The Methow River ( / ˈ m ɛ t h aʊ / MET -how ) is a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington in the United States. The river's 1,890-square-mile (4,900 km) watershed drains the eastern North Cascades , with a population of about 5,000 people. The Methow's watershed is characterized by relatively pristine habitats, as much of the river basin is located in national forests and wildernesses. Many tributaries drain the large Pasayten Wilderness . An earlier economy based on agriculture is giving way to one based on recreation and tourism.
13-715: The river was named after the Methow Native Americans (today part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation ). The name "Methow" comes from the Okanagan placename /mətxʷú/ , meaning "sunflower (seeds)". The Native American name for the river was Buttlemuleemauch , meaning "salmon falls river". In 1841 the Wilkes Expedition named the river "Barrier River". Alexander Ross said
26-589: A Native American tribe that lived along the Methow River , a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington . The river's English name is taken from that of the tribe. The name "Methow" comes from the Okanagan placename /mətxʷú/ , meaning "sunflower (seeds)". The tribe's name for the river was Buttlemuleemauch , meaning "salmon falls river". The Methow were a relatively small tribe, with an estimated population of 800 in 1780 and 300 in 1870. Today,
39-440: Is a department of the government of the state of Washington , United States of America . The WDFW manages over a million acres of land, the bulk of which is generally open to the public, and more than 500 water access sites. Many of the sites are termed "wildlife areas" and permit hunting during the hunting season, typically in the autumn and early winter for birds, but all year round for coyotes. Due to declining participation,
52-649: The Canada–US border, a journey of 120 miles (190 km). The Methow Beaver Project is a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service , the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation. Beaver were nearly exterminated in the Methow watershed by the early 1900s by fur trappers. Methow people The Methow ( / ˈ m ɛ t h aʊ / MET -how ) are
65-604: The Columbia River at Pateros . This part of the Columbia is the impoundment of Wells Dam , a lake known as Lake Pateros . In Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council (a 1989 Stevens decision) the Rehnquist Court concluded that NEPA does not require a fully developed plan detailing what steps will be taken to mitigate adverse environmental impacts and does not require a " worst case analysis ." In addition, we hold that
78-583: The Forest Service has adopted a permissible interpretation of its own regulations. Since 2007, the Methow Beaver Project has translocated over 240 "problem" beaver ( Castor canadensis ) into 51 suitable sites in various headwater tributaries of the Methow watershed. The sites were selected using satellite imagery and computer modelling. Translocation success was optimized by putting pairs of beavers together in man-made lodges that tended to keep them in
91-531: The Methow River and its tributaries, such as Methow Pass and Twisp Pass. State Route 20 utilizes Washington Pass and Rainy Pass , also in the general areas of headwater streams. The Pacific Crest Trail follows the uppermost reach of the Methow River, until the river turns east, flowing into the Methow Valley near Mazama . Along the way, it collects the tributary streams of Robinson Creek and Lost River. In
104-565: The Methow River is joined by another important tributary, the Twisp River . Flowing from the west, the Twisp River drains the mountains south of Washington Pass as well as the eastern slopes of Sawtooth Ridge, a major mountain range with some of Washington state's highest peaks (such as Star Peak and Mt Bigelow). Downriver from Twisp, the Methow River passes by the communities of Carlton and Methow, receiving several minor tributaries, before joining
117-599: The Methow Valley, between Mazama and Winthrop , the Methow River is joined by Early Winters Creek, Cedar Creek, Goat Creek, and Wolf Creek. The Chewuch River joins at Winthrop. One of the Methow's larger tributaries, the Chewuch River, and its many tributaries drain large parts of the Pasayten Wilderness to the north. One of its headwater streams, Cathedral Creek, reaches nearly to British Columbia , Canada . The Methow Valley continues below Winthrop to Twisp , where
130-771: The Methow live primarily on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington, where they form part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is recognized by the United States government as an American Indian Tribe . The Methow now speak English. Their endangered language, known as Colville-Okanagan , spoken only by older adults, is a part of the Southern Interior Salish linguistic branch. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
143-460: The department has a hunter and angler recruitment, retention and reactivation plan. A Discover Pass is required to park in the wildlife areas. The department's history starts with the appointment of a fisheries commissioner in 1890 by Governor of Washington Elisha P. Ferry . The department is overseen by a director appointed by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission; Kelly Susewind
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#1732851172594156-480: The desired sites so that the beaver ponds would store rainwater, trap sediment and repair channel incision/erosion, serve as nurseries for salmonids and other species, and act as firebreaks in the fire-prone eastern Cascades. One beaver that was PIT (passive integrated transponder) tagged and released in the upper part of the Methow Valley swam to the mouth of the Methow River, then up the Okanogan River almost to
169-533: The native name was Buttle-mule-emauch. In 1811 David Thompson met the tribe living along the river and wrote their name as Smeetheowe. In 1853 George Gibbs called the river Methow or Barrier. The Methow River, along with its tributaries the Twisp River, Cedar Creek, and Early Winters Creek, originates in a cluster of high mountains including Golden Horn , Tower Mountain , Cutthroat Peak , Snagtooth Ridge , Kangaroo Ridge , Early Winters Spires , and Liberty Bell Mountain . Several mountain passes are associated with
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