Plant in the Fall

Planting in the fall may seem like a poor choice. Winter is knocking on the door, and whether we like it or not will soon force its way into our lives. With freezing temperatures and snow on their way it may seem like the worst time of year to plant, but it's actually a great time. Bulbs, shrubs, and trees can do very well when planted in the fall.

Fall planting works well because of the weather associated with it. While it may seem cold and wet outside when compared to the summer we left behind, fall weather is often more pleasant than spring. The weather is still warm during the day, but not overly hot. There are usually less rainy and cloudy days, but rain still comes fairly regularly. Also the soil is quite a bit warmer in the fall than in the spring.

Bulbs that have been in the ground for over a year follow their own natural rhythms. It's only the first year that can cause them some issues as they adjust to life back in the ground. Bulbs normally sprout in the spring, grow, and then go dormant in the fall. When planted in the spring it can take a little time for the bulbs to start the process of sprouting. They have to adjust first. Planting in the fall can remove some of the issues of spring planting. The bulbs have a chance to acclimate to the soil before going dormant for the winter. This leaves them well prepared to start spring growth based on their natural rhythms. Plant bulbs too late in the season and they might miss the signals necessary to start growth. This may lead to them developing far later in the year than normal, or they might not sprout at all.

New shrubs and trees, when planted in the spring, spend a lot of their first year trying to establish a good root system. The resources spent on root growth are necessary, but at the same time they limit resources available to other plant growth. Water requirements the first year are also quite higher than subsequent years due to the lack of an established root system.

Fall planting can remove these issues. Even though shrubs and trees are headed towards dormancy in the fall they still have time to grow. Planting them in the fall gives them a month or two to establish roots without also trying to grow the other parts of the plant as well. This preparation allows the plants to grow in the spring without diverting so many resources towards root growth. This helps cut down on the watering necessary the first spring and summer.

The last benefit to fall planting is money. Often the plants available at the end of the season are much cheaper than they were during spring or summer. By fall most businesses with plants still in stock just want to get rid of them. Anything they have left that you want will typically be much less expensive.

Hopefully this gives you an option to consider when planting, instead of automatically planting in the spring. Next time you have plans to plant in the spring; consider the alternatives and plant in the fall. You'll save yourself time, effort, and money. When spring comes you'll be able to enjoy your new plantings without slaving away in the muck trying to get them in the ground. 

Make sure to tune in again next week for another article. I plan to talk about fungi next and explore some of their roles in our environment.

Josh

Don't Throw Out Your Fallen Leaves

As the sun rises later each morning and sets earlier each evening, the nights creep closer to freezing and the day doesn't warm until late afternoon, it's time to start preparing your yard for the coming winter. Depending on the size and complexity of your yard, and your individual interest, preparing for winter can be a half day's project or a month's worth of Saturdays.

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One project in particular can vary greatly in its difficulty depending on the number of trees in your yard. A single ornamental tree may barely register a blip on your work meter, while four or more large trees can easily peak your work meter, and leave you with dozens of bags of leaves to deal with. Don't toss your leaves though. Not only is that a waste of valuable landfill space, but those dead leaves still have plenty of life left in them.

Multiple options are available that make use of your leftover leaves, and almost all of these options are far simpler than you might think. The nice part is that you start with the same basic prep for all options and then you get to decide what you want to do with them. Use all of them in one or split it between all your options.

The first step is to shred the leaves. There are two basic options for shredding. The first option is to simply mow over the leaves on your grass. If you have a mower and bag this is a really simply way to shred. Simply mow into the bag and then empty the bag where you want it. If your mower doesn't have a bag you can still mow the leaves, but you're going to have to rake them up afterward. The other option is to gather the leaves up and run them through a chipper/shredder. This option may seem unnecessary if you own a mower, but a mower isn't usable in all areas of a yard. Of course, the leaves could be moved onto your lawn and then mowed. But if you have access to a chipper/shredder it may be simpler to pile, shred, and use without moving the leaves too far.

