State funds support trails, campgrounds, preservation Okanogan County projects will receive more than $3 million in grants through the state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, the board announced last week. The grants include several major projects in the Methow Valley and adjacent areas. Altogether, the state allotted $126 million for 333 projects throughout the state […]
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
State board renames Squaw Creek as Swaram Creek
The creek that flows into the Methow River about 3 miles south of the town of Methow will officially be known as Swaram Creek instead of Squaw Creek, following a unanimous decision by the state Board of Natural Resources on Dec. 5.
The board considered an October recommendation by the Washington …
State committee OKs Squaw Creek name change
A state committee has approved a name change for Squaw Creek south of Methow, bringing it one step closer to being rechristened as Swaram Creek, the original name used by Native Americans.
The change to Swaram Creek was approved by six members of the Washington State Committee on …
‘Lost Homeland’ tells little-known history of Methow Tribe
A history that is unknown to most people — how the Methow Tribe lost its revered homeland in the Methow Valley — is detailed for the first time in a book by local author and historian E. Richard Hart.
In 1879…
Take a tour of Methow River floodplain restoration site Saturday
Work has been underway for several years to restore a natural floodplain on state-owned land off of the Old Twisp Highway between Winthrop and Twisp.
The community is invited to visit the site on Saturday (June 3) during a free event highlighting the connection between …
Federal action brings two-year halt to headwaters mining activity
More than 340,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in the upper Methow Valley are closed to new mineral exploration and mining for the next two years, while federal agencies evaluate whether the land should be protected for up to 20 years.
In a victory for …
FEDERAL ACTION CLOSES METHOW HEADWATERS AREA TO NEW MINING FOR TWO YEARS
More than 340,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in the upper Methow Valley are closed to new mineral exploration and mining for the next two years, while federal agencies evaluate whether the land should be protected for up to 20 years.
In a victory for the local Methow Headwaters Campaign, which has worked to protect …
U.S. Ag Department backs proposal to protect Methow headwaters
The effort to protect the upper Methow Valley from future mining took another step forward when it was endorsed last week by the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.
Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack said …
Lower Valley: September 28, 2016
By Joanna Bastian If a person’s eyes are the windows to the soul, then their hands must certainly be the doors. It is said, “actions speak louder than words.” In 1889, thousands of young men swarmed into the Methow Valley to join the mining effort. Mining camps developed overnight in every drainage. One such rough […]
Confederated Tribes express concerns about proposed Flagg Mountain copper mining
Members of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have expressed concern about the potential for future mining in the upper Methow Valley, and the harm it could cause natural resources, as well as the tribes’ cultural and spiritual connections to that land.
Tribal members brought those concerns to a meeting last week with U.S. Forest Service officials at tribal offices in Nespelem, said Methow District Ranger Mike Liu.
