Fire Rehab Efforts



Smoke from the Canyon's Fire fills the
air on Saturday, Septermber 8

The Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, local counties, cities, and various communities are working together to assess fire damage in an attempt to prevent potential flooding and debris runoff from specific burned areas. In areas that were exposed to intense heat, the soil does not absorb as much rain water as lightly burned or healthy areas. This causes water which would normally infiltrate into the soil to bead-up and run off in increased volumes.  This increase in runoff can be especially dangerous downhill in the form of increased flood flows and sediment which will flow into streams, rivers, and storm drains.  This increase in water volume and sediment can clog culverts, effect fish health, and even flood roads.  The good news is that it’s possible to reduce the impacts of these potential threats with proper planning.

An "After the Fires" workshop will be held Thursday October 25th from 6:30-9:00 PM at the Wenatchee Convention Center, Gala Room. This workshop is a collaborative effort and is geared toward residents who live within or own property within the burned areas near Wenatchee and Cashmere as well as residents and landowners who might be affected by runoff from those burned areas.

Resources will be added to this site for your reference: http://www.co.chelan.wa.us/pw/after_the_fires.html

For Entiat and Chelan area residents:
A second "After the Fires" workshop will be held Thursday, November 1st from 6:30-9:00 PM at the Entiat Grange Hall (14108 Kinzel St, Entiat, WA). This will be the only meeting in the immediate area this fall that will address these issues.

Direct questions to Ray Faini at WSU Chelan County Extension:
509-667-6540, faini@wsu.edu

Some of you may also be interested in this article, released by Wenatchee Outdoors, dealing with the history and future of wildfires in the Wenatchee valley: "Taming Fire with Fire"

Storm Drain Awareness



Our friends at Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group have been working on implementing a storm drain marking program in our area.  Storm drain marking is a way of raising awareness about the effects pollutants can have on our waterways.  Most storm drains drain into rivers and streams.  Here in Wenatchee those storm drains run directly into the Columbia River. It isn’t hard to understand why keeping our rivers clean is important to the environment, but it can be easy to overlook the fact that roads, parking lots, roofs, lawns and farms are all part of the same watershed and therefore affect those rivers.  Contaminated storm water creates hazardous situations for all life using an affected waterway.  Not only Salmon and other marine life are affected.  Humans use the rivers too, and polluted waters can make recreation areas and drinking waters very dangerous. 

You can find out a lot of information on how to prevent water pollution on our Picture the Wenatchee website: http://www.picturethewenatchee.com/  It is important for us to remember that regardless of where we are or what we are doing, we are a part of a watershed and our actions will affect that watershed.  If you’d like to find out more about the storm drain marking project or would like to volunteer, contact Sean Koester at sean@ccfeg.org





Photos are In!!!

 Kim George - Autumn Serenity

The Picture the Wenatchee Photo Contest has ended and all qualifying submissions will be displayed by category at local businesses throughout the Wenatchee valley area. We received over 170 entries from 32 different photographers. Each photo was entered into one of six categories (recreation, water, wildlife, agriculture, plants, and landscape).  Two photos from each of these categories will be displayed in our 2013 Wenatchee watershed stewardship calendar.  The twelve photos selected for the calendar will be judged by a panel of local photo experts and three will be awarded “Best in Show.” We would like to thank all of the photographers who have shown their support to the Wenatchee River watershed by taking the time to participate in this competition.  We would also like to thank the businesses listed below for allowing us to use their space as a gallery for display of the photos. You can view the contestant’s photos by visiting these local businesses from October 8-19, 2012. Each of these businesses will be displaying one category so be sure to stop by all six to see every photo!





