Although Okanogan County hasn’t met any deadlines in a March 2017 agreement with the Yakama Nation to redo the county’s comp plan and zoning code, dismissing the agreement wouldn’t accomplish any of the Yakama Nation’s goals, said Okanogan County Superior Court Judge Henry Rawson in a ruling on Aug. 12. Rawson agreed that the county […]
Yakama Nation
Yakama Nation revisits comprehensive plan suit against county
The Yakama Nation has run out of patience with Okanogan County, saying the county “intentionally disregarded” its obligations to redo its comprehensive plan and zoning code by the end of last year. The Yakama Nation is asking the court to vacate the March 2017 stipulated settlement of a lawsuit they filed over water protections in […]
Wagner, Stafford ranches preserved for river habitat restoration
Western Rivers Conservancy will convey properties to Yakama Nation The historic Wagner Ranch on East Chewuch Road and the smaller Stafford Ranch on Highway 20 near Mazama have been purchased by the Western Rivers Conservancy to be preserved and managed for fish habitat restoration efforts in the Methow Valley. The Western Rivers Conservancy is a […]
Coho comeback
Over the past month and a half, 941 adult coho salmon have been weighed and measured, had their fins clipped for genetic testing, and had their eggs fertilized in buckets to produce 1 million smolts for the next generation.
It took five all-day sessions for a dozen biologists and staff with the Yakama Nation Fisheries …
County’s comp plan review begins in earnest this month
It took 51 years for the Okanogan County commissioners to adopt a new comprehensive plan, but that 2014 plan quickly became the subject of lawsuits contending that it fails to protect water quality, doesn’t address wildfire risk, and doesn’t protect wildlife habitat.
Salmon restoration projects scheduled at several valley sites
Four salmon habitat restoration projects in the Chewuch, Twisp and Methow rivers will be conducted this summer by the Yakama Nation Fisheries.
The projects all seek to improve habitat conditions for juvenile spring Chinook salmon and steelhead by increasing the amount of …
County’s comprehensive plan to get new scrutiny, commissioners say
By Marcy Stamper The Okanogan County commissioners have agreed to look at the county’s comprehensive plan “with a new set of eyes to see if there are places where we can make improvements,” County Commissioner Andy Hover said this week. After the comp plan was adopted by the former board of commissioners in 2014, it […]
Lampreys released in Methow Valley to help restore population
Biologists with the Yakama Nation Fisheries released 170 Pacific lamprey into Methow Valley rivers over the past two weeks in an effort to rebuild the dwindling population of the eel-like fish. This is the second year that the fish have been released in the Methow Valley, said Ralph Lampman, a research biologist specializing in lamprey. […]
Twisp River channel restoration project proposed by Yakama Nation
The Yakama Nation is proposing a restoration project on the Twisp River approximately 9 miles west of Twisp. The primary goals of the Twisp Horseshoe side-channel restoration include increasing connections between main and side channels and improving habitat for steelhead, spring Chinook and bull trout. The project includes installation of large wood structures in the […]
Long battle expected over county zoning code
Okanogan County has filed responses denying all claims in two lawsuits that challenge the county’s new zoning code.
The county says the plaintiffs’ claims that the new code fails to protect the county’s natural resources — in particular its water and farmland — lack factual …
