Two new Americorps members have joined our team this spring, supporting outreach and stewardship for the Moses Coulee-Beezley Hills preserves. Lane Justus and Emily Crabill came to work for the Conservancy just as we’re changing daily practices to cope with the COVID-19 outbreaks, so their work will evolve. But they had an exciting first week! Read on.

By Lane Justus and Emily Crabill

Our first week as AmeriCorps members serving for The Nature Conservancy has been anything but dull. We know everyone is cooped up in their homes, so we wanted to share our most exciting experience, thus far, in hope that it briefly serves to virtually transport you into the arid landscape of our Moses Coulee preserves.

It was Day Three of our orientation, which meant it was time to tour the preserves with Corinna Hanson, Moses Coulee Land Manager, and Nick Altadonna, Eastern Washington Stewardship Coordinator. After a long morning of exploring different sites, we headed to Cowboy Camp to take a tour and install a kestrel nesting box.

Before arriving, Nick and Corinna told us that there had been mention of a new “friend” in the area. Thus, we were eager to check the game cam for photos and videos of animals in crossing. But while we were hopeful, we were definitely not expecting to have captured footage of the sneaky predator that Nick and Corinna had mentioned to us. So, as we're sure you can all imagine, we were thrilled to realize that we had, in fact, received proof that a mountain lion is present on our Moses Coulee preserves!

We hope you enjoy looking at these shots as much as we did, and that you find comfort/excitement in the fact that, while we may all be a little stir-crazy during this COVID-19 crisis, nature is still doing its thing!

Learn More about our Land Stewards

Banner photo © John Marshall

exploring nature series, illustration, Erica Simek Sloniker, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, Wildlife, wildlife

Exploring Nature: Spring Frogs

exploring nature series, illustration, Erica Simek Sloniker, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, Wildlife, wildlife

Nestled in the cliffs in Moses Coulee is an import desert water sources that every springs attracts thousands of Pacific Tree frogs. I came to Whisper Lake for a night concert. It was anything but quiet. The chorus of frogs was soothing, calming—the quintessential sound of spring.

exploring nature series, illustration, Erica Simek Sloniker, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, Wildlife, wildlife

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5 Nature Conservancy Preserves in Washington You Can Visit Anytime

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Here are five Nature Conservancy preserves in Washington that you can visit anytime to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature, while learning about The Nature Conservancy’s conservation efforts.

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Erica Simek Sloniker, illustration, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, exploring nature series

Exploring Nature: Lichen Palettes

Erica Simek Sloniker, illustration, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, exploring nature series

Welcome to Exploring Nature, an illustrated blog series that (re)discovers the natural world through art, science, and observation.

Erica Simek Sloniker, illustration, moses coulee, Moses Coulee, exploring nature series

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Gift of Land Will Aid Pygmy Rabbit Recovery

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A new gift of land to The Nature Conservancy, 282 acres near Quincy, will help secure a future for tiny endangered pygmy rabbits.

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Moses Coulee, bats, wildlife, Emily Crabill

Bat Buzz is in the Air at our Moses Coulee Preserve

Moses Coulee, bats, wildlife, Emily Crabill

What do bats sound like? Every August for the past three years, the Conservancy has participated in the North American Bat Monitoring project. Let us walk you through how and why we monitor bats.

Moses Coulee, bats, wildlife, Emily Crabill

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Searching for the right approach to recreation in the Beezley Hills

beezley hills, stewardship, Lane Justus, volunteer, moses coulee, Moses Coulee

Our Moses Coulee-Beezley Hills Preserve is one of the Conservancy’s largest landholdings in Washington and we’ve been working over the last several years to share information and increase engagement with the local community in Central Washington.

Our commitment to community engagement was strengthened when I met a neighboring landowner to the preserve who told me that, at a recent Quincy Chamber of Commerce Event, many people identified the Beezley Hills Preserve as an area they valued, but were interested in knowing more about visitor access and trails in the region.

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Moses Coulee, Beezley Hills, stewardship, preserves, our preserves, Americorps, staff

Exploring Moses Coulee/Beezley Hills

Moses Coulee, Beezley Hills, stewardship, preserves, our preserves, Americorps, staff

Exploring Moses Coulee I walk past a Say’s phoebe nest in the rafters of the patio. The parents seem to have adjusted to my common intervention into their space. I follow the edge of the lake to the trailhead and as I enter the trail, my attention shifts from the mallards and American coots diving in the water to the tall sagebrush and rubber rabbitbrush. Remnants of several different animals remind me of the varying wildlife that also call the Preserves home. I step over mule deer and sage thrasher tracks in the dried dirt, pass jackrabbit scats, and hike around large badger holes that are likely now home to smaller mammals.

Moses Coulee, Beezley Hills, stewardship, preserves, our preserves, Americorps, staff

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What Wildlife are We Spotting at Moses Coulee?

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Wildlife camera captures a new visitor at Cowboy Camp at The Nature Conservancy’s Moses Coulee Preserve.

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stewardship, land team, Port Susan Bay, Moses Coulee

Adventures in Field Science from Port Susan to Moses Coulee

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Participating in the adventures of field science as volunteer with Stewardship has taken me across the state, from Port Susan Bay to Moses Coulee. The experiences have been great opportunities to learn about the important and innovative studies we are doing at our preserves and a way to contribute to the bigger picture of conservation.

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