After the leaves are shredded you have to decide what you want to do with them. The simplest option is probably mulching and from there you can go through more and more complex forms of composting. If you want to use them for mulching they're ready to go. Simply take the shredded leaves and place them where you want, around plants or across entire flower beds. Mulching serves a couple purposes. The first is it helps keep the soil moist by blocking the soil from direct sun exposure. The second is that it helps provide a barrier against weed growth.

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Composting takes more work. While mulch may eventually turn to compost after enough time, if you want true compost it needs to be helped along. This involves mixing the shredded leaves with soil to introduce microbes that will help break down the leaf matter. It also needs to remain warm and moist. A compost pile may need to be periodically watered in dry climates. Compost can be done on the ground in piles, but it's more efficient to place it in a dark, above ground bin. This helps heat the compost, especially during the colder months. Compost also must be periodically turned to allow proper mixing and decomposition.

By themselves leaves don't make the most ideal compost. Leaves are heavy in carbon, but low in almost all other nutrients. It's best to add other green plant matter and food scraps from the house into the compost to build up other nutrient levels. Doing this will help create compost with a wide range of available nutrients, perfect for adding to gardens and flowerbeds the following spring and summer.

Another variant on compost is making leaf mold. The difference between leaf mold and regular compost is the composition of the starting ingredients. Leaf mold is entirely made of decomposed leaves. Simply take the shredded leaves, place them together, and keep moist. You can use compost bins, plastic bags, or just make piles on the ground. Every few weeks simply turn and mix the leaves like you would with a regular compost pile. Wait several months and then it's ready to use. Leaf mold is less a fertilizing compost and more a conditioner for the soil. It helps fluff up the soil while at the same time increasing the water holding abilities of the soil.

If you want to create new garden beds for the following spring the leaves will be a great asset. Start by spreading several sheets of newspaper over the ground you want to use. This will help keep underlying vegetation from growing through. From there spread alternating layers of shredded leaves and green plant matter (basically anything except leaves), aiming for about twice as much leaf matter as green matter. Layer until it reaches a foot or two in depth and then let it sit. By springtime the matter should have decomposed enough to leave a rich soil, perfect for spring planting. Fall is ideal for this because the new garden has the rest of fall, all winter, and early spring to decompose. The higher amounts of rainfall and the winter snows also benefit by keeping it moist. By spring the two feet you started with will have shrunk down, but the soil should be very good for planting.

Whichever of these options sounds the best is completely up to your tastes and needs. Just use at least one of them. The amount of time it takes to rake, gather, and bag all the leaves just to throw them away is probably on par with at least a couple of these options. So take the time to help yourself and make good use of all your available resources, even if those resources are dead leaves.

Tune in next week for another interesting article.

Josh

Fall is for the Trees

A look at an orchard in early fall. Notice the variety of colors present.

Fall is a special time of year. It’s a time to enjoy the beauty of nature, but it’s also a time for preparation. We prepare our cars, homes, and yards for the coming snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. We insulate our homes and switch out our bald tires for studded snow tires. Once the cold sets in we try to avoid going outside. And if we do have to venture out we dash from one heated location to another, out the door of our home into the car and from the car into the store. We have the options and the abilities to protect ourselves from the winter weather by removing ourselves from it. Trees don’t have that luxury. A tree can’t simply uproot and walk into a warm house. It’s stuck where it’s rooted. It must prepare itself for winter.

A maple tree girded in full fall foliage. 

Perhaps the most visible preparation is the changing colors and eventual loss of leaves on deciduous trees. Nothing quite brings to mind fall as seeing the multitudes of colors across the different species of trees. Reds, oranges, and yellows dot our cities and forested hills. The landscape becomes a kaleidoscope of colors for a short time. Slowly the kaleidoscope fades as the once colorful leaves fall to the ground. Our cities and hills lose their vibrant colors. All that remains are leafless trees, bare until the spring.

Trees lose their leaves for a very basic reason. It’s better for their survival. They wouldn’t necessarily die if they kept them throughout the winter, but it would cost them more energy than they would take in. Photosynthesis uses sunlight to create carbohydrates. Plants use these carbohydrates for almost everything. They need them to grow. For photosynthesis to work, however, there needs to be sun and heat. However, winter days are short, often cloudy, and cold. Opposite of the ideal conditions. So the trees drop their leaves.

