Warning:

Loons spotted in Ferry County

No, Bill O'reilly didn't spot Barbara Streisand or Micheal Moore in North Central Washington's Swan Lake. No these loons are the feathered types-Gavia immer-they're beautiful and they're rare in Washington. Being a New Hampshire boy, one of the things I miss the most in the Pacific Northwest is the cry of the loon coming from a misty, placid lake. Northeast Washington is fortunate to have several ponds and lakes with breeding pairs of loons. Little Swan Lake just south of Republic is one of them. Hike the 2.0 miles around this pretty little body of water or spend the night at the campground. Let the loons serenade you through the night. They're far better to listen to than Streisand any day!

I'll be heading off to Saskatchewan later this week to do some hiking and paddling and a little bit of writing as well. I'll be in the heart of loon country. Heck-every time I buy a coffee up there I get to fork over a loonie or two (Canada's currency). I'll let you know how it goes when I return. Meanwhile. if you want to learn more about this majestic bird-the true call of the north, check out the Loon Preservation Committee.

Roll on Columbia

Check out this month's issue of Northwest Travel magazine to see what I wrote about traveling the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge. It's part of the cover feature on this great part of the Northwest, now celebrating 20 years as a National Scenic Area. Of course, those of you who know me well, can bet that I included lots of historic sites to see and places to hike in my article. You're right! Roll on down to the Columbia some time this summer. And roll on down to the newstand and pick up a copy of this month's mag!

Wenatchee's Foothills Trail

A step in the right direction

Central Washington's Wenatchee certainly isn't the following:

1. on the way to becoming a major city

2. A liberal bastion

3. naive when it comes to protecting its beautiful environment

While Puget Sound cities explode at the seams and residents old and new alike watch coveted open space disappear-the scene in eastern Washington is a little different. Yes, growth threatens to usurp communities east of the Cascades, too. But it is no where on the level that is ravaging the countryside around Puget Sound. And yes, while eastern Washington residents may be leery of urban environmentalists' plans to make the state greener (Ever notice that the greenest greenies come from the most developed places!)-the folks here are no bumpkins when it comes to protecting their land too. They just don't want some big city mayor who owns three vehicles (umm-Mayor Nickle and dime ya) telling them to give up their cars so that they can have a cleaner environment. People in eastern Washington are pragmatic and they have a working relationship with the land. Something urban Washington seems to lack.

So, when the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust initiated a program to build a Foothills Trail in the canyons and small peaks on the western edge of town-and to greenbelt those lands-a good portion of the local people bought in. And as the trail was built-the people came! Yes, this area has a long ways to go in realizing that you have to have some planning to protect your community-and that some planning doesn't mean that you are being locked out of your land. But if other parts of the state don't want to become like Pugetopolis-then they better get protecting the lands that surround them-and by doing so-protecting their communities. The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust is a step in the right direction-and an organization right for Wenatchee.