A few columns ago, I mentioned that Vic Stokes received the Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award from the Okanogan Conservation District (OCD). Four other people from the Methow Valley also received awards at the 2025 Conservation Celebration.
Sam and Brooke Lucy, owners of Bluebird Grain Farms, were the recipients of the Wildlife Habitat Steward Award. According to the OCD newsletter, this award recognizes their commitment to improving wildlife habitat through conservation practices. The Lucys completed a 3-acre tree and shrub planting, where 600 native plants were installed. The project provided wildlife and pollinator habitat to their 32-acre farm. Anyone interested in providing more wildlife habitat on their acreage can contact an OCD conservation planner on their website.
Anna Rose and Joe Walker of Walking Rose Farm on the Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road received the Cooperator of the Year Award. This honor is given to those who not only meet but exceed the standards of cooperative conservation. Cooperative conservation is a collaborative approach to environmental and natural resource management that involves partnerships between various groups, including governments, private businesses, nonprofits, and individuals, to achieve shared conservation goals.
According to the OCD newsletter, “Anna Rose and Joe Walker exemplify what it means to be dedicated land stewards. Their recent projects include installing an irrigation system to improve water efficiency, installing fencing to protect critical areas, and creating wildlife habitat on their property.” Walking Rose Farm also recently installed an extensive solar array on the roof of one of its outbuildings. The farm markets pasture-raised lamb, lamb products, and wild Alaska salmon Joe and Anna catch at a set net site each summer on the Kvichak River near Bristol Bay, all available at a self-serve farm stand at 287 Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road and the Methow Valley Farmers Market.
The Methow Valley Interpretive Center (MVIC) was a recipient of the 2025 Washington Stories Fund Grant from Humanities Washington for “Keep the Fires Burning — Winter Storytelling on the Methow Tribal Homeland,” featuring storytellers like Arnold Cleveland, whom I wrote about in a 2025 Valley Life Column.
Twenty grants exceeding $100,000 were awarded to cultural organizations across Washington State. According to the Humanities Washington website, “the purpose of the Washington Stories Fund is to record and share with the broader community the little-known stories of people or groups whose contributions add to the cultural richness of Washington State.”
Potlucks with a Purpose is returning to the Twisp Valley Grange. These events include a community potluck dinner followed by a presentation or activity focused on agriculture or community topics relevant to the Methow Valley. Past topics have covered composting, herbalism, and seed saving. The next Potluck with a Purpose is on Sept. 24 and will focus on putting up the harvest. More potlucks will follow on Oct. 22, Feb. 25, 2026, and March 25, 2026. On Jan. 28, 2026, the annual chili contest will take place.
A few columns back, I wrote about a boat ride up Ross Lake, hiking back along the west side of Ross Lake to the Ross Dam trailhead. When I returned to my car, the key fob that I’d stashed behind my back wheel was gone. A couple of weeks later, the Park Service called me and said they had my key fob at the visitor center, identified by my Winthrop Physical Therapy and Fitness card. At about the same time, someone who’d read my column emailed me saying she’d also had her stashed car keys “stolen” at the Ross Dam trailhead. Neither of us had anything taken from our vehicles. I suspect some critter, like a raven with a twisted sense of humor, has found a way to mess with hikers, and in the future, I’ll pack my car key!
