application, or interested in Ecology’s action on this Application, may notify Ecology in writing no later than 30 days of the last date of publication of this notice. Ecology reviews public comments and considers whether discharges from this project would cause a measurable change in receiving water quality, and, if so, whether the project is necessary and in the overriding public interest according to Tier II anti-degradation requirements under WAC 173-201A-320.

Published in the Methow Valley News April 27, May 4, 2022

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

BUDGET SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Board of Okanogan County Commissioners that a Public Hearing is set for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 and will be held via ZOOM, in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room. Those wishing to attend may do so via the following: Join Zoom Link: https:// us02web.zoom.us/j/89106322584

Meeting ID: 891 0632 2584 Or Join

YARD WASTE CLEANUP

On Friday (April 29), all valley residents can bring green yard wastes to the Twisp Transfer Station, 12 Twisp Airport Road, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Allowed are all natural vegetation, branches and woody debris no shorter than 2 feet and no larger than 4 inches diameter; brush and shrubs; weeds; pine needles and cones; leaves and grass clippings; flowers; plants; fruit and vegetable plant trimmings. Not allowed are garbage; lumber or treated wood; homegrown fruit; dirt; construction debris/materials; plastics or paper.

Okanogan County Solid Waste, in partnership with Clean Air Methow and Fire Adapted Methow Valley, and with funding from state Department of Ecology, will be waiving fees at the transfer station.

COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES DUE MAY 2

First-half Okanogan County property taxes are due (or

The purpose of the hearing is to receive public comment for or against the consideration of a budget supplemental appropriation within the Fund 134 and 201 in the amount of $10,518,385. Funds are from a New General Obligation Bond and will allocate budget for expense line items associated with the new Capital Expenditures of the Justice Building, Judicial Services, and Law Enforcement.

The hearing will be held remotely in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room located at 123 5th Avenue North, Okanogan, Washington. Persons wishing to comment may attend the hearing in person or via Zoom to be called on for comment or submit comments in writing to the Commissioners’ Office at 123 5th Avenue North, Rm 150, Okanogan, Washington 98840, or by email to ljohns@ co.okanogan.wa.us.

Published in the Methow Valley News April 20, 27, 2022; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune April 21, 28, 2022. OVG952550

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held by the Okanogan County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, May 10 at 11:00 a.m. The hearing may be attended either in person in their hearing room, located at 123 5th Avenue North, Okanogan, WA 98840., or remotely via zoom using the following link https://us02web. zoom.us/j/84865217369 and Meeting ID: 848 6521 7369 or by Phone by dialing either +1 253 215 8782 Or+1 669 900 9128 Or +1 346 248 7799 Meeting ID: 848 6521 7369.

Access for the hearing impaired and others can be accommodated using Washington Relay Service at 1-800-833-6384 and at the below website: https:// www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/odhh/ telecommunication-relay-services.

The purpose of the public hearing is to review community development and housing needs, inform citizens of the availability of funds and eligible uses of the state Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and receive comments on proposed activities, particularly from lower income persons residing in Okanogan County. $84,000 is proposed to be available to the county and the Okanogan County Community Action Council to

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must be postmarked by) Monday (May 2). Interest and penalties start accruing May 3 at 1% per month for any unpaid taxes.

Mail your taxes or assessments to Okanogan County Treasurer, P.O. Box 111, Okanogan, WA 98840. You can pay by credit card through the link for parcel and tax information at www.okanogancounty.org/ government/treasurer or by calling 1 – 877 – 737 - 4772.

For customer service, call 1

888

891- 6064 and choose option 1.

People can also go to the treasurer’s office to pay by credit or debit card or by check. Credit-card payments include a 2.5% service fee on the amount of tax being paid.

The treasurer’s office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through May 2. Contact the treasurer’s office at (509) 422-7180 with questions.

HOUSING TRUST EVENTS

The Methow Housing Trust has scheduled a series of public events related to its recently

fund public services that principally benefit low-and moderateincome persons for the 2022 program year.

Comments on the county’s and community action agency’s past performance and use of the prior year CDBG Public Services Grant will also be received. An overview of the proposed activities will be available for review at the County Commissioners’ Office until Tuesday, May 10, 10:00 a.m. prior to when application is submitted. Comments may also be submitted in writing to Okanogan County by May 10, 10:00 a.m. A Spanish Speaking interpreter will be available. The County Commissioners’ hearing room is handicap accessible. Additional arrangements to reasonably accommodate special needs will be made upon receiving 24-hour advance notice. Contact Lanie Johns at 509-422-7105 or at the address above.