Why do the leaves change first though? Why aren't the leaves just dropped, still green, to the ground? Nutrients. The tree spent energy and resources to grow the leaves. There’s no reason to just throw them away. So first the tree resorbs what material it can from the leaves. It uses enzymes to break down complex molecules into their base amino acids or carbohydrates. These are then funneled into the branches, trunk, and roots of the tree for storage until the new growth in the spring. Of course this process isn't free. The tree must continue photosynthesizing as this occurs.

An aspen grove with its brilliant yellow foliage.

Where does the red, orange, and yellow come from? For the most part the colors are already present in the leaves. They’re just not seen because the chlorophyll is so much more prevalent during the growing season. The color change occurs in the fall because the chlorophyll stops getting replaced as it degrades under constant sun exposure. This allows the carotenoids (orange), xanthophylls (yellow), and anthocyanins (red) pigments to show through. Oddly enough production of some of these pigments can often increase in the fall as the leaves get closer to dropping. Leading to brilliant colored leaves in some trees. One reason that production of these pigments might increase is because of nutrients available in the leaf. As fall progresses the pathways out of the leaf eventually close. This leads to a buildup of nutrients. These nutrients are then used in the production of lesser pigments. But eventually even these pigments degrade from light exposure. At this point the only color left is brown, which comes from tannins.

What about internal changes? What goes on inside a tree to protect it from freezing temperatures? The first thing to know is that the cold temperatures themselves aren't necessarily harmful to the plant. The bigger issue is that water expands as it freezes. Fill a water bottle full of water and put it in the freezer. When it finishes freezing you'll see that the water has either burst out the cap or through a side. The same thing would happen if water froze inside a cell.

So why don't tree cells burst when the temperature drops below freezing? The simple answer is that all water doesn't freeze at 32º. The freezing temperature varies depending on the concentration of solutes in the water. Increase the solutes, decrease the freezing temperature. Trees make use of this property by increasing the concentration of solutes in their cells as winter approaches. These solutes function as an antifreeze for the tree.

Another benefit that all plants have are cell walls. Cell walls are rigid structures that surround the softer cell membrane. They provide support, strength, and protection. They're one of the reasons that trees can grow so large. They allow the individual cells to flex and move while relying on the cell wall to maintain integrity. If water does have a chance to freeze in a plant it often occurs outside of a cell. As the ice crystal expands it can punch through the cell wall and push on the cell membrane. The cell membrane is flexible. It can wrap itself around the encroaching ice. As the cell shrinks it forces water out, increasing the solute concentration inside the cell. Further protecting the cell from internal freezing.

The downfall of increasing the solute concentration is that it takes up space in the cell. Space that otherwise would be used by the cell for normal operations. This forces the cells to go dormant while they're full of this antifreeze. The cells are protected, but they can't keep working. They must wait until it warms in the spring to flush the antifreeze and resume normal cellular operations.

Just as the trees spend weeks and months preparing themselves for the coming cold, so must we. We can't prepare overnight for a temperature change of 70º and freezing weather. We must acclimate ourselves to it slowly. We can't pump antifreeze into our blood and cells, but we can insulate our bodies by increasing the number of layers we wear. We can sip warm drinks and funnel heat into our core. We prepare our bodies and homes in different, but similar, ways to the trees. And we do it for the same reasons. Survival. We survive the cold by preparing for the cold in a series of steps. 
What else can we takeaway from the fall trees? The simplest idea might be that even in beauty there is purpose. Fall leaves are pretty, but that is not their primary purpose. Nor is any of the other beauty in nature simply for our benefit. All beauty serves a purpose, whether that beauty is a tree preparing for fall, or melting snow funneling into a cascading waterfall. All of these things are part of the natural process of our environment. Go out and enjoy the beauty. 

As always tune in next week for another amazing article. I hope to continue with the fall theme for a few more weeks.

