Tyee Tour

Upper inlet breach at Tyee Ranck

Last week I had the opportunity to attend my first board meeting since starting here at Cascadia Conservation District.  It was a good experience to meet some of the board members and others who are involved with the conservation district at a different level then me and the rest of the staff. I found it especially interesting to not only hear about how things are going with some of the projects we are currently involved in but also some proposed projects for future work. Board meetings are open to the public and every meeting allots time to hear public comments. This is not only an opportunity to voice any questions or concerns you have but also an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the  projects we are involved in. The next board meeting will be held on December 13^th at 3:30pm at 215 Melody Ln. Wenatchee. 

Northernmost log habit structures at Tyee Ranch

Following the board Meeting I tagged along for a tour of some of the Entiat projects Cascadia Conservation District has been working on.  The tour focused on some of the recently installed Fish Habitat structures that are part of the massive Entiat restoration project. Kurt Hosman, one of Cascadia’s Project Coordinators, led the tour and did a great job explaining the purpose of these structures and also provided valuable insight into the construction and sustainability of these structures. We had discussed some of these structures during the meeting but trudging through the mud to see them with my own eyes provided me with a far better understanding of how they will provide juvenile salmon with a safe place to hide until they get big enough to head downstream.

If you’d like to see some of the Entiat projects yourself, contact Susan Dretke at susan.dretke@wa.nacdnet.net or (509) 664-9348.

The New Kids in the Creek Website



Students collecting macroinvertebrates at the "Invert Investigator" station



Kids in the Creek, a hands-on outdoor education program, has launched a website intended to be a resource for anyone interested in this valuable program. The website is broken down into sections: Teachers, Activity Leaders, Students, Volunteers, and Adults in the Creek.  Each of these stations provides appropriate levels of information and materials to interested website viewers. Students can go online and find out what they will learn at each station as well as what they need to bring with them.  At the same time, teachers, are able to use the website as a resource for important information such as student worksheets, planning sheets, an application to attend and more.



Measuring stream width at the "What's in that H20? (Quantity)" Station



There are six stations at Kids in the Creek that students attend; Invert Investigator, Riparian Rx, Habitat Sense, What’s in that H²0 (Quality), What’s in that H²0 (Quantity), Fish Health, and Watershed Wonders.  On the website, each of these stations has their own section of images found on the gallery page and their own resource specialist training videos (found on the activity leader’s pages). These videos, along with the rest of the KITC curriculum/materials allow anyone to not only gain valuable knowledge on how to prepare for and attend Kids in the Creek, but how to implement the lessons on their own!

Learn more by visiting the new Kids in the Creek website.
Make sure to visit the Kids in the Creek face book page to Like!

“To connect students with aquatic and riparian ecosystems for an understanding of watersheds and the critical role of human land management activities.” – Kids in the Creek Mission Statement.

Recent Volunteer Projects



AmeriCorps members pack down soil and perform a raindance.



Pollinator Garden

Located in the front of our office building, the pollinator garden was installed in the spring of 2012.  The garden was spearheaded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Cascadia Conservation District, but every organization in the building donated funds and/or labor so it's been a great collaborative project! 

The purpose of the garden is to inform visitors about pollinators- specifically native bees- that are responsible for a significant amount of the pollination of everything from native ecosystems to agricultural crops, and to demonstrate how we all can do our part to provide healthy habitat for pollinators on our own properties.

This weekend I was able to get out there and do some work! In addition to seeding (which required the ground to be prepped/raked, then seeded, and then gently packed down again) we also planted a few remaining plants in the southwest corner of the garden. It was a great opportunity for me to learn firsthand about pollinators while helping out!



WHS students work in teams to remove browse guards



Riparian Restoration Project

A few weeks ago we organized a volunteer event with some of the 9^th grade Wenatchee High School students. Students helped in the removal and storage of browse guards and bamboo stakes from a riparian planting project we implemented along the Entiat River in the fall, 2011.  Throughout the day we were able to discuss the importance of native plants, identify invasive species, as well as discuss simple eco-friendly practices that students (or anyone else) can follow at home, at work, or in the car. 

We’d like to thank all of the students, teachers, chaperones, and volunteer group leaders from Wenatchee High School, Cascadia Conservation District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and AmeriCorps who were able to come out and make our project a huge success.

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.