The mission of the Methow Valley Citizens Council (MVCC) is to raise a strong community voice for the protection of the Methow Valley’s natural environment and rural character. Established in 1976, MVCC has since garnered strong community support as advocates for progressive land use and environmental values in the Methow Valley. In 2019, MVCC led the Methow Headwaters campaign, which led to the permanent protection of over 340,000 acres from industrial mining in the upper Methow Watershed. The healthy rural character of this community – with low-density development, considerable open space, and clean air and water – has been preserved in significant part through our advocacy on land use planning and public land issues. Today, MVCC maintains its role as a watchdog organization, while lending its expertise in distilling complex issues and convening constructive dialogue to local and regional coalition-building efforts.
We gather on the traditional, unceded homelands of the Methow and other bands of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, who have cared for and lived upon this Valley since time immemorial. We recognize that the wealth, rural character, and open spaces of the Valley today are shaped by a history of settler-colonial displacement, resource extraction, and broken treaties that dispossessed the original peoples. Acknowledging this painful history, and our place within it, we commit our advocacy and daily work to dismantling ongoing systemic harms, honoring tribal sovereignty, and practicing a tender, reciprocal care for the land, waters, and all who belong here.
WHAT WE DO:
- EDUCATE the public and decision-makers on key environmental and land use issues that define the character of the Methow Valley.
- ENGAGE citizen participation so our collective voice is heard.
- ADVOCATE and, when necessary, use legal tools to ensure that environmental laws and regulations are followed.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
- Empower a community voice through core values, engaging citizens and tenaciously advocating for a shared vision of the place.
- Recognize the importance of maintaining the integrity and interdependence of natural systems, including the critically important coexistence of watersheds, wildlife populations, ecosystems, airsheds, and human communities.
- Act with the utmost integrity, constantly striving toward the highest degree of competence, accuracy, accountability, and honesty.
- Respect diverse viewpoints by listening to others, considering different perspectives, and working to resolve disagreements with the goal of building a common vision.