Published in the Methow Valley News April 27, 2022; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune April 28, 2022. OVG953279 NOTIFICACION DE AUDIENCIA PUBLICA

POR MEDIO DE LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que la Directiva de Comisionados del Condado Okanogan efectuará una audiencia pública el martes, 10 de Mayo a las 11:00 a.m. Se puede asistir, ya sea en persona en su sala para audiencias, localizada al 123 5th Avenue North, Okanogan, WA 98840, o remotamente por Zoom, usando el siguiente enlace: https://us02web. zoom.us/j/84865217369 and

Meeting ID: 848 6521 7369 o por Teléfono, marcando ya sea +1 253 215 8782 o +1 669 900 9128 o +1 346 248 7799 Meeting ID: 848 6521 7369.

Arreglos de acceso para personas con discapacidad auditiva, o algúna otra, pueden hacerse usando el Washington Relay Service al 1-800-833-6384, al igual que en la página web: https://www.dshs. wa.gov/altsa/odhh/ telecommunication-relay-services.

El propósito de la audiencia pública es el de revisar el desarrollo de la comunidad la necesidad de viviendas , informar a los ciudadanos que hay fondos disponibles y la utilización elegible de la Concesión conocida como (CDBG), y para escuchar comentarios en cuanto a actividades propuestas, particularmente de personas con pocos recursos que residen en el Condado Okanogan. Se propone que haya $84,000 disponibles al condado y al Community Action Council para solventar servicios al público que beneficiarían principalmente a personas de bajo-a-moderado ingreso durante el programa del año 2022.

También se recibirán comentarios acerca de la productividad anterior por parte de las agencias del condado y del community action y el uso de los fondos de la Concesión CDBG para Servicios Públicos del año anterior. Habrá una lista general de las actividades propuestas al alcance para ser revisadas en la Oficina de Comisionados del Condado hasta el martes, 10 de Mayo, a las10:00 a.m., antes de ser sometida la solicitud.

launched capital campaign to “Build Belonging” in the valley. All the events are free. For more information, visit http:// methowhousingtrust.org/buildbelonging.

• Jupiter restaurant, Winthrop, Thursday, April 28, 4 – 6 p.m.

• Methow Valley Farmers Market, Twisp, Saturday, April 30, 9 a.m. – noon.

• Methow Valley Thriftway, Friday, May 6, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

• Mazama Store, Sunday, May 8, 11 a.m. – 1 p. m.

• Block Party at TwispWorks, Saturday, May 28, 4 – 7 p.m., including yard games, music, food and brews and information.

COMMUNICATIONS DISTRICT MEETING

The Methow Valley Communications District board meets on May 10 at 4 p.m. in the Education Station building on the TwispWorks campus. For information, visit www.mvcomm.org, call (509) 557- 0963 or email secretary@ mvcomm.org

Pueden presentarse comentarios al Condado Okanogan por escríto hasta el 10 de Mayo a las 10:00 a.m. Habrá un Intérprete de habla Hispana. La sala de audiencias de los Comisionados del Condado Okanogan está equipada para acceso a personas descapacitadas. Cualquier petición adicional para arreglos especiales deberá ser recibida con 24 horas de anticipación. Comuníquese con Lanie Johns al 509-422-7105 o dirigiéndose al domicilio mencionado. Published in the Methow Valley News April 27, 2022; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune April 28, 2022. OVG953280 PARK PLACE PHASE II, LP 2021-2

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Jeff Sutton on behalf of Wescott & Associates, LLC applied for a subdivision. Eight residential lots will be created on approximately 11.58 acres. Lots range in size from 1 to 2 acres. Domestic water will be provided by a to be designed Group B water system using a permit exempt well, and individual on-site septic systems. Project comments must be submitted, in writing, or attend the public hearing. The Okanogan County Hearing Examiner will conduct a public hearing on May 26, 2022 at 10:00 a.m., located in the Commissioners Hearing Room in the Virginia Grainger Administration Building at 123 5th Ave. North, Okanogan, WA 98840. Information is available at the Office of Planning and Development. Direct questions and comments to: Okanogan County Office of Planning & Development, Charlene Schumacher, 123 5th Ave. N, Suite 130, Okanogan, WA 98840, (509) 422-7113 or cschumacher@ co.okanogan.wa.us.

Published in the Methow Valley News April 27, 2022; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune April 28, 2022. OVG953286 OKANOGAN COUNTY

NOTICE OF FINAL DECISION

Boundary Line Adjustment: (parcel 3122270025, 3122270037 & 3122270036)

Proponent: Keith Hole & Janell Burelbach and Steven & Debra Varrelman

Decision: Approved

Boundary Line Adjustment: (parcel 3926130055, 7460010000, 7460030000, 7460040000, 7460050000 & 7460060000)

Proponent: Big Green Tractor LLC

Decision: Approved

Project: Festival Permit 2022-1, Okanogan Family Faire Proponent: Okanogan Family Faire

Decision: Conditional Approval The Okanogan County Office of Planning and Development made a final decision on the above-noted projects. Within 20 days of publication, parties with standing may appeal these decisions to the Okanogan County Hearing Examiner at 123 5th Ave. N. Suite 130, Okanogan, WA 98840, pursuant to OCC 2.67.010. An appeal must include the $1,250.00 appeal fee.

