The Cowiche Canyon Conservancy plans to host its annual fundraiser, Music and Monarchs, from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, September 18 at Cowiche Creek Brewing in Cowiche.
Blake Noble and Thunder Honey will perform live music at the family-friendly event, which celebrates the life and migration of the Monarch butterfly. Event partner Tieton Arts and Humanities will provide art opportunities for kids while CCC offers educational opportunities for all ages.
Tickets are available for $15 and can be purchased online at cowichecanyon.org or at the door at the brewery. Kids 12 and under can get in free with an adult.
Numbers and diversity of shorebirds in the Yakima area are generally high throughout the month of September and will include a mix of adults and juveniles. One hot spot in the lower valley is the irrigation reservoir found along Van Belle Road just east of Highway 241 near Sunnyside. This week this reservoir attracted killdeer, Baird’s sandpiper, least sandpiper, spotted sandpiper and greater yellowlegs.
While not the most aesthetically pleasing birding hot spot, the Grandview Wastewater Treatment Plant continues to provide excellent shore birding with black-necked stilt, killdeer, least sandpiper, western sandpiper, spotted sandpiper and greater yellowlegs, all noted here. This is also a great area for waterfowl and this week birders spotted wood duck, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, northern shoveler, gadwall, mallard, northern pintail, green-winged teal, redhead, hooded merganser and ruddy duck.
Wenas Lake, another regular stop off for migrating shorebirds, also held killdeer, Baird’s sandpiper, least sandpiper, red-necked phalarope and long-billed dowitcher. And a birder searching Byron Ponds in the Sunnyside Wildlife Recreation Area was surprised to find an unexpected 11 great egrets and four black-crowned night herons.
Email bird sightings to kdturley@embarqmail.com and be sure to like The Yakima Valley Audubon Society on its Facebook page or visit yakimaaudubon.org.
WEDNESDAY: The Hard Core Runners Club will meet for its weekly fun run at 6 p.m. at Franklin Park, where they run either on the track or on the street.
SATURDAY: The Hard Core Runners Club will host its weekend fun run of three to six miles with all paces and abilities welcome. Meet at 8 a.m. in the Yakima Greenway’s Gleed parking lot, at the Northwest corner of Highway 12 and Old Naches Highway.
MONDAY: The Cascadian Camera Club will host its monthly meeting on Zoom from 7-9 p.m. with the theme “Musical.” Participants can join at the link Cascadians Camera Club Zoom, meeting ID 899 4856 7669.
NEXT WEDNESDAY: Join the Cascadians to volunteer to clean up their section of State Route 410 for the Adopt-a-Highway program, with departure at 9 a.m. Call Lee at 509-966-0938 or email him at hunspergerlee@gmail.com for more details.
WEDNESDAY: All riders are welcome for a weekly community group mountain bike ride at 6:30 p.m. at the Rocky Top trails on Rocky Top Road in Yakima. The rides will continue as long as daylight and weather permit. All riders must have a helmet, bike and tire repair kit. For more information, contact yakimavalleymtbteam@gmail.com.
THURSDAY: The Cascadian Pathfinders will hike four miles with 600 feet of elevation gain to Dege Peak at Mount Rainier National Park with an option to go another two miles to Frozen Lake. Call Marian at 509-248-3445 or Karen at 509-654-8379 for meeting time and place.
SATURDAY: The Cascadians will host a Naches Peak full moon hike of 3.3 miles with 636 feet of elevation gain. Departure is at 5:30 p.m. from Chesterley Park and participants should pack for cold weather, and bring a headlamp or flashlight, as well as a snack and hot drink if you want one. The group will snack at the bench before continuing in the moonlight back to the cars via Tipsoo Lake and the road to Chinook Pass Overlook parking lot on the east side of the pass. Drivers need a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful pass. Call Betsy at 509-949-3985 or Lisa Kromrei at 509-901-2476 for more information.
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