Marcia Fall - What a Grape View

Recreation
Leavenworth Mountain Sports
220 US Highway 2, Leavenworth
www.leavenworthsports.com
Open Daily 10 am – 6 pm
 
Water
Icicle Brewing Company
935 Front Street, Leavenworth
www.iciclebrewing.com
Sunday-Thursday noon – close
Friday-Saturday noon-11pm  

Wildlife
 Der Man Shoppe
220 9th St. #E, Leavenworth
www.dermanshoppe.com
Thursday-Monday 11am-5pm
  


Judy Meyer - Cutest Apple in the Bunch

Agriculture

Lemongrass Natural Foods

1052 Springwater, Wenatchee www.lemongrassnaturalfoods.com

Open Daily 9 am – 6 pm

 



Plants

Mountain Springs Lodge

19115 Chiwawa Loop Rd, Plain

www.mtsprings.com

Open Daily 9 am – 6 pm

 

Landscapes

Anjou Bakery

3898 Old Monitor Road, Cashmere

www.anjoubakery.com

Open Thursday—Monday

7 am – 5 pm















Picture the Wenatchee photo contest ending soon...

Despite smoky conditions in Leavenworth there were still plenty of attendees at the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival this weekend. I was impressed with the amount and quality of the educational events featured at this year’s Salmonfest. I was able to check out some of the other activities and discovered that before this weekend I knew next to nothing about salmon. Did you know that millions of years ago salmon where ten feet long, had fangs, and weighed over 500 lbs!?

"Horseshoe Lake" Guy Crilly

While demonstrating healthy watersheds at Rolling Rivers I was reminded that our Picture the Wenatchee photo contest is ending soon!  If you didn’t already know, Picture the Wenatchee is our watershed stewardship campaign that promotes healthy rivers and streams. By pledging your support you can receive a free watershed care package! Of course the real prize will be the healthy rivers and streams you’ll be a part of creating. The photo contest will end on October 1st so if you’ve been meaning to submit those great photos you’ve taken, now is the time! We are still accepting entries in all categories but are especially in need of “Agriculture” photos. To submit your photos, check out previous winners, or read up on contest rules, visit www.picturethewenatchee.com

Your friend in conservastion conversation,
Jon

 

Weekend Fun!

Working on last years Rolling Rivers model

The 22^nd annual Wenatchee River Salmon Festival will begin this weekend on Saturday at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery.  This natural resource education event is held each fall to celebrate the return of the salmon to the Wenatchee River. Saturday and Sunday will provide the public with the opportunity to come celebrate and learn about salmon and their significance to the region. We’ll be there with the Rolling Rivers watershed display. This giant sand box allows students to observe the effects that small changes to a river can have on the entire watershed system.  For more information about “SalmonFest” Check out their website at www.salmonfest.org

Having fun playing in the sand!

This will be my first Salmon Festival experience and I’m excited. I keep hearing about what a great event it is and how much everyone enjoys it.  This event will be especially interesting for me because so many of the activities highlight some of the Pacific Northwest’s attributes. I’m really looking forward to seeing the local artists’ sidewalk chalk art.  With music, food, “edutainment”, and more it seems like Salmon Fest has something for everyone and I can’t wait!  Hope to see you there!

 

Your friend in conservation conversation,

Jon

Welcome to Washington

 photo by Mike Cushman

Hi, my name is Jon and I’m the new AmeriCorps volunteer working at the Cascadia Conservation District. Most of you are probably already aware that Cascadia’s past AmeriCorps volunteers have been responsible for keeping you updated on what’s happening here via this blog. However, some of you may not know what exactly AmeriCorps is and what their role with Cascadia Conservation District and the rest of the community is. So before I tell you who I am I’d like to briefly explain AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps is a national service program similar to the Peace Corps that allows people to serve communities in a variety of areas including education, environmental restoration, human needs, and many others. Unlike the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps members serve in communities here in the U.S. There are about 85,000 AmeriCorps volunteers working all over the country and this year I’m one of them. Cascadia Conservation District has partnered with AmeriCorps since 2008 and has used their volunteers for a variety of tasks and projects including this blog.

