Wildfire Recovery
Cascadia offers technical assistance to landowners affected by wildfire. As funding allows, we can also offer financial assistance for things like landscape rehabilitation post-fire. If you have concerns about your property post-wildfire, reach out to us.
Concerned about erosion, hazardous trees, or reforestation? Reach out to schedule a site visit with a specialist at Cascadia Conservation District, 509-306-3639
or Fill out This Form.
Questions about rebuilding, insurance, and long-term recovery?
Reach out to Jessica Rounds with NCW Disaster Long-Term Recovery Group, 509-846-510. Visit their website here.
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Protecting Chelan County's Waters Begins In Your Backyard
Written by: Verónica Arroyo-Pérez
While we may think of water quality as something managed by treatment plants, our landscapes play a major role. In our dry, fire-prone shrub steppe and mountain climate, how we manage our soil directly impacts our local rivers, lakes, and creeks.
Traditional lawns and non-native plants often depend heavily on synthetic fertilizers, weed killers, and pesticides to survive our summers. When rain or overwatering occurs, these toxic chemicals wash off our properties and into storm drains, eventually draining into vital salmon habitats. By making the switch to native plants, you eliminate the need for chemical inputs, creating a naturally clean yard that keeps our local watershed clean.
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September-November is the perfect window for native planting in Chelan County. Planting in the fall allows native shrubs and perennials to establish their roots before the ground freezes. Our natural winter snowpack then acts like an insulating blanket, providing the soil moisture when it melts in the spring. This head start means your plants will require significantly less watering come summer, reducing your household water footprint.
Once established, the native root systems act as a defense against stormwater runoff and erosion, especially on our steep, fire-prone hillsides. Additionally, native bunchgrasses and shrubs slow the flow, filtering the water naturally through the soil to recharge our underground aquifers.
Transitioning your yard is easy thanks to excellent local experts. See below for resources!
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Where to Start
Derby Canyon Natives (Peshastin): The premier local source for Central Washington container-grown native shrubs, wildflowers, and trees
BFI Native Seed (Moses Lake): Excellent for bulk, regional native grass and wildflower seed mixes adapted to our arid climate
Methow Natives (Winthrop): A great regional specialty nursery if you are looking for plants adapted to higher, colder mountain elevations
Xerces Society: Use their online guides to choose specific native plants that double as critical habitats for local bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects
WSU Master Gardeners: Visit their Natives 'N More Garden on Western Avenue in Wenatchee to see mature native plants in a landscape setting
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Chelan Community Garden
Written by: Laura Rivera
Over the past year, Marcy has been working alongside Vicki Mattews and Jonie Brownfield to turn an item on their Wishlist into reality. What began as a vision for a compost system grew into something even more impactful: a brand-new drip irrigation system.
Why the change?
The Chelan Community Garden had been relying on an overhead sprinkler system that had to be turned on by hand every day. With its mix of traditional rows, low tunnels, and high trellis tunnels, the garden's layout made overhead watering a poor fit for many of its growing practices.
Location played a part, too. The garden sits next to the Chelan Airport, a spot known for strong winds and popular with paragliders and skydivers. Those same gusts can blow sprinkler water off course, leading to uneven watering and wasted water. Marcy also kept the long-term picture in mind: drip irrigation delivers water right where plants need it, which means real water conservation for years to come.
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Community effort in action
With support from fellow staff members Mark Ingman and Veronica Arroyo-Perez, a work party came together on May 2, 2026.Together, the group assembled the first half of the system and set the timers.
Thank you to everyone who rolled up their sleeves to make this happen. Watering at the Chelan Community Garden just got a lot easier, and a lot more efficient!
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Watching Wildlife: Bats and BDAs
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Happy Halloween! From the bats that eat the insects hatching in the water stored on the landscape in riparian zones. This site is a restoration site in the Entiat River watershed. The wooden posts are part of the beaver dam analogs (BDAs) which Cascadia and Cascade Fisheries staff installed. The BDA's slow water in the stream, improving habitat for salmon (and insects) as well as other wildlife, like bats. Any experts out there who can tell us what bat species this one is?
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Busy Being Beavers at Salmon Fest 2026!
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It's "o-fish-al", Salmon Festival was a blast again this year! Cascadia staff
enjoyed teaching students how to be beavers during school days and
connecting with our community on Saturday to share information about
our natural resources stewardship programs! Community members of all ages learned about the importance of good water quality and how we can each play a role in keeping our waterways healthy for all species who call our beautiful area home!
Thank you Washington State Department of Ecology for funding
Cascadia staff time to participate in this awesome event!
Written by: Amanda Newell
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Discover Fire Ecology, Community
Resources, and Public Transit
Saturday, October 10 : Columbia to Columbia Breaks (Route 21 th to Columbia Breaks)
For riders outside of Route 21, meet us at Columbia Station at 10:00 AM to ride the 10:30
Route 21 to Columbia Breaks. Any riders can join us along the way to Columbia Breaks. We
will catch the 2:30PM bus from US 97A and Pine Meadows.
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CASCADIA CD BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETINGS
Oct 9, Nov 13 from 1:30-4:00 pm
at Cascadia’s office -
1350 McKittrick St, Wenatchee.
Call-in/Zoom options are available.
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WDFW reminds ranchers and farmers to secure haystacks and avoid feeding wildlife after wildfires
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After a wildfire, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, turkeys, and other wildlife may be drawn to haystacks and other stored feed as they search for food and cover. WDFW asks landowners not to help discourage wildlife from accessing or consuming livestock feed. Concentrating wildlife around haystacks can increase conflicts with people and pets, damage feed supplies, and spread disease among wildlife or between wildlife and domestic animals. More info here: https://wdfw.medium.com/four-ways-to-help-wildlife-after-wildfires-2f04c9dd2a4a |
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The Eastside Rebuild Tool Library has 900+ tools, including a recently updated Farm and Food Tool Library! Several new tools include a BCS walk behind tractor with flail mower and spreader, a dehydrator, pressure canner, and freeze dryer! to learn more or get involved, visit Eastside Rebuild's website here.
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