Published in the Methow Valley News April 27, 2022; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune April 28, 2022. OVG953290

Big day for personal bests at LBHS Invitational

BY RICK LEWIS

On a beautiful and mostly calm Tuesday (April 19) afternoon, the Liberty Bell Invitational Track and Field Meet turned into a festival of personal records and outstanding performances by local and regional high school athletes at Mountain Lion Stadium. In all, 144 personal bests were recorded by athletes of the seven attending schools from North Central Washington.

“We had over 20 PRs set on Tuesday,” Liberty Bell coach Erik Brooks said. “That was pretty amazing.”

Sophomore Sandra Hernandez led the way, setting three marks of her own: placing 2nd in the 200-meter dash, and winning both the 400M run (1:06.71) and javelin (78 feet, 11 inches). Freshman Zoe Kaltenbach also set three PRs on the day, running to 6thplace finishes in the 200M and 400M and placing 7th in the javelin.

Leki Albright set a new personal best on her way to victory in the 1,600M run with her best-ever time of 5:34.37, the third-fastest statewide time in the 2B classification this year. Albright doubled her win total on the day about an hour later in the 800M, defeating a field of five runners in 2:36.94.

Freshmen Kady Hammer (100M, shot put) and Izabel Bajema (100M, javelin) posted two PRs each and Savannah Bird added one of her own in the javelin. There were several outstanding performances on the boys’ side. Perhaps the statement race of the day was in the 3,200M, where freshman Dexter Delaney had his sights set not just on his personal record, but on the school record, set by Ben Klemmeck in his senior year, 2016. Delaney jumped out from the start and set a blistering pace, lapping the field twice on his way to being only the second Mountain Lion to break the 10-minute mark, completing his eight orbits around the track in 9:55.03, just over three seconds slower than Klemmeck’s school record of 9:51.36.

“He really wanted it, but just missed it. It was a great run, though,” said the coach Brooks said. “He certainly could do it at some point.”

Sophomore Will Halpin, returning to the track for the first time in several weeks, led wire-to-wire in the 1600M, turning in a time of 4:53.57. Aksel Thomson took the top spot in the 800M with a personal best of 2:14.25.

Kyler Mitchell joined the PR fest with a victory in the 300M intermediate hurdles, setting his best career mark at 46.39. In the field events, Fischer Edwards garnered two 2nd-place rankings in the javelin (124 feet, 4 inches) and the shot put (33 feet, 5

inches) to go with his PR of the day in the 200M on the track. Mitchell teamed up with Thomson, Halpin and John Chavez-Hernandez to close out the meet with a victory in the 4x400M relay.

Holden Riggs (100M and 200M) and George ChavezHernandez joined the doublePR club, Isaiah Stoothoff ran a PR 25.66 in the 200M to 4th place overall, and Omar Ortega also set a PR in the 200M.

Saturday (April 23) at the Quincy Invitational, Dexter Delaney doubled in the 800M and 1,600M, where he placed 4th in the former and took the top spot at 4:35.08 in the latter. Will Halpin was 5th overall (4:50.15). Aksel Thomson was a strong 2nd place in the 3,200M, setting another PR in that event. Kyler Mitchell placed 7th in the 300M hurdles. Fischer Edwards’ javelin throw of 126 feet, 7 inches was good for 7th place, and the top B class thrower of the day.

Leki Albright took 2nd in the 3,200M in a personal record time of 11:33.28. Sandra Hernandez was the only other Liberty Bell girl to compete at Quincy, placing 10th in the javelin.

The Central Washington 2B League Championships are scheduled for Liberty Bell High School on Wednesday, May 11.

Tennis

The Mountain Lions had three matches scheduled over the last week with trips to Soap Lake on Tuesday (April 19), a Wednesday (April 20) match at Manson and a scheduled Thursday (April 21) home match with Pateros that was delayed until Friday when the weather was slated to improve.

At Soap Lake, the boys swept the Eagles aside, 5-0. Haizea Alvarez and Amelia Evans each won their singles matches as the girls split, 2-2. At Manson, rain washed

out

the bulk of the afternoon activities. Before the downpour, the Mountain Lions had some success against the Trojans, the doubles pair of Connor Herlihy and Gannet Fisher winning their match, 6-2, 6-4. Angel Arrellano managed a split, winning set one 6-3, dropping set two 5-7 before the rains came and the match was stopped as a draw.

Alvarez and Evans teamed up at Manson for a doubles match, losing a tough-fought battle, 4-6 and 4-6, according to Assistant Coach Keri Miles. “They were due to play singles after but got rained out,” Miles said. “The No. 2 girls’ doubles was mid-match when we got rained out, however they were fighting back after losing the first set 2-6, and were at a second set score of 6-6.”

At Pateros, the boys came away with a sweep of the Billygoats, winning all of

Morel harvesting permits available in May

People hoping for a share of the earthy mushrooms that often pop up after a wildfire can apply for a commercial harvesting permit for morels from the Methow Valley Ranger District starting Monday (May 2).

