By Ray Peterson I bought property here in the valley in 1996 and built a house in 2006 to retire and live full time. I also served on the board of the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative for several years. My goal has always been to strive for residents of the valley to be aware of […]
My Turn
My Turn- Forest Service logging plans exclude public
By Ric Bailey The U.S. Forest Service is planning to log nearly 200,000 acres of the Methow Watershed over the next 20 years. If, like me, you’d appreciate having a meaningful say in this massive forestry experiment, don’t get too excited: we’re not invited. With deference to the many fine folks working for the Forest […]
My Turn – Key climate bills emerge from state Legislature
Submitted by Methow Valley Citizens Council The 2023 Legislative Session concluded on April 24. Several key climate and conservation bills emerged that will have short- and long-term benefits to the Methow and Okanogan. The Methow Valley Citizens Council Action Fund, the political arm of MVCC, sent weekly action alerts throughout the session on priority bills […]
My Turn- At MVCC, the emphasis is on ‘community’
By Anita Lince Maling “So, what do I get for becoming a member?” a friend asked recently. “Water bottle? Sticker for my car?” Methow Valley residents are used to dozens of hands reaching out for support and if you look at the back end of many cars in town, you’ll see half of those worthy […]
My Turn – Keeping Twisp’s urban forest alive and healthy
Submitted by Twisp Tree Board This winter, on the south end of Glover Street in Twisp, the town lost one of its “legacy” trees — a venerable old silver maple that came uprooted and toppled over onto a house, doing significant damage to the home. This tree was planted by our ancestors, around 100 years […]
My Turn – Homelessness in the Methow Valley: here but misunderstood
By Kat Goering At this point, we’ve all heard that housing is an issue here in the valley. It’s expensive, it’s out of reach for so many people whether you are buying or finding a place to rent. Why then is it a surprise to so many that homelessness exists here in the valley? When […]
My Turn – Help build a vibrant community with a new swimming pool
By Friends of the Pool board of directors We are Friends of the Pool, a small group of volunteer community members who share a passion for swimming and believe everyone in the Methow Valley should have safe access to a pool. We believe pools support the well-being for people of all ages, and build community […]
My Turn – An opportunity we don’t want to miss
By Tori Karpenko One of my favorite sayings is, “many hands make light work.” A fabulous example of this phenomenon has come to the Methow Valley in recent years to help numerous nonprofit organizations accomplish their work. It’s called Americorps NCCC, which stands for National Civilian Community Corps. Community service is a beautiful concept that […]
My Turn – Stark images from the front lines in Ukraine
Editor’s note: Methow Valley resident Shiah Lints recently returned from Ukraine, where he was volunteering with aid agencies in the Kherson and Bakhmut regions. This was his second trip to Ukraine. By Shiah Lints Bakhmut, day one: On the train from Kyiv the snow slowly falls away to bare ground. At the final stops before […]
My Turn – A day in war-torn Ukraine: destruction and resilience
Editor’s note: Methow Valley resident Shiah Lints is in Ukraine, volunteering with aid agencies in the Kherson region. This is his second trip to Ukraine. My day starts long before dawn with a half-hour walk to meet my contacts at NewDawn_uk, who I will accompany into the newly liberated towns around Kharkiv. We will be […]