So who am I? I’m a recent graduate from the University of Montevallo, a small public college located near Birmingham Alabama, with a love for the outdoors. At Montevallo, I studied Fine Art, specifically drawing and painting, and Art History. You’re probably scratching your head wondering, “Why is an Artist from the other side of the country working for a conservation district here in Washington?” I first visited Washington when I traveled across the country with my brother on his move from Ohio to Seattle. Since that initial visit nearly 3 years ago I have made three or four trips out here to visit, each one of those including numerous day and weekend camping and hiking excursions across the state. After my last visit I made the decision to join my brother and move out west. I ran across Cascadia Conservation District’s AmeriCorps position on the web and knew that I wanted to serve not only people but the environment.

 photo by Mike Cushman

There are some big differences between Alabama and Washington. The most prevalent of those differences in my mind has to do with the lightning fires that started this past Saturday. Alabama does not see natural fires in the same scope or scale that other states, including this one, do. Before Sunday morning the biggest fire I’d ever seen was probably just a large bonfire. When I first saw the brush burning on the hills west of my apartment, a strange ominous feeling came over me. It was and is a new experience for me and I still am not used to looking up and seeing such a large amount of smoke drifting over my head.  For me the fires are somewhat scary but at the same time they excite me. They are a symbol of the new situations and experiences I’ll discover in my upcoming year here. 



The NRCS has already developed re-seeding information specifically for residents in the area. This information includes a native seed mix, a tree & shrub planting mix, and seeding operations. We’ll have a copy of this posted on our facebook page for anyone who’d like to view it.

 

I hope I’ve been able to introduce myself to you a little bit and I’d like to encourage anyone who’s interested in the blog to post their comments and questions here or on our facebook. I’ve only been here at Cascadia Conservation District for a few days but as I start to understand more and more about what we do, I am becoming more and more excited! I know that I will learn a lot this year and hopefully I’ll be able to help out as much as possible. 

Your friend in conservation conversation,

Jon

Help Capture the Beauty of the Wenatchee River Watershed

From the ridge tops to the valley bottom, the Wenatchee River watershed provides residents and visitors alike, with a spectacular place to live, work, and play. 

In celebration of everything the watershed provides, the Cascadia Conservation District is sponsoring a Wenatchee River watershed photo contest.  Anyone age 13 and up who shares our appreciation for the watershed is invited to participate.

From now until October 1 entries are being accepted from interested members of the public for six categories including plants, wildlife, agriculture, recreation, landscapes and water. 

All entries will be exhibited by category at participating local businesses in the watershed during the fall.  A panel of local judges selected for their commitment to the watershed will choose two winners from each category for inclusion in a 2013 Wenatchee River watershed stewardship calendar.

Help capture the beauty of the watershed and participate by sharing your photos. For complete contest rules, a map of the watershed, and an entry form visit www.picturethewenatchee.com or call our office at (509) 664-9370.

 

Hi all!

Mitch with father Kurt and sister Rachel
at Cascadia's Native Plant Sale.

I’m Mitch and I’ve been a regular volunteer working under AmeriCorps Intern Julia for about a year now. My father is a Project Coordinator here at the Cascadia Conservation District and I’ve volunteered at many other events, so I’m very familiar with the organization and what we do.

Since I moved from my hometown of Ellensburg I’ve really grown to appreciate the Wenatchee Valley, from the stark beauty of the shrub-steppe hills to the lushness of the banks of the mighty Columbia. Also, I just graduated high school and got a job at Target, so things look pretty good every which way.

I’m happy to pick up the blogging reigns and keep you informed on all of the comings and goings here at Cascadia. Speaking of which, the Picture the Wenatchee Photo Contest is in full swing! For contest rules and to submit photos go to www.picturethewenatchee.com, and while you’re there you can sign up for a FREE watershed care package. Winning contest photos will be featured in a 2013 calendar. Deadline for submissions is October 1^st.

Also coming up are the Entiat River Appreciation on Saturday, August 4^th and the Wenatchee River Cleanup on Saturday, August 21^st. For more details call (509) 664-9370 and ask for Amanda.    

Your new friend in conservation,

Mitch

Happy Trails...


