Curious About … Western Meadowlark?
Western meadowlark males have arrived to the Wenatchee Foothills’ shrub-steppe. They use songs and postures to establish breeding territories. Continue Reading →
Category: Shrub-steppe
Big Sagebrush Haiku
I am thankful for a particular stately sagebrush that I walked by on January snow walks in the Wenatchee Foothills. Each time I arrived, I wondered what lesson this sentinel Continue Reading →
Ideas for Beating the Heat
The extreme heat forecast for the coming week might provide an opportunity to stay inside and do some armchair natural history adventuring. This is National Pollinator Week , so you might want to learn a bit about our Pacific Northwest pollinators. Continue Reading →
Curious About … Shrub-steppe Lithosols?
I wish we had a more endearing term that “lithosols” to describe Columbia Basin habitats of thin, rocky soils!. Here, the wind deposits has deposited bits of soil in-between a pavement of lichen-encrusted basalt rocks. Each spring, a diverse display of native wildflowers create splashes of color worth exploring. Continue Reading →
Sense of Place: Surveying Raptors on the Waterville Plateau
This week’s guest post by Marilyn Sherling includes stunning photos taken this winter during monthly community science surveys on the Waterville Plateau. Marilyn and her daughter, Amanda, are monthly volunteers for the East Cascades Audubon Society’s Winter Raptors Survey Project. This winter, over 300 volunteers across five states participated, surveying 451 routes. Continue Reading →
Stories in Place: Dog Rock Gorge
This “Stories in Place” post features a late-afternoon 2/9/21 trip report by naturalist Jenny Graevell, and the larger tale of how her conservation volunteerism has engendered a strong web of friendships. Continue Reading →
Curious About…Why Cheatgrass has changed everything?
Before 1850, our shrub-steppe plant communities were adapted to frequent disturbance, such as wildfire. The resilient native long-lived shrubs, bunchgrasses, and wildflowers were adapted to either re-sprouting or re-growing from seed, in a decades-long predictable pattern of succession. However, with the introduction of non-native annual grasses, primarily cheatgrass, this pattern was dramatically disrupted. Continue Reading →
Curious About … Growing up in Sagebrush Country?
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 →
Curious About…Shrub-steppe, Fireworks, and Wildfire?
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 →
Curious About … Liking Shrub-steppe?
Plan to visit the CDLT Jacbson Preserve in the Wenatchee Foothills to experience a shrub-steppe ecosystem Continue Reading →