Outings & Events
What’s going on!
There are many ways to experience Shrub-Steppe.
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy holds a variety of events and activities to increase opportunities for kids and adults to learn about the unique natural environment of the shrub-steppe and connect people to these lands. We work with a variety of partners including other non-profit organizations, schools, and local, state, and federal agencies to engage the community with our work and build support for our conservation work.
COMMUNITY EVENTS: VIRTUAL AND LIVE
Community events – live and virtual – aim to help our community engage with our shrub-steppe in healthy, educational, and inspiring ways.
PARTY WITH A PURPOSE
In lieu of our annual Cowiche Canyon Rocks fundraiser, we are holding a series of “Parties with a Purpose” to support the ongoing conservation of shrub-steppe & the recreation and education programs of Cowiche Canyon Conservancy.
Please join us for one of these fun, outdoor, in-person events!
For more details or to purchase tickets, click here.
IMAGES OF THE SHRUB-STEPPE
Each summer, CCC hosts an art exhibit with Boxx Gallery to celebrate our local ecosystem, the shrub-steppe. The exhibit will be on display August 7 – August 29.
Artists Reception and Exhibit Opening: Saturday, August 7
Creative Coffee: Wednesday, August 18, 10 am – noon
Boxx Gallery is located at 616 Maple Street in Tieton, WA.
Open Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am – 4 pm
The exhibit, juried by local artist Carolyn Nelson, includes 73 works of art by 52 artists.
Artists featured in the exhibit: Jane Alynn, Abbie Birmingham, Becky Blair, Betsy Bloomfield, Kate Bowditch, Larry Bullis, David Carrothers, Jay Carskadden, Sara Cate, Joan Cawley Crane, Meldra Driscoll, Pamela Edwards, Jane Fassel, Carol Fletcher, Evans Fletcher, WD Frank, Sara Gettys, Justin Gibbens, Ana Li Gresham, Sue Grimshaw, Jane Gutting, David Hagen, Susan Hahn, Susan Harris, Spencer Hatton, Leslie Ann Hauer, Hilde Hibdon, Michael Jach, Mary Jepsen, Kris Knight, Dawson Lapsley, Shannon Larabee, Randal Leek, Lyn Lewis, Thea Mercer, Carol Perry, Sheryl Pickering, Cindy Pratt, Jackie Prout, Rob Prout, Karen Quint, Jeffrey Reynolds, Carol Ross, Mary Lou Rozdilsky, Thelma Ryder, Laura Seibol, Stephen Stokesberry, Joyce Swart, Christie Tirado, Kassandra Rose Wojcik, Larry Wright, and Michelle Wyles.
A percentage of artwork sales goes to support the Highland Food Bank.
MUSIC & MONARCHS
Music and Monarchs is back!
When: Sunday, September 19, 2021, 1pm to 3pm.
Where: Cowiche Creek Brewing (514 Thompson Road. Cowiche, WA 98923)
Join us for a celebration of the remarkable life of the Western Monarch Butterfly at beautiful Cowiche Creek Brewing. The event will feature music by Blake Noble and his new band, Thunder Honey. It will also serve as an urgent educational opportunity about the value and conservation status of threatened pollinators.
Tickets ($15) are available here! Children 12 and under are free with an adult.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY WALKS
MORE COMMUNITY WALKS COMING SOON
WINTER TALK SERIES
Below are recorded talks from the 2020-21 season.
HOLISTIC HABITAT RESTORATION IN THE YAKIMA BASIN WITH JOHN MARVIN
Recorded talk on Tuesday, April 13
John Marvin, Fisheries Habitat Biologist with Yakama Nation, illuminates the tragic history of fish and people in the Yakima basin. He describes how long-standing and culturally essential fish populations have been decimated by a combination of agricultural development, poor water and habitat management, and climate change. Showing how forest and water habitat are intimately connected, Marvin describes some of the innovative and promising restoration projects happening around the area to bring back some healthy complexity and chaos to riparian habitats.
‘LICHENS: HUBS OF LIFE AND CREATORS OF WORLDS’ WITH JESSICA ALLEN
Recorded talk on Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Join Eastern Washington University’s Dr. Jessica Allen for a tour through the many hidden worlds of lichens. Learn about the roles lichens play in creating and sustaining biodiversity, with a special focus on local lichens here in the shrub-steppe and The Palouse. Jessica will also describe some of her recent genetics research into beautiful and mysterious wolf lichens. How is lichen genomics changing our understanding of the history and future of lichens?
‘MOUNTAIN LIONS: PHYSIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, & SAFETY’ WITH MICHELLE BLAKE
Recorded talk on February 9, 2021
Michelle Blake, with the Mountain Lion Foundation, dispels some of the many myths surrounding mountain lions (aka pumas or cougars) in the Northwest. How many are there in the Northwest? What should we do if we encounter one?
‘TAHOMA’S BIGGEST STORIES: A NATURAL HISTORY OF MOUNT RAINIER’ WITH JEFF ANTONELIS-LAPP
Recorded talk on January 12, 2021
Jeff Antonelis-Lapp presents an image-rich talk that draws from the book Tahoma and Its People, a natural history of Mount Rainier National Park. The book was recently selected as a finalist in the Banff Mountain Book Competition.