S14 - Episode #11 - Cy & Bridget
Cy & Bridget from Cowiche Canyon Conservancy
What if Washington's most overlooked landscape isn't a towering evergreen forest — but a sun-baked sea of sagebrush bursting with far more life than you'd ever expect?
Cyrus Philbrick and Bridget Clark of Cowiche Canyon Conservancy join us at Snow Mountain Ranch to talk about the shrub-steppe — the vanishing ecosystem this nonprofit land trust has spent 40+ years protecting across 8,000+ acres and 60+ miles of free trails just outside Yakima.
We get into how a community-driven land trust grows acre by acre, from a defunct railroad through Cowiche Canyon to the recent Konnowac Pass acquisition. Cyrus walks us through the two-volcano geology that carved the canyon's basalt and andesite cliffs, while Bridget shares how this landscape thrives on a quarter of the west side's rainfall.
We also dig into the work that keeps this place wild: the battle against invasive cheatgrass and scotch thistle, the volunteers and school kids who make conservation personal, and a commitment to equity through Spanish-language wildflower walks that open the outdoors to all of Yakima. Plus their must-do weekend hikes and when to catch peak wildflowers.
If you've ever driven east of the pass and written off the sagebrush, this episode will change how you see it.
Episode Links:
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy Website
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy on Facebook
Cowiche Canyon Conservancy on Instagram
This episode was Produced by Jordyn Smith, follow her on Instagram @jordyn.journeys
Follow us on Instagram, @Hikesandmics
This episode's music was created by Ketsa, follow him on Instagram @Ketsamusic
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