It was a busy spring, with educational events and a major garden installation projects keeping me busy! (For more information on these and more goings-on at Cascadia CD, keep an eye out for the Summer 2012 Cascadia Quarterly newsletter at the end of the month).  Now July is here and my AmeriCorps term with Cascadia is at an end.  Where did the time go?


Julia teaches children about the benefits of
pollinators in our new Pollinator Garden located
at 215 Melody Lane in Wenatchee

I will be staying in the area, and plan to keep in touch with Cascadia as a "civilian" volunteer.  So, as I head off down my conservation-focused path, I am pleased to be able to pass over the "blogging-reins" to one of our regular volunteers, Mitch.  He will be keeping readers up-to-date on summer community and volunteer events and discussing conservation topics from his own perspective, until the next AmeriCorps intern arrives in September. 

Thank you so much Mitch! And thank you all for reading!

Your Friend in Conservation,
Julia 

Spring Happenings at Cascadia CD

April was a very busy month in the Education and Outreach arena at Cascadia Conservation District! We wrapped up several big events- like our "Native planting 101" workshop season, annual Native Plant Sale, and Earth Day Essay Contest.  We participated in several Earth Day Fairs around Chelan County, and got ready to launch some new projects. 

This week's blog is a bit of a mish-mash, with updates about what we've been up to, and what we will be up to in the coming months.  A little "spring cleaning," if you will...



A few of our many wonderful
Native Plant Sale volunteers!



Native Plant Sale wrap-up

A big thank-you to all our volunteers who helped to make our 2012 Native Plant Sale a success!  In addition to our plant bundling volunteers (see our March 29th blog post), we had two great volunteer groups help us sort and load up plant orders and kept us organized on our two plant pick-up days.  Christie, Alex, Sharon, Lauren, Jake, Lynda, Annie, Nancy, and Larry- we couldn't have done it without you!

 



Amanda, Cascadia's Ed & Outreach Specialist,
running the Enviroscape display at
Leavenworth's Earth Day Fair.



Earth Day Fair Extravaganza

In mid April, Cascadia participated in several Earth Day events around Chelan County.  You may have visited our booth at the Lake Chelan Earth Day Fair on April 21st or the LIFE2 Earth Day Fair in Leavenworth on April 22nd.  We brought with us an Enviroscape- a watershed model that demonstrates how point and non-point source pollution can make its way into our streams, rivers, and lakes- that was a big hit with kids of all ages, and adults too!  We had beautiful weather on both days, enjoyed local music and food, and were even highlighted in an article in the Chelan Mirror newspaper!  See the article here.

The Enviroscape also came with us to the Earth Day fair at Entiat Elementary School, where we spent a fun, fast-paced day talking to Entiat kindergarten through 5th graders about where pollution comes from and the things we can do to make our waterways healthy for plants, animals, and people!





"Untitled" by Caden Stockwell
One of our 2010 PTW Calendar Photo Contest Finalists



Picture the Wenatchee Calendar

Photo Contest

The Picture the Wenatchee (PTW) Calendar Photo Contest has launched!  From now until October 1st, Cascadia will be accepting electronic photo submissions for six categories: plants, wildlife, agriculture, recreation, landscapes, and water.  Photos must be taken within the Wenatchee River watershed and by residents or visitors age 13 or older.  Entries will be exhibited at participating local businesses in the fall and a panel of judges will choose two winners from each category for inclusion in a 2013 Wenatchee River watershed stewardship calendar!  For complete contest rules, a watershed map, and to submit your photo(s), please visit the Picture the Wenatchee website.

Photo by J. Leach

Camas (at Camas Creek Meadows)

 Native Plant Appreciation Week: April 29-May 5

This week is Washington Native Plant Appreciation Week!  If you can, take a few minutes this week to get outside, slow down, and enjoy the native beauty around you!  More information can be found on the Washington Native Plant Society website.  And check out our Facebook page this week as we highlight some of the Cascadia staff's favorite native plants!  

Stay tuned, more Cascadia events coming your way soon!

Thanks for reading!

Your Friend in Conservation,
Julia