People can collect up to 5 gallons a day for their own use without a permit, as long as they carry a copy of the Free Incidental Use Mushroom Information Sheet while they’re foraging.

Commercial permits are required for anyone who plans to sell mushrooms or collect more than 5 gallons per day.

Permits are $30 for two days, $80 for 30 days, and $100 for the season, which runs from May 2 through July 31.

Permits will be sold at the ranger district office in Winthrop. Maps are available for harvest areas in the Cedar Creek and Cub Creek 2 fire areas.

With the possibility that there will be a lot of mushroom pickers in burned

areas, the U.S. Forest Service advises people that these areas are vulnerable as they recover from the fire. “As forest visitors search for mushrooms in our fire-affected lands, I ask you to keep in mind that these burned lands are exceptionally vulnerable to disturbance, and practicing leave-no-trace etiquette is very important,” Naches District Ranger Aaron Stockton said. There is also the potential for hazards. “While hazard trees have been treated in developed sites, the same cannot be said for general forest areas. Mushroom pickers should be particularly aware of dead trees when they choose areas to park and stop for breaks or lunch. Dead trees may fall or have branches fall out of them unexpectedly,” Methow Valley District Ranger Chris Furr said.

The Twentyfive Mile Fire area in the Chelan Ranger District will be open for personal, noncommercial mushroom harvest only because it

is drier and not expected to produce large quantities of morels. It will also provide an area where people harvesting morels for their own use don’t have to compete with commercial pickers.

The Forest Service has designated campgrounds for commercial pickers, which will have garbage dumpsters and toilets. There will be three camps in the Methow Valley Ranger District — at the Eight Mile dispersed camping site on the west edge of the Cub Creek 2 burn area, the Cedar Creek gravel pit on the north edge of the Cedar Creek burn area, and the Thompson Ridge gravel pit south of the Cedar Creek burn area.

Commercial harvesters are prohibited from camping in developed campgrounds, at trailheads, or in other high-use recreation areas.

The mushroom information sheet is can be printed from the forest website at https:// go.usa.gov/xQ3YJ or picked up at the ranger district.

their scheduled singles and doubles matches in straight sets. Amelia Evans won her singles match, 6-3 and 6-1, then matched up with Amelie Stracke to win their doubles match.

The Mountain Lions hosted Oroville in a home match late Tuesday (April 26). Thursday (April 28) they travel to Entiat and Friday (April 29) the Omak Pioneers come to Liberty Bell for a 4 p.m. start time at the Liberty Bell tennis courts.

Baseball

In a battle for the top spot in the Central Washington B League, Liberty Bell hosted the Brewster Bears last Tuesday at Mountain Lion Field. Liberty Bell jumped out to a first-inning 1-0 lead, set up when Eli Neitlich was walked by Brewster pitcher A.J. Woodward. Noah Holston drilled a shot to right field,

came in to pitch the seventh, and pitched well according to Aspholm. “The error thing bit us again,” he said. Of the four runs charged to Surface, none were earned. The Mountain Lions were scheduled to play at Lake Roosevelt on Tuesday, weather permitting. The Raiders come to Liberty Bell on Friday in what could determine the No. 2 spot in the league with only a few games left in the season before District playoffs. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Soccer

Liberty Bell boys’ soccer looked to be turning a corner, first with a win over Pateros coming off of spring break on April 18, then came a tough 3-1 loss to Manson in the rain last Thursday.

Post-game comments by coach David Marz were clear after the Manson loss: Liberty Bell needs to play with a more aggressive style with more contact, rush the ball, force the action more. “We’ve been outplayed physically. Our team plays hard, they hustle and work hard. We just get out-muscled and pushed around a little,” the coach said.

On Saturday the young Mountain Lions appeared to take a more assertive tack in facing Okanogan. The Bulldogs showed themselves as bigger, faster and stronger, scoring twice in both halves and shutting down the Mountain Lions with an aggressive, physical style of play on defense. Okanogan applied consistent pressure, resulting in two goals in each half for the 4-0 win.

It’s a busy week for Liberty Bell soccer, with a Tuesday game at home with Oroville, followed by Thursday at home (4:30 p.m.) versus Tonasket and a rematch, at home, with Brewster on Saturday, 11 a.m. kickoff.

Softball

advancing Neitlich to second. He moved to third on a Damon Alumbaugh single, then was driven home by Sawyer Crandall.

In that first inning, the Mountain Lions felt they had a chance to really jump on Woodward, getting five runners on base with three hits and two free passes.

“We just had trouble getting runs across the plate,” said assistant coach Bret Alumbaugh.

Holston scored in the third inning to put Liberty Bell up by a 2-1 count. The Bears scored their initial tally in the top of the third, then added a run in the fourth to tie the game at 2, and an unearned run on two errors in the fifth inning, followed by a four-run seventh and the final count of 7-2 for Brewster.