Josh

Fall has Arrived

Sunday marked the official first day of fall for 2013. It’s about time. Summer was long, warm, and, oddly, wet. There were fires, but anymore I expect them during the summer. What I didn't expect was all the rain. That rain led to floods and mudslides in the Clockum and other canyons around the area. The scope of the damage seems surprising at first. But that’s only until you consider the fires from this year and last. Without vegetation the hills had nothing to help soak up the water and hold the soil in place, so down it came—over, under, and through everything in its way.

I say good riddance to summer. It's time for cooler temperatures, shorter days, and changing leaves. Personally, I love fall. I love the smell of damp earth after a quick downpour or a light drizzle. I love wading through a pile of freshly raked leaves.

This time of year always brings to mind apples for me. Harvest is in full swing, and fresh fruit is easily found in abundance. Just stop in at a local fruit stand or the farmer’s market.

All the kids wanted to get in on the action at Salmonfest.

The 23^rd annual Wenatchee River Salmon Festival was held last weekend and it seemed to be a good success. Cascadia ran the Rolling Rivers watershed model, and eight different school groups came by for scheduled sessions during the two school days, Thursday and Friday. Saturday was a free-for-all with kids and adults alike stopping by to put their hands in the plastic sand and create watersheds and salmon habitat. At the end of three days, I’m hoping that the few hundred kids learned at least something about the importance of healthy watersheds and the salmon that live in them.

A beautiful sunny morning. This photo would work great for the contest.

Fall is a great time to go out and take some pictures. Head up into the hills and capture some photos of the mountains with the patches of yellow from the western larch, one of the few conifers that drops its needles for the winter. Find an apple orchard and take some pictures of the branches laden with colorful fruit. Hit the trails and snap a picture of a large buck flashing his antlers. And once you get back with your multitude of photos head over to www.picturethewenatchee.com and submit them for the 2013 Picture the Wenatchee photo contest. The top two pictures from each category will end up in Cascadia’s 2014 stewardship calendar. Be quick about it though. The contest closes October 1^st. 


Tune in next week for another inspiring article. I hope to spend the next few weeks covering topics that have something to do with the new fall season.

Josh

Fire: Bring on the Inferno

Imagine the forest and hills near Wenatchee 200 years ago, a stormy night in late August. The air is hot and stuffy. Dry lightning flashes in the night. A bolt shoots out and strikes the mountain. Flames appear. They spread. No rain to stop them. A wildfire is born.

With no controls this fire could burn for weeks or even months. Until the rain fell or it burned itself out. But this fire wasn't a raging wall razing the forest in its path. This fire burned through the brush and small trees. Clearing the forest floor, and occasionally burning tree stands. Just like it had 10 or 20 years before. Just like it would 10 or 20 years later. The cycle would keep repeating.

Except the cycle stopped. People showed up and they didn't like the fire. They feared for their lives and their livelihoods. Fire was evil. It had to be controlled. So they prepared for fires. They built fire lookouts. They watched the storms and rushed to extinguish any flames. They would control the fire.

For a time it worked. They stopped the fires. The forest grew. And grew. They harvested timber and the forest came back thicker than before. And they continued to stop the fires. But fire would not be denied. The forests were thick, but they were not teeming. Dead brush and branches littered the floor. Trees stood shoulder to shoulder where they had once stood apart.

Finally the trees grew too numerous. The underbrush too thick. Fire started and it raged. It burned. It devoured the landscape. The people had to fight so hard to contain it. And they did stop it.

But where the fire had gone nothing remained. Fires before had left tall, healthy trees relatively unscathed. Now there was nothing. The ground was dead. The trees were dead. Each trunk like a gravestone. The damage remains. It will be decades before these forests will be whole again.


Each new fire that crosses the land leaves a similar testament to our misunderstanding of the flames. A black wasteland. For years we assumed that fire was bad. How could something that burns the land be good for it? Fire is both destroyer and life giver. Fire often destroys what is there, but in return it allows new life to sprout from its ashes. The diversity of plants after a fire is astounding. There's no competition. The ground is open, free to whichever plant can get their seeds down first.

