News & Press

NCW — People are being asked to take down their bird feeders to help protect wild birds from salmonellosis.

Salmonellosis is a common and usually fatal bird disease that can be caused when birds flock in large numbers at feeders, transmitting the disease through dropping and saliva, according to a state Department of Fish and Wildlife news release.

WENATCHEE, WA – Sage Hills trails system will close for four months starting Dec. 1 to provide winter sustenance and quiet rangeland for mule deer and other wildlife. The area will re-open for outdoor recreation around April 1.

At last count, mule deer are already moving into their winter refuge in the Wenatchee Foothills, said Von Pope, senior wildlife biologist with Chelan PUD. The numbers of deer in the area typically increase in December and peak in March, he said.

BADGER MOUNTAIN — On a cold Saturday morning, a group of volunteers gathered around a garage on Badger Mountain with bags strapped to their sides and gardening shears in hand.

This group, all wearing face masks and standing 6 feet apart, was brought together by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust to help save sagebrush on the Spiva Butte Nature Preserve near Mansfield. The volunteers were cutting ripe seed heads from sage and placing them into the bags to spread later.

Horse Lake Road may be closed intermittently this month as utility poles are replaced.

Users may encounter trail closed signs at some trail junctions on Horse Lake Reserve. Chelan County PUD is removing wooden utility poles in the Sage Hill and Horse Lake trails area and replacing them with steel poles, according to the news release. This is to reduce the potential of an outage during wildfires. 

The road will be closed for the winter start on Dec. 1 and reopened on April 1. The area is off-limits in the winter to protect wintering herds of mule deer.

The Wenatchee City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to enter into a partnership with the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust to co-sponsor an application for a grant to improve about 14 miles of trail in the Wenatchee Foothills area.

Read more here on KPQ online

Monday, September 28 (weather permitting) a contractor will be spraying herbicide on Russian knapweed at Horse Lake Reserve in the Glacier View trail area and near the access road north of the lower barn. They will be using ATVs for the application. No closures.

WENATCHEE — The Horse Lake Trail Runs are still on for Sept. 19, but they’re going virtual, says race director Joel Rhyner.

“We’re going to make a pivot,” Rhyner told The World prior to RunWenatchee putting out its race update Sunday night. “It’s not ideal, but it’s about all we can do. We’re planning to have a two-week window where people can run the trail, track their distance and then record their time. And then we’ll send each runner their finisher medal.”

The event starts on Sept. 19 and runs through Sept. 30.

TREAD, with support from many partners including CDLT, has launched the TREAD Map app. TREAD Map is a comprehensive trail app designed for all trail users and provides the most up-to-date and accurate information on all forms of recreational trail use. The tool is designed to help users:

•    Plan outings
•    Share local experiences
•    Access and provide real-time trail conditions
•    Connect with other trail enthusiasts
•    Engage in two-way communication with land managers

This historic vote means great news for conservation. On July 22nd, after almost 50 years of advocacy by the conservation community, full and dedicated funding is secured for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act which will permanently fund the LWCF using a small portion of revenues from offshore oil drilling to protect important land, water and recreation areas that benefit all Americans.

I’ve spent my life exploring this country’s wild spaces. Hiking alone, exploring nature’s wonders and listening to birds has brought me comfort and peace for decades. My primary concern in those moments has always been that our wild spaces will disappear and that future generations won’t have the opportunity to listen to the sweet songs of birds in the spring.

For generations, farmers and ranchers in Central Washington have understood that in order to continue their important job of feeding the world, we must work together to conserve one of our most precious assets: our land.

Earthworms are everywhere, and every child has up-close and personal interactions with them, but we don’t think about them a lot. When we really stop to think about earthworms, what do we really know?

Exploring for earthworms is a great way to get kids outside, interacting with the natural world this spring.