Living With the Methow River

Monthly Activities and Learning Opportunities

October 2016

Rivers don't always flow through defined banks above ground. Each year, the Methow River goes dry just above Mazama. The water flows underground through loose cobbles for almost five miles until a bedrock formation called the Boesel Fault forces it back to the surface. Most of the underground water comes back up directly into the riverbed, but some of it diverts to small springs scattered on the valley floor, including Hancock Springs.

Though the riverbed looks dry, the Methow River flows beneath the cobbles.

Historically, the cold waters of Hancock Springs were used by a local dairy to keep the milk cold. The cold sub-surface water also creates a great habitat for cold-loving fish like salmon and steelhead, especially in the summer months when slow water and hot weather warm the Methow River. The creek flowing from Hancock Springs was cold, but years of livestock grazing had turned the creek into a mud wallow. The Hancock Springs Project fenced the cows out of the creek and restored the creek as a functional fish-bearing waterway.

For more information about the project, read Solveig Torvik's article about the Hancock Springs project in the Methow Grist.

(Looking for last month? Click here.)

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This year’s MRC calendar connects to ADVENTURES, ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION tailored to each month. If you haven't gotten your calendar yet, you can download an electronic version here.

Come back each month and find interactive activities, print outs, and suggested learning opportunities in our community.

 

Just follow the fish and engage in learning.