Several species require fire to propagate. Their seeds only released after a fire rushes over the landscape. Releasing their seeds from cones and other casings. Other species require fire to help them survive. Ponderosa pine grows best in open sunny locations. Its bark is thick and fire resistant, and its branches are far above the ground. It is suited to a landscape that receives fire. Without fire, other tree species can often out compete Ponderosa in its native habitat.

Fire should be embraced. Or at the very least accepted. Fire has always been here. Fire is much like a surgeon cutting out dead tissue and allowing new, healthy tissue to grow back in its place. The landscape is healthier with fire.

I'm not saying that fire should be allowed to burn and to just forget about the people. But there is a better line to walk. Strict fire suppression only leads to larger and more dangerous fires. Controlled burns are a good start. These can somewhat replicate a natural fire. It would be ideal to allow the fires to take back control, and burn what they've always burned. However, this isn't really a valid option anymore. The consequences are too severe.

Fire is not the enemy. Fire burns, but it also allows new growth. Growth that would never have occurred without a blank, blackened slate. Fire is as much a part of our landscape as the trees we are trying to protect. Accept it.

Hello All

Hello all, my name is Josh Smith, and I'm the new Americorps volunteer serving at Cascadia Conservation District. One of my duties will be keeping this blog updated, so I'll do my best to post once a week.

Now a little bit about me. I was born in Wenatchee, and I've lived here all of my life except for the years I attended college. I graduated from Central Washington University a few years ago with a BS in biology and a BA in political science. That's an odd mix, but it just sort of happened. My main interest in biology are plants, so anytime I'm out hiking or camping I'm always stopping to look and smell any flowers I see. This is my second year in Americorps. Last year I was at Wenatchee High School, so this site is a bit of a change.

I'm looking forward to this upcoming ten and a half months. I hope to learn a lot, and I'm excited to finally be at a place where my biology degree might be of some use to me. I also rather enjoy writing, so being responsible for this blog is a plus.

Feel free to comment and ask questions if you desire. I'll do my best to keep it interesting.


Josh

Farewell Washington

This is what happens on your last day when you play
practical jokes on your co-workers all year.

About a year ago, I was standing outside my apartment in Birmingham Alabama, trying to cram everything I could into my tiny car. I would soon be on my way to Wenatchee, a small city in Washington which I really didn’t know much about but was excited to see. I had joined AmeriCorps and had been placed at Cascadia Conservation District to serve a ten and a half month term. As I drove across the country I wondered what my year would be like. Would I like my co-workers? Would I have to buy snow tires for my car? Is there really a 14,000 foot mountain, a rainforest, and a desert in a single state? My questions would all be answered soon as I began my new adventure.

 

Today, 12 months later, is my last day here at Cascadia. My temporary term of service with Intermountain AmeriCorps will officially end on Monday which means it’s time to say goodbye to you readers. I’ve enjoyed my time tremendously here and am grateful for all the wonderful opportunities I’ve had. I’ll miss Washington and all the people I’ve met here, but it’s time for a new journey.

In a few weeks I’ll once again be engaged in a game of Tetris with my things and my car, preparing for another long road trip. I’ll be spending the next year in Anchorage Alaska, relishing in the new scenery and hoping to not be eaten by a bear.

 

Farewell,

 

Jon

Summer's Finally Here!

Although the recent rains have kept the valley quaintly cool, behind those grey and gloomy clouds, the sun is shining brightly and imminently waiting to warm and nurture the chilled, Vitamin D deficient sunshine seekers of north central Washington.  That’s right; it’s time to get outside! There are a few fun events coming up that we’ll be participating in and you should too!

Saturday, June 29^th, from 9:00am - 5.00pm, is this year’s “Entiat Summer Fest”. Stop by and see us at Entiat City Park and enjoy some great food and beverages at the various vendors’ booths. It looks like the weather will be PLENTY warm enough to enjoy the day outdoors!