Alumbaugh took the loss on the mound, giving up only one earned run. Mac Surface

RINK OPENS FOR SUMMER ACTIVITIES

The Winthrop Rink will reopen for summer operations next week, starting with drop-in pickleball on Monday (May 2). Summer programs include:

• Pickleball, Mondays and Thursdays, 6 – 8 p.m., Saturday 9 – 11 a.m., through September. $4 admission, punch cards and season passes available. Paddles, balls, nets free. Try pickleball free the first Monday of the month starting May 2.

• Roller/inline skating, Fridays and Saturdays 6 – 9 p.m. in June, July, August. $6 adults, $4 youth (6 – 17)/seniors, 5 and under free. Skate rentals $2. Helmets, knee/wrist/elbow pads free. Season passes available. Kids skate for free the last Saturday of the month.

• Roller/inline hockey, Wednesdays 6 – 8 p.m. in June, July, August. $6 adults, $4 youth (6 – 17)/ seniors, 5 and under free. Skate rentals $2. Helmets, knee/wrist/elbow pads free. Season passes available.

• Rentals — the skating facility or, separately, the upstairs viewing room are available for rent, by the hour or by the day. Visit www.winthroprink.org, email sbondi@ winthroprink.org or call (509) 996-4199 for additional information.

‘OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC NIGHT’

The Methow Valley Nordic Ski Education Foundation will host a free “Olympic and Paralympic

Liberty Bell traveled to Brewster for a double-header with the second place Bears, Brewster earning two fiveinning victories, 12-0 and 12-1. “There isn’t much to say after that,” said head coach Chad Surface. “It was frustrating because we know we are better than what we showed.”

Surface said that Brewster had Liberty Bell’s pitchers figured out and that while the Mountain Lions got some hits and had opportunities, they just couldn’t get girls across home plate.

Two more sets of games are on the schedule for Liberty Bell, both home doubleheaders this Friday versus Lake Roosevelt, and Tuesday (May 3) the Bridgeport Fillies come to campus to close out the home schedule and Senior Day. First pitch both days will be at 3:30 p.m.

Night” celebration, with personal appearances by the Methow Valley’s 2022 Olympians — Novie McCabe and Erin Martin — on Thursday, May 5, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Winthrop Barn. Presentations, Q&A, films and autograph signing will be included.

The gathering is open to the public, For more information and to RSVP, visit https:// methowvalleynordic.com/events/olympic-andparalympic-night.

NATURE WALK

Methow At Home is offering a beaver loop nature walk with Eric Burr on Monday (May) 2 from 9 a.m. – noon, starting at the Jack’s trailhead parking lot off of Highway 20. Register at methowathome.org.

LOUP UPDATE

Updating last week’s report on summer activities at Loup Loup Ski Bowl, which will include chairlift rides, disc golf, mountain biking, and meals at the lodge: “We will be running the lift on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays this summer,” Executive Director Brent Nourse said, “and we are expecting to rent bikes Thursdays through Sundays.”

“We’ve had supply chain issues due to COVID,” Nourse said, “but we’re hopeful that it [equipment] will arrive in time to get the disc golf course in place by early summer.” Visit https://skitheloup.com for summer offerings, hours, and ticket prices.

Photo by Ashley Lodato

Liberty Bell’s Dexter Delaney led the field after one lap of the 1,600-meter run at the Quincy Invitational last weekend. Delaney went on to win the race in a time of 4:35.08. Will Halpin finished 5th for the Mountain Lions.

Photo by Rick Lewis

Liberty Bell’s Bodie Thomson battled for the ball during a 3-1 loss to Manson in play last week.

Eric Norwick

Eric Jonathon Norwick unexpectedly went to be with the Lord on Oct. 8, 2021, in Winthrop, Washington. Eric was born July 2, 1973, to John and Mary Norwick in Walla Walla, Washington. Growing up he played school sports, and also loved playing tetherball and video games. He attended Walla Walla High School.

Eric was a hard worker, always finished anything he started and excelled as a chef. He was a gogetter and seeker of adventure and in 2001 moved to Valdez, Alaska, where he lived for almost five years. Eric made many friends and memories there but ended up moving back to Washington. In May 2012 he had a daughter, Sykora, whom he loved and adored with all of his heart. In July 2020 he married Khristina Oestreich.

Charles Warren Pruett

Charles Warren Pruett of Winthrop, Washington, passed away on April 17, 2022, at the age of 94, just shy of his 95th birthday. He moved in 2018 from the Skagit Valley, where he had lived for 35 years, to the Methow Valley to join the wonderful community of elders and caregivers at Jamie’s Place.

