Land

The community fabric we value in the Methow and Okanogan is shaped by the rural character and wild places surrounding us. As stewards we in turn have a responsibility to care for the land and all the wildlife and people it supports. Our Land program covers several key bodies of work:

Eighty-nine percent of the Methow Valley’s biodiverse watershed is publicly owned and managed. These lands support abundant wildlife and heavily supplement the local economy: nearly one million visitors per year come to the Methow to enjoy the sun, snow, and rural environment, contributing more than $150 million to Okanogan County’s economy.

Unfortunately, a century of forest mismanagement has led to a much greater frequency of severe wildfires over the last 20 years that have significantly changed our landscapes. For the last few years, MVCC has been working collaboratively with the Forest Service and North Central Washington Forest Health Collaborative to help plan and implement landscape-scale restoration projects that are ecologically focused and can make our forests more resilient in the face of high severity wildfire and increased drought.

Over nearly 50 years, MVCC has developed an expertise in land use—a necessary skill in guiding smart development that is in line with community values and our surrounding landscape. This work has made a significant difference in how the Methow looks today: there are no subdivisions, lot sizes are large and there are abundant places for wildlife to roam. Much of our work in this sphere occurs at the county level where we have pushed for a sound comprehensive plan and a robust zone code that maintains the rural character our community desires. In recent years, affordable housing has become an emerging issue to ensure our local community members—of varying professions and income levels—can afford to call this valley home.

When asked about why they love living here, residents of the Methow consistently point to the opportunity to live around abundant wildlife. In addition to the largest migratory mule deer herd in the state, the Methow and Okanogan are home to black bears, moose, mountain lions, lynx, fishers and countless other species that are hard to find in other parts of Washington state. However, as more people have been attracted to live and recreate in this area, increased pressure has been put on wildlife and their habitat. MVCC works closely with state agencies and other wildlife organizations to advocate for human-wildlife coexistence, responsible recreation and protection of valuable habitat.