In the last year, I’ve attended monthly meetings with the Okanogan County Broadband Action Team. The monthly meetings are open to the public and address opportunities to provide reliable, affordable internet access to rural areas. This does not always involve an internet connection to the home. In our rural area, “affordable internet access” is simply […]
Methow
Valley Life: Lower Valley
From my front yard I watched the pyrocumulus clouds rise from the fires in Canada. From her post at Goat Peak Lookout, Christine Estrada photographed astounding images of the fire glow — these can be seen on her Facebook page, “Where in the Wild is Chris?” I thought about the traditional Sinixt and Okanogan territories […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
This coming weekend is the best time to catch the annual Perseids meteor showers, named for the constellation Perseus. The Perseus constellation is named for the man who beheaded Medusa. In early star atlases, the constellation is drawn as a sword-wielding Perseus holding Medusa’s head, represented by the bright star Algol, derived from the Arabic […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
Now through August, the night sky puts on the annual star-studded show, the Perseid Meteor Showers. The best viewing time is right before the new moon during the peak, Aug. 11 and 12. In addition to a natural celestial event, there are several events happening in August to celebrate the Methow Valley’s beautiful dark skies. […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
I met Max Judd in October of 2014, when the utility poles along Highway 153 were still burnt from the Carlton Complex Fire. That fall, everything still felt in disarray, except for Max’s small garden of corn next door to the post office. I found great comfort in those orderly rows of tall stalks, tassels […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
On July 4, 1916, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren donned military-style leggings and leather riding breeches. They threw their legs over the seats of their 1,000cc Indian Power Plus motorcycles and revved their engines. The women rode 5,500 miles in 60 days from Brooklyn, New York, to Los Angeles, California, to prove that women could […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
The annual Pateros Booster Club sponsored Salmon Bake is going to be a good one this year, with great speakers and amazing food. The event is Saturday, June 24, in the Pateros City Park along the shoreline of the mighty Columbia River. Grilled salmon fillets, Sweet River Bakery Rolls, salad and beverages for $15. Learn […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
I stood in line at the grocery store and overheard a neighborly discussion about bears. Yep, they are out and about. Time to review the garbage pick-up schedule and consider getting up early to put out the cans instead of leaving them out days before. The early bird doesn’t feed the bears. Everyone knows proper […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
Several years ago, while on a favorite trail where the wildflowers grow in abundance, I came across John Kolts while he conducted a field study for The Xerces Society, a nonprofit science-based organization working to conserve pollinators and their respective habitats. In a recent post on the Methow Nature Notes Facebook group, John revealed the […]
Valley Life: Lower Valley
Each night, when darkness falls, I switch on a light and crack open a book. I am currently reading “The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms That Sustain Life,” by Johan Eklöf. Eklöf is a Swedish scientist who studies bats. He quickly discovered the extent of light pollution that affected […]
