Cobras strike
A caravan of seven classic AC Cobras (a model also known as the Ford/Shelby AC Cobra) rumbled through Twisp last Saturday, taking a quick stop to regroup before continuing southbound on Highway 20. The car is described on topspeed.com as a high-powered, hand crafted aluminum-bodied sports car that originated in the 1960s. Photo by Don Nelson
Hospital foundation meets
The Three Rivers Hospital Foundation will meet at 7 p.m. on July 9 at the Brewster hospital’s lunch room. Hospital CEO Bud Hufnagel will answer questions and there will be a tour of the hospital. All are welcome. For more information, call (509) 689-2517, ext. 3416.
Student news
Keelan Christensen of Twisp, and Larkin Hubrig and Ema Manzo of Winthrop, have been named to the winter quarter dean’s list at the University of Washington. Undergraduate students must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 to make the list.
Winthrop resident Derek Oliver has been named to the 2013 spring semester dean’s list at the University of Idaho. Undergraduate students must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 to make the list.
Identifying our native bees
An estimated 300 species of bees call the Methow Valley home, and while the species themselves are hard to identify, the five families of bees here and the relatively few genera are not hard to recognize, according to Dana Visalli of The Methow Naturalist. On Sunday (June 30) Visalli will offer a five-hour workshop on how to identify our native bees. Participants will learn how to capture, identify and release local pollinating bee species. Cost of the workshop is $25. To sign up or for more information, call or email Visalli at 997-9011, dana@methownet.com.
At the Conservancy
• The Methow Conservancy’s July First Tuesday program is “Climate Solutions in the Age of Consequences,” on July 2 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Merc Playhouse in Twisp.
KC Golden, Policy Director for Climate Solutions, will present a thought-provoking discussion of climate issues, including ethical dimensions, economic and political foundations, and the kinds of social change needed to tackle the problem. Golden is an active leader in the national climate movement, serving on the boards of 350.org and the U.S. Climate Action Network.
The event is free and open to everyone. The Merc will open at 6:30 p.m. and drinks will be available for purchase. For more information, contact Mary at 996-2870 or mary@methowconservancy.org.
• Join Libby Mills, a favorite teacher among Northwest naturalists and long-time field journalist, will help participants to slow down and “learn to see” during the Conservancy’s Nature Journaling Field class on July 6 and 7, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each days.
Libby will demonstrate a variety of sketching techniques and help you become a more accurate and observant naturalist. Cost is $75. Contact Mary to reserve a spot at mary@methowconservancy.org or 996-2870. More details are available at www.methowconservancy.org.
Fire District 6 plans ‘Jaws of Life’ demonstration
Okanogan County Fire District 6 volunteers will demonstrate their new “Jaws of Life” vehicle extraction tools following the Fourth of July parade in Twisp. The car-cutting demonstration will be in the vacant lot across from the Methow Valley Inn on Second Avenue.
District 6 uses the tools on about one out of every five emergency responses to motor vehicle accidents, according to a press release from the district.
“These new tools were purchased with a $62,700 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” said Fire Chief Don Waller. “We work hard to win grants that will be a benefit to our taxpayers.”
For more information, call 997-2981.
New exec for Salmon Recovery Board
Derek Van Marter has been appointed executive director of the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board (UCSRB), an acting post he has held since May, when the previous director left to take a position with the Washington Department of Agriculture.
Van Marter, a resident of Winthrop, has been the UCSRB’s associate director for seven years, working as coordinator of regional salmon-recovery groups and playing a role in acquiring funding for salmon recovery. He has also facilitated implementation of restoration projects.
The board is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 that works to restore populations of endangered salmon and other at-risk species. Its board of directors consists of county commissioners from Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties and representatives from the Yakama Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
Westernization committee gets three new members
Three new members of Winthrop’s Westernization Architectural Committee, Mary Gray, Audrey Jo Mills and Kristen Smith, were confirmed at last Wednesday’s town council meeting (June 19).
All three new members are town residents, and each helps fulfill the requirement that four of the WAC’s seven members be the “owner, operator or employee of a business within the town limits,” according to WAC administrator and deputy clerk Cindy Pilkinton.
“This is very exciting because it’s the first time in forever that we’ve had all seven seats filled,” said Pilkinton. “And all three will bring some good stuff to the table.”
The Westernization Architectural Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving or disapproving applications for westernization structure permits and sign permits in accordance with Winthrop’s “western theme” as set forth in the town’s municipal code.
The WAC may also request enforcement procedures when violations of the western theme are brought to the committee’s attention.
Members of the all-volunteer committee serve two-year terms.
Winthrop council OKs park district inclusion
The Winthrop Town Council approved a resolution to be part of the proposed Methow Valley Parks and Recreation District, if such a district is formed, at its meeting last week (June 19).
The new taxing district would support parks and recreation facilities and related programs in the valley, such as the Wagner Memorial Pool in Twisp and the Winthrop Ice and Sports Rink.
The Twisp Town Council earlier discussed a similar resolution and was to take up the issue at its June 25 meeting.
Fred Wertz and Jay Lucas, who are coordinating the parks and rec district effort, are collecting signatures of registered voters within the Methow Valley School District boundaries to put the issue on the November ballot if possible.
Petitions are available at the Mazama Store, Methow Cycle and Sport, Trail’s End Bookstore, the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association office, Winthrop Physical Therapy, the Methow Valley Community Center and the Glover Street Market. For more information call Wert at 996-3642.