Chuck, as he was affectionately known by family and friends, was born on April 30, 1927, in San Francisco, California, to John Floyd Pruett and Marguerite Victorine (Mathé) Pruett. He and his older brother, John Mathe Pruett, grew up in the “avenues” adjacent to the city’s Golden Gate Park and they spent summers with extended family and friends in Healdsburg near the Russian River. His early childhood experiences fostered his adventurer spirit and love of the outdoors. While a student at Wilkens High School he joined the Bay Area Sea Scouts where sailing captured his heart. His fellow scouts became life-long friends. He also joined the Dolphin Club, swimming miles in the bay’s cold waters each morning, and was known for winning a 3-hour race for his age group from Aquatic Park on the city’s front around Alcatraz and back. Chuck was a connoisseur of old folk songs and sea shanties, which he loved to sing. He had a song for every occasion, and typically had a joke or a prank to go with it.

After graduating from Wilkens High School in 1945, he joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Medical Corp stationed on Treasure Island in the Bay Area during the final year of WWII. After leaving the Navy he studied at University of California Berkeley toward an associate

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We have been so overwhelmed with donations that we have to put out the “no more donations” sign sometimes. We only have so much room in the sorting area. So bear with us, we are working as fast as we can.

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Marriage licenses

Rita Christine Huisman, 61, Winthrop, and Curtis Marlin Huisman, 69, Winthrop

Ashley Dee St. Leger, 43, Winthrop, and Adam Jeffrey Custis, 40, Winthrop

Eric loved music and attended many concerts especially Rush, and saw them every opportunity he had. He also played music himself, and had been playing guitar and drums in a band with his good friends. Throughout his life Eric enjoyed fishing, skiing/snowboarding, liked to play chess, being out in the mountains, living in the country of the Methow Valley, and spending time with his family. He was known for his big heart, good sense of humor, and beautiful smile. He was always willing to lend a helping hand.

He is survived by his daughter Sykora, wife Khristina, brother Luke, sisters Lacey and Crystal, mother Mary, father John, stepmother Terri, and stepbrother Ryan. Memorial is on Saturday (April 30) at 2 p.m. at Mack Lloyd Park in Winthrop.

degree, and married Shirley Steinman in 1950. They built their home in Tiburon, California, at the east end of the peninsula where Chuck could view “the most boats” out on the bay, and sail as a regular on the racing circuits of the Corinthian and St. Francis Yacht Clubs. There they raised their children Charles Michael, Melinda and Daniel.

Chuck encouraged his kids to sail and camp and love nature. Chuck served as the captain of the Tiburon Fire Department through the 1960s and early 1970s before becoming a fire protection consultant. He retired from fire protection in the mid1980s in order to captain his 44-foot wooden boat Electra, originally for charter in the Bay Area and then later moving with it up to La Conner, Washington, to simply enjoy exploring the waters of the Puget Sound.

Chuck was the last of his generation on both sides of his family. He was preceded in death by his parents John and Marguerite, brother John, wife Shirley, and his partner Elsa Gruber. He is survived by his sons Michael Pruett (Karen Fisher) of Winthrop, Washington, and Daniel Pruett of San Diego, California; his daughter Melinda Pruett-Jones (Steve) of Chicago, Illinois; and his four grandchildren Ian, Sean, Connor and McKenna.

Chuck’s family sincerely thanks the amazing team of caregivers at Jamie’s Place for their exceptional care and compassion. Remembrances and memorial donations may be made to Jamie’s Place/Methow Valley Family Home Center Association, P.O. Box 1260, Winthrop, WA 98862; www.jamiesplace.org.

equipment: (509) 557-0481. We are not keeping any now, it’s all in one location. Saturday, May 7, we will have our first outside sidewalk sale. It will be a lot of Western clothes and Western-related items. This coming Friday is the gift basket day after lunch. Also, we now have lunch four days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Rosalie Hutson

Celebrate Arbor Day on Saturday

The Twisp Tree Board encourages residents to take part in the town’s annual Arbor Day Celebration on Saturday (April 30), starting at 11 a.m. in the Twisp Commons Park adjacent to the Methow Valley Community Center.

The event will include a ceremony, a tree giveaway and a tree planting, demonstrating proper planting techniques.

For the 21st consecutive year the Town of Twisp has been awarded “Tree City USA” status by the National Arbor Day Foundation, celebration orga-

Unitarian Fellowship

nizer and tree advocate Dwight Filer reported. The town established a tree board to celebrate the inaugural Arbor Day Event in 2003.

“We will have 100 Ponderosa pine trees to give away , some heritage apricot progeny from Lois McLean’s old growth apricot tree up the West Chewuch, plus some other surprises,” Filer said. ”Firstcome, first-served, so come early.”

For more information, or to volunteer as a helper, email dwight@methownet. com, or call (509) 860-4478.

Eric Norwick

Charles Warren Pruett

Winthrop

So just imagine this: The call comes in on a Wednesday — you are to meet with the President of the United States on Friday. Between now — now being your everyday life as a mom, research scientist and community member —and your meeting with POTUS, you need to go through the security clearance process, you need to figure out what one wears when meeting the president, you need to get yourself to Seattle, and, most importantly, you need to tell no one outside of your immediate household. These people, too, need to keep it all a secret. So while going about your daily lives — work, school, sports, meetings, social events — you are bursting with this momentous thing that is going to happen, but you can’t talk about it.

