I’ve put together a 10-week challenge to encourage new naturalist discoveries as we continue to practice social distancing and wait for the coming vaccinations! Starting on Monday, Jan. 25, 2020 and running for ten weeks. Continue Reading →
What brings so many deer to our valley? How are they doing? Why do I see more deer during wintertime? I reached out to WDFW biologist Devon Comstock to find out about current mule deer research that is underway locally. Studies are designed to help biologists learn more about wintering mule deer habitat needs. Continue Reading →
What is it like to spend childhood nestled in a landscape filled with sagebrush? Today, I’m sharing stories of two women who put pen-to-paper to say how growing up in Wenatchee’s shrub-steppe made a lasting impression as they were coming-of-age. Continue Reading →
Fireworks are a main cause of human-started wildfires in sagebrush county. Invasive grasses are putting sagebrush country at risk of severe wildfires. This vibrant ecosystem is vital for people and wildlife. We need to do our part to protect it, especially with fireworks this weekend. Watch and share this new video to learn what we need to do to stop the spread of invasive grasses and restore degraded sagebrush habitats. Continue Reading →
Plan to visit the CDLT Jacbson Preserve in the Wenatchee Foothills to experience a shrub-steppe ecosystem Continue Reading →
Botanists call our region “The Wenatchee Mountains,” that has the highest concentration of endemic plants in Washington. 35 are state-classified as rare plants and 30 more are “just” endemics. Many rare plants are endemic, but not all endemics are rare! Continue Reading →
Right now, dozens of long-distant migrating songbirds are setting up shop in our shrubby canyons, leafy aspen groves, and riverside cottonwood forests. I invite you to visit one of these nearby habitats to hear and see colorful songbirds who have arrived from Mexico and Central America to nest and raise young in our valley. Continue Reading →
Herpetologist Torsten Watkins explains how to tell rattlesnakes and gopher snakes apart. Continue Reading →
Antelope bitterbrush is blooming in the Wenatchee Foothill’s shrub-steppe. Fragrant yellow blossoms cover each shrub. Rodents and ants cache seeds. Continue Reading →
Leslie Bigos chronicle how starting to do a new exercies daily exercise has brough new joy to her life. Her daily hike became more than just self-improvement; as my fitness improved, I started enjoying how the light changed on Saddle Rock from one day to the next. Continue Reading →