Invasive, fast-burning cheatgrass is pushing out native plants It may seem, to anyone who has driven long stretches of highway in Nevada, Utah, California and even here in the Methow Valley, that there is plenty — maybe even more than enough — sagebrush. Sagebrush once covered 250 million acres of western North America but today that ecosystem is half the […]
Ecology
Ecology joins lawsuit, charges county plan doesn’t protect water
The Washington Department of Ecology has joined a lawsuit against Okanogan County, saying that the county’s new comprehensive plan allows additional development but does not make sure there is enough water to support it. Ecology’s friend-of-the-court brief also charges that the comp plan and accompanying zoning code do not protect water quality.
Environmentalist, author, journalist Bill McKibben speaks this weekend in Winthrop
By Laurelle Walsh
Rarely, but every so often, does a bona fide rock star make an appearance in our fair valley. On Sunday (May 18), Bill McKibben, a certifiable rock star of the …
USFS sets meeting to discuss Flagg Mountain drilling proposal
The U.S. Forest Service will host a meeting on Monday (May 19) at the Winthrop Barn to provide information about a proposed minerals exploration project on Flagg Mountain. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Methow Valley District Ranger Michael Liu said the meeting will not be a public hearing but rather an opportunity for the […]
Comment on Methow Valley river projects
Proposals for four river-restoration projects intended to improve conditions for endangered and threatened salmon in the Methow Valley have been submitted to Okanogan County for environmental review or permit exemptions. Yakama Nation Fisheries is working on a project that would enhance fish habitat on the Twisp River. The project involves the construction of three engineered […]
County crews mixing plant matter and soil on Texas Creek
By Marcy Stamper
Okanogan County Public Works crews have done more erosion-prevention work and cleaned up related debris from trees that had been deposited on steep slopes above Texas Creek, according to …
Drilling concerns aired
By Ann McCreary
Community members and representatives of environmental groups met Monday (April 28) with U.S. Forest Service officials to discuss concerns about exploratory drilling for copper proposed to take place as early as August near Flagg Mountain in Mazama. Concerns included potential impacts on wildlife and water, noise levels that might …
Debris dumped along Texas Creek prompts talks between agencies
By Marcy Stamper
In response to citizen concerns about branches, tree trunks and large root wads deposited on a steep embankment on Texas Creek, representatives from Okanogan County Public Works and the Washington Department of Ecology have discussed the county’s practices for handling vegetation and brush. Representatives of the county and the state agency plan to meet at the site next week to …
B.C. company to explore Mazama-area copper mining
By Ann McCreary
A Canadian mining company is proposing to conduct exploratory drilling in a search for copper on Flagg Mountain near Mazama, with the intention of beginning in August. The company is proposing to drill 15 holes to depths of up to 1,900 feet on U.S. Forest Service land in an operation that would include day and night shifts. The project goal is to determine if there are sufficient copper resources to warrant future mining.
Buckhorn Gold Mine gets new water-quality permit
By Marcy Stamper
The state Department of Ecology has issued a new permit to the Buckhorn Gold Mine covering water quality and …