Regardless of your political

Valley Life

leanings, a face-to-face meeting with POTUS is a heady experience, as Methow Valley resident and forest ecologist Dr. Susan Prichard recently learned, when she attended President Biden’s Seattlebased signing of an Executive Order that is intended to “strengthen America’s forests, boost wildfire resilience, and combat global deforestation.”

Last year Susan coauthored a somewhat controversial paper about adapting western forests to climate change and wildfires. “As all of us in the Methow Valley are well-aware, highseverity fires are becoming increasingly common,” Susan says. “A lot of the old guard environmental groups and the strict anti-logging crowd aren’t happy with our paper, but it’s solid science-based adaptive management that makes sense to land managers and policy makers — it’s proactive things we can do in fire-prone forests so that they don’t completely burn up in high-intensity fires.”

Senior Advisor for Climate in the Office of the Secretary Sean Babbington caught wind of Susan’s paper and called last Wednesday morning her to ask if she might be willing to attend President Biden’s signing of the Executive Order on Earth Day, in Seattle. It wasn’t a sure thing, Sean told Susan, but he got

This industrious group of men and women are dedicated to keeping trails open for all users and educating horse riders in its “Leave No Trace” practices. MVBCH also provides volunteer service to work on trails with many other agencies. In fact, in the year before the pandemic, over 1,700 volunteer hours were spent on trails and horse camps in the Methow Valley.

Mazama

If you are new to the valley, you may have heard the welcoming advice: be prepared to bring a covered dish, to be on a board, and to volunteer. There are so many opportunities to volunteer that there is even a website for that at volunteermethow.org. Recently

I heard the expression, “I was volun-told.” My husband and I weren’t “volun-told,” but maybe there was a little arm-twisting to nudge us to take charge of a fundraising auction for Methow Valley Back Country Horsemen (MVBCH).

MVBCH is the local chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Washington (BCHW).

her started on the security clearance process just in case they needed her.

By late Wednesday afternoon Susan hadn’t heard anything from the White House, so she assumed she’d been cut from the list. Thursday morning, however, the official invitation arrived, along with a special request: would Susan discuss forest protection with POTUS, on video, after the signing? Susan jumped into action. At the top of her list were two priorities: come up with a list of talking points and figure out what to wear.

The sartorial decision was made with the help of friend, part-time valley resident, and trial attorney Heather Yakely, who consulted with Susan on her wardrobe options. The talking points took a bit more time. As Susan drove toward Seattle, she thought about some key aspects of protecting forests. “None of it is revolutionary,” she said. “We need to thin forests, we need to leave big trees for carbon sequestration, and we need to do more prescribed burning. Most of all, we need to curb greenhouse gas emissions.”

The setting for the video, however, proved more problematic. “I knew the video would be made with President Biden and me in a lush area of Seward Park, full of western red cedar and bigleaf maple

Twisp

Wondering where the Twisp Valley Life column has been?

We took an extended vacation and upon our return, my son contracted COVID, so I’ve been homebound, far removed from local ongoings. I wanted to report on the Earth Day concert at the Doran Ranch hosted by Methow Recycles, or the Farmers Market, or the American Legion chili contest, or the many sporting events — but CDC protocol requires home iso -

Even with pandemic restrictions, over 1,000 hours were spent in 2020 and 2021 working on numerous trails, including rebuilding the Eagle Creek Bridge on Twisp River Trail, which was a casualty of the 2018 Crescent Mountain Fire. One of the crown jewels of the club is the North Summit Horse Campground. Nearing completion, it includes 12 sites for camping with horses and a spacious picnic shelter. It is located on U.S. Forest Service land on Loup Loup Pass at the same turnoff as the ski area. For this project alone, the club has invested tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of labor.

trees. It’s a typical west side forest and the optics weren’t right to talk about mitigating wildfire. It just doesn’t look like a place that could ever burn up,” Susan said. So in the west side forest setting, Susan decided to keep the focus on conservation, carbon sequestration, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Filled with high-level politicians, tribal elders and other people Susan didn’t know, the ceremony itself felt a bit surreal, especially because Susan

had 10 Secret Service eyeballs fixed on her steadily throughout the speeches. As someone who would meet individually with POTUS after the signing, Susan was a potential chink in the security armor.

Toward the end of the president’s speech, an aide tapped Susan on the shoulder and led her away with the video crew.

Soon, Susan found herself discussing place-based adaptive management strategies with the 46th President of the United States. “Thanks Doc,”

ahead on trails that were damaged, not only by the Crescent Mountain Fire, but also by the Cedar Creek and Cub Creek fires of last year. Work will be done on these trails with downed trees, washout and bridge damage, and hazardous standing, burnt trees in conjunction with other chapters of BCHW, the Forest Service, Washington Trails Association, and several other trail organizations.