Saturday, August 3^rd, starting at 9:00am, Cascadia Conservation District, the City of Entiat, and the Entiat Watershed Planning Unit will join forces to cohost this year’s “Entiat River Appreciation”. We’ll be cleaning up a stretch of the lower Entiat River and removing noxious weeds at the Entiat National Fish Hatchery. Afterwards, enjoy a free barbeque, family oriented activities, restoration project information and experts on hand, and live music during our volunteer appreciation party. To RSVP give us a call at (509) 664-9370 or visit our website, www.cascadiacd.org. 

Are you a weekend warrior with Saturdays that are booked until next winter??? That’s ok; we’ve got something great for you too. We’ve just launched our 2013-2014 Picture the Wenatchee Photo Contest. The contest is free to participate in and winning photos will be displayed at local businesses in the Wenatchee River valley this fall. Photo categories include: Water, Landscape, Agriculture, Wildlife, Plants, and Recreation! Winning photos will be produced in a 2014 Wenatchee Watershed Stewardship Calendar! To find out more, how to apply, or read the contest rules, visit www.picturethewenatchee.com

And finally, for those dedicated conservationists who aren’t ready to slow cook themselves in the soon-to-be outdoor oven. We’re looking for a couple of pleasant folks to help us ready our summer newsletter for distribution. This will take place inside our air-conditioned office at 215 Melody Ln., Wenatchee on Wednesday, July 31^st, from 5:00pm-7:00pm. If you’d like to come by and help out, get in touch with our Education and Outreach Specialist, Amanda Levesque, at amanda.levesque@wa.nacdnet.net or (509) 664-9370.

Kids in the Creek

Students learning at the H20 Flow station.

Every year since 1992, Cascadia has participated in Kids in the Creek, an award winning, outdoor educational field day for local high school students. This annual event is possible through a collaboration of partnerships between the US Fish and Wildlife, USDA Forest Service, City of Wenatchee, Washington State Department of Ecology, and Cascadia Conservation District. For most students, this is their first real field biology learning experience. During their field day, students not only learn about aquatic and riparian ecosystems, they also are given examples of how human land management activities can affect these ecosystems and their watershed’s overall health.

Students making land-use plans at Watershed Wonders.

This May, from Tuesday the 7^th through Thursday the 9^th over 300 students from six different schools across Chelan and Douglas counties came out to the Entiat National Fish Hatchery to don waders, hop in the creek and learn all about steam flow, fish habitat and health, invertebrates found in rivers and streams, water quality, and riparian ecosystems. Each student was able to spend an entire day in the field learning from a group of dedicated natural resource professionals at the six different Kids in the Creek stations. These stations are designed to teach students a variety of environmental lessons, from how and why professionals measure vegetative canopy cover in riparian areas, to simulations of potential worst-case scenario water quality concerns and how these issues could affect fish and other aquatic wildlife. During Watershed Wonders, the final and culminating station of the day, students worked in groups to plan either an agricultural, recreational or urban development on a hypothetical piece of property.

We’d like to thank Cascade Quality Water, and all of the students, teachers, resource professionals, volunteers and partner organizations for their contributions.

To find out more visit Kids in the Creek's website.

2013 Essay Contest Winners!

“Chelan County hosts some of the most beautiful and pristine environments in the state of Washington. What is your favorite part of the variety of outdoor natural experiences within the county and why do you think conservation is important?”

This is the question that participating 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from across Chelan County answered to participate in Cascadia Conservation District’s third annual Earth Day essay contest. The essay contest was started in order to provide students with the opportunity to contemplate on their experiences with nature and the role we all play in conserving our environment, as well as to recognize those students who show an admirable understanding and dedication to environmental stewardship.

This year’s winner, Ashley Turner, a seventh grader from Foothills Middle School, impressed judges from Cascadia Conservation District, Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, and Wenatchee Outdoors with her essay about Saddle Rock. The second-place essay was written by seventh grader Schyler Archer of Icicle River Middle School, while third place went to Megan Phinney, another seventh grader at Foothills Middle School.

The top three essay writers will be invited to spend a day in the field with a professional wildlife biologist from Chelan County PUD who will be conducting wood duck surveys in Confluence State Park in Wenatchee.

Congratulations to this year’s winners and thanks to all of the students and partner organizations that were able to participate in this year’s Earth Day essay contest.

