USFS field tours
The Methow Valley Ranger District is hosting restoration field tours with forest specialists and partners over the next month.
Meeting locations and logistics information will be sent to registered participants in advance of the field tours. All field trips will be held on Saturdays from approximately 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Meeting locations will be in Twisp or Winthrop. Participants will need to provide their own transportation, or ride with other participants, and bring a lunch.
The remaining tours are:
• Sept. 30: Timber sale layout — Learn about how the Forest Service uses “Designation by Prescription” when laying out timber sales. Timber sale administrators, planners and partners will be part of the group.
• Oct. 7: Condition based management — Learn about how the Forest Service uses “Condition Based Management” to provide flexibility when planning forest restoration projects.
Register at https://forms.office.com/g/X9zFzHDQ6Uat least three days prior to the event(s) you plan to attend. Call (509) 996-4000 for more information.
Prescribed burns
The Methow Valley Ranger District has released a list of prescribed burns that could be scheduled this fall if conditions allow. The district hopes to burn hand piles, as follows: 95 acres at Cub Creek, 448 acres at Benson Creek, 764 acres at the Loup Loup Summit, 1,520 acres in three dozen units of the Mission Project between the Buttermilk and Libby creek areas, and 197 acres in the Upper Methow near Buck Mountain. The district also plans about 200 acres of underburn in the Lost Driveway project near Mazama.
School board candidates’ forum
The Twisp Valley Grange will host a public forum for all six candidates for the three Methow Valley School District board of director position on the Nov. 7 ballot on Tuesday, Oct. 17, starting at 6 p.m.
Invited to appear are:
• District One candidates, incumbent Judith Hardmeyer-Wright and challenger Austin Lott.
• District Three candidates, Scott Larson and Jennifer Zbyszewski.
• District Five candidates, incumbent Frank Kline and challenger Michael Liu.
Doors open at 6 pm. For a meet-and-greet; the forum will be from 6:30-8 p.m. Candidates will answer questions collected from the audience or submitted prior to the forum. Send questions to wendellajb@gmail.com
All voters within the Methow Valley School District are eligible to vote for the three open positions. Ballots will be mailed Oct. 20.
4-H Producer of Merit awards
WSU Okanogan County Extension 4-H has acknowledged local Cascaders 4-H club members for completing the Producer of Merit program at the 2023 Okanogan County Fair. They are Court Darwood; Sam Kaltenbach; Lane Darwood; Gavin McAuliffe; Bennett Day; James McMillan; Alice Esmiol; Kara McMillan; Olivia Esmiol; Helaina Remsberg; and Paisley Esmiol. According to a press release, “Producer of Merit youth commit to strengthen their knowledge, abilities and skills as a feeder, manager, and exhibitor of livestock and to develop a sense of responsibility and good character while producing safe and wholesome food.”
The new 4-H year begins Oct. 1. If you are interested in learning more about becoming an adult volunteer, email angelyn.sheppard@wsu.edu. If your child is interested in joining 4-H, email the same address with their age, projects they are interested in and town they live in.
New at Edward Jones
Jacqueline Arciniega recently joined the Omak office of the financial services firm Edward Jones as a branch office administrator. “A branch office administrator is not only responsible for the daily operation of the branch, but also must provide top-level client service and marketing support for my activities,” said Jessica Harriman, local financial adviser for the firm. Arciniega has lived in Omak for 22 years.