All of this work requires donations and fundraising for this 503 (c) public charitable organization. The upcoming Spring Ride & Auction on April 29-May 1 at Beaver Creek Campgroup outside of Twisp is a major fundraising event for the local chapter that has not taken place since 2019.

POTUS said to Susan after they talked.

Then suddenly it was over, the presidential motorcade drove away, and Susan headed back over the mountains to her normal life, arriving home just in time to host a ski team dinner, with kids who have witnessed the smoke and devastation of wildfire, who have experienced the shorter winters and hotter summers, and whose generation stands to suffer the most from climate change.

cessing data and paperwork. Many are ready to provide bodies to transport, set up, organize, monitor, collect, dismantle — the grunt work.

(See mvbch.blogspot.com and click on North Summit Horse Campground for information and photos.) There is no shortage of projects for the club. A massive amount of work lies

lation, and someone has to stay home with the infected child, so I’ve missed out on most things newsworthy and unnewsworthy.

We heard it was cold while we were away. It also looks as though it’s been dry. The combination of these factors leads to an overall assessment that the wildflowers are a bit behind this year. If you’ve read my column over the years, you will recall I like to feature wildflowers through the growing season as way to capture the season. This week’s wildflower is the death camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum). The death camas is a lily-type flower that emerges from a bulb. It can appear in groups or solitary, on dry hillsides or moist meadows. A cluster of creamy white flowers that form a conical flower head sits atop a single stock that emerges from elongated leaves. I love this ominous, poisonous plant. All parts of the plant are toxic, particularly the bulb. Poison -

ing affects all systems of the body inducing vomiting, neurological convulsions, muscle weakness and collapse, low heart rate, and low blood pressure. It can result in death.

There’s a fine line between poison and medicine. Traditional medicines and herbal therapies, we all well know, depend entirely on what the earth produces. As modern, reductionist scientific methods emerged, they sought to distill our natural world into discreet definable units of inquiry, the molecular world was discovered, and we learned to manipulate and manufacture chemicals to suit our uses. But the search in nature for curatives continues, despite our technological advances.

Scientists in more recent years have been turning to snake and spider venom, squid ink and mushrooms to test all kinds of drug therapies. The compound responsible for the deadliness in death camas is an alkaloid called zygadenine. I was a mediocre

student in organic chemistry, so I had to Google this one. Alkaloids are nitrogen-based molecules, produced naturally by many living organisms. Many alkaloids compose drugs like morphine and are poisons. According to the American Chemistry Society, a similar compound to zygadenine was recently screened for effectiveness to combat COVID-19 by Chinese scientists who concluded that there may be promising uses of these types of compounds in viral therapy.

Death camas will be sprouting and blooming for the next couple weeks and migrating to higher elevations as temperatures increase. Keep an eye out for it. Who knows, it might hold the cure to our next pandemic. If intrinsic beauty, awe, and intellectual enrichment aren’t enough, the utility of biodiversity matters, and it’s why on this Earth Day, learning a bit more about what grows nearby is time well spent.

Pulling an auction together when one is a newbie at such a project has had a very extensive learning curve for us. However, as is the usual case with any volunteer group in the valley, there is a strong support system of eager beavers to take on parts of an event, each one utilizing his or her best skill set. Several are champs at soliciting donations. Others’ fortes are pro -

The most amazing part of this auction experience has been the willingness of local businesses, artisans and individuals to donate auction items, knowing that they get “hit up” all the time for different causes. As of earlier this week, over 150 items and gift certificates have been donated. Items range from riding gear, cast iron ware, pottery, artwork, theme gift baskets, a kid’s John Deere tractor, and the Big Kahuna — a gift certificate for a twonight stay with horse boarding and guided trail ride right here in Mazama. Also a hit is the Buy It Now table where used, but usable, horsey equipment and goods are available at reasonable prices. The auction takes place on Saturday (April 30) and all persons are welcome to come and participate. It is an opportunity to see what the local horse culture looks like through the horses themselves, music, food and fun. See the website listed above and click on 2022 Spring Ride for more details.

Twisp: Sarah Schrock sjschrock@yahoo.com

Ashley Lodato

or ashleylodato@alumni.stanford.edu

Lower Valley: Joanna Bastian MethowJoanna@gmail.com

Mazama: Shelley Smith Jones smithjonesshelley@gmail.com

Ashley Lodato

Sarah Schrock

Shelley Smith Jones

Photo by Shelley Smith Jones

You can bid on a kid’s John Deere tractor in the Methow Valley Back Country Horsemen fundraising auction on Saturday (April 30).

Photo courtesy of Susan Prichard

Methow Valley resident Susan Prichard met with President Joe Biden in Seattle last week to discuss forest management policies.

Photo by Sarah Schrock Death camas may be pretty to behold but it’s deadly to ingest.