Here are 2013’s winning essays!

Untitled – 3^rd Place

By Megan Phinney

You are surrounded by white, the soft snow drifting down from above, the trees standing in the white. Skiing through the quiet forest, slowly, happily, enjoying the marvelous powder. What if that was torn down, ripped away? Replaced by tall smoking buildings? How would you feel? How would you react?

I think mission ridge should be preserved so that people can ski and snowboard in all the beautiful powder.

Have you ever been to mission ridge when it is snowing? It's beautiful, quiet. All you hear are skiers and snowboarders slicing through the powder. It's exhilarating, going to the top of microwave and looking down at the mountain, the valley, the river. The future generations should be able to see that.

Skiing is the best way to enjoy that. You can see the beautiful views and zip down the mountain at the same time! It's like multitasking! Feeling the wind as you lean and sway with the mountain is the most amazing feeling. It's one of the reasons I love this valley.

What if we didn't protect that? People would rip through the mountain and tear out the beautiful trees and views. Build sky scraping possessing plants that kill the environment. We shouldn't let this happen, for the trees and animals who call this mountain home, and for use, the people of Wenatchee who love and enjoy skiing and snowboarding. Conservation of the mountain is important because, it protects trees and we need trees to live.

After you read this, I hope you understand that Mission Ridge is a place for family and friends to be together, for animals to roam and for trees to grow, not a worthless pile of dirt and snow. Mission Ridge should be saved, for the people, but for the animals and trees who live there.

Protecting Natural Beauty - 2^nd Place

By Schyler Archer

The variety is important to me because I can go to the beautiful fish hatchery with my horse Zee. It is so peaceful down there because you can hear the birds chirping from all directions, the flow of the slow running river and you can feel the warmth of the sun rays that beam down though the ponderosa pines. It is as peaceful as the rain falling down on your roof when you are sleeping.

The next good thing about our variety is the river down at bam beach. I swim there almost every day of the summer; it's so fun because you can swim with the currents that take you to the little islands in the middle of the river. Our river is also filled with wonderful wildlife such as, fish, crayfish and river bugs. I love the river and always will.

The last thing I love about our variety is the environment behind my house. There is a big rock made of sandstone on the top of the mountain and all the time in the summer I hike up it with my sketch book and iPod, then once I get on to the rock, I sit on there looking down at my beautiful neighborhood, then draw whatever comes to my mind.

It's so nice where I live, I love it when the wind comes flawlessly down through the valley, because you can feel it’s warm welcome when it blows through your hair. I don't think I would want to live anywhere else.

If we don't protect this not only me, but everyone in my community won't be able to enjoy this natural beauty. So please try to keep the rivers, mountains and everything in the outside world clean and protected.

Thank you.

Earth Day – 1^st Place

By Ashley Turner

In the Wenatchee Valley, wherever you look there are new and exciting adventures. Vast Orchards seeming to stretch for an endless amount of time, while the Columbia River meanders through the valley like an overgrown cobra. There are so many sites to explore, protect, yet they are all neglected in any way. So many places to defend, but I'm just here to explain one.

Saddle Rock is one of the most wondrous adventures I have ever been on within Wenatchee. Animals hiding beneath the rocks and under-brush, serene silence so quiet that it seems deafening. The sun beats down on your bare arms, glowing brightly. Nothing is out of place, undisturbed and peaceful.

That is, before you see the beer cans lying in a heap, cigarette butts' peeking out from the pebbles that cover them. Why would people ruin such a site? Are they really so ignorant that they didn't think about the wildlife living there? What about the other people that visit?

People view the mountain as a challenge, or at least I do. It provides me with quality exercise and a magnificent view as my prize once I reach the top. Not only is it an attraction, it's a natural habitat for various animals to live freely and cleanly. Their lives aren't disturbed by the hikers, runners, bikers, and horseback-riders. Everyone and thing is able to live in complete harmony.

Therefore, Saddle Rock should be protected so generations further on can see it, and people can continue to use the mountain for recreational reasons and animals can keep living in their home. There are many beautiful attributes within the Wenatchee valley, and I think that they should be protected.