A sun-drenched crowd gathered at the TwispWorks Pavilion on Saturday (May 1) to honor the memory of Mary Kiesau, a naturalist, educator and photographer who died in April 2020. Kiesau was the Educational Programs Director with the Methow Conservancy for 13 years. She was renowned for her photography and environmental education business, Mountain Kind. She was also a seven-year board member at TwispWorks. Speakers included family, friends, colleagues and Kiesau’s longtime partner, Merle Kirkley, picture at right. TwispWorks and the Methow Conservancy teamed up to create the Mary Kiesau Community Fellowship Fund, which will support the independent projects of artists, photographers and naturalists. The first recipients were announced at last weekend’s event: Naturalist David Lukas will create a series of short video vignettes introducing wildflowers of the valley. Photographer, naturalist and educator Dave Moskowitz will create portfolio of photographs highlighting valley wildlife and images of people interacting with the Methow landscape. Seattle-based multi-discipline artist Etsuko Ichikawa will spend a month in the Methow this fall exploring the various native soils in an effort to create dyes for fabric.
