Cowiche Canyon Conservancy (CCC) is partnering with Yakima Valley College (YVC) to offer free talks about the remarkable big life in our region — old growth trees, buffalo and elk. This year’s talks will feature a short film on saving old growth forests and unique perspectives on restoring, managing and relating to buffalo and elk. YVC and CCC have been partnering to offer this community engagement opportunity for over a decade.

  • Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 5:30 p.m. - Short Film Screening (“Now or Never: Saving Old Growth Trees in Eastern Washington Forests”) and Panel Discussion. Panelists include: Bill Gaines (Washington Conservation Science Institute), Garret Meigs (Washington Department of Natural Resources) and Phil Rigdon (Department of Natural Resources & Yakama Nation). Note the different start time; this talk will be in-person only.
  • Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 7:00 p.m. – “Reconnecting with Buffalo: Restoring and Managing a Local Buffalo Herd,” presented by Kristi Olney and Darwin Sockzehigh with the Yakama Nation Buffalo Project. This talk will be livestreamed on YVC’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@YakimaValleyCC).
  • Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 7:00 p.m. – “Elk, Then & Now: The History of Elk in Yakima County and Current Perspectives on Management,” by Greg Mackey (Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife). This talk will be livestreamed on YVC’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@YakimaValleyCC).

For each talk this year, Yakima Valley Vintners Tasting Room (1606 W Nob Hill Blvd, Yakima, WA, 98902), next door to the venue, will open two hours in advance of the event for wine tasting and food.  

All talks are free to the public and will be hosted at Yakima Valley College’s Kaminski Conference Center(1704 W Nob Hill Blvd, Yakima, WA 98902). Talks are between 40 to 60 minutes followed by time for questions and responses.

For more information about individual talks, including full descriptions and speaker bios, go to www.cowichecanyon.org.

Quotes about the Winter Talks series

“These talks are an invitation for our community to learn about the life, past and present, of our ecosystem and human relationships with it.” – Cy Philbrick, Education and Community Outreach Coordinator with Cowiche Canyon Conservancy

“YVC prepares STEM students for careers in many disciplines. In the CCC-YVC Winter series students learn about new career possibilities from natural resource professionals. And the discussions are a great way for YVC students to observe the application of science to local and regional conservation challenges.” – Matthew Loeser, Yakima Valley College Biology Instructor  

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Cowiche Canyon Conservancy is a local non-profit organization conserving shrub-steppe habitat and connecting people to the land through recreation and education programs. CCC owns and manages 7,000 acres of land and offers over 40 miles of trails for non-motorized recreation. For more information, go to cowichecanyon.org or contact CCC at (509) 248-1065 or info@cowichecanyon.org.

Yakima Valley College is a public, two-year institution of higher education dedicated to strengthening our communities by providing opportunities for economic mobility, personal enrichment and sociocultural engagement. YVC offers five bachelor of applied science degrees, 55 associate degrees and more than 100 certificate of achievement programs at campuses in Yakima and Grandview and learning centers in Ellensburg and Toppenish. YVC students can enroll in programs in lower division arts and sciences, professional and technical education, adult basic education and English Language Acquisition. For more information about Yakima Valley College, go to yvcc.edu.