Left to right front row: Betsy Cushman (Community Foundation of NCW Trustee, Methow Valley Fund Advisor), Don Miller (Methow Valley Fund Advisor), Don Linnertz (Community Foundation of NCW Trustee, Methow Valley Fund Advisor), Nancy Milsteadt (Methow Valley Fund Advisor), Becky Studen (Methow Trails Admin. Manager), James DeSalvo (Methow Trails Executive Director), John Albright (Methow Trails, Operations Manager). Left to right back row: Chris Solomon (Methow Trails, Vice President, Board Member) Adrienne Schaefer (Methow Trails Program Manager), Brandon Richison (Methow Trails, Mechanic), Andy Straka (Methow Trails, Mechanic).

The Community Foundation of NCW’s Methow Valley Fund has awarded $100,000 from this year’s Methow Valley Fund Game Changer Grant to Methow Trails. The grant will help to fund a permanent, year-round, multi-use trailhead facility at Cub Creek – an important site for the Methow Trails network.

The MVF Game Changer Grant provides a significant funding opportunity to empower a nonprofit organization or collaboration to take their work to the next level and benefit the Methow Valley community in an impactful and permanent “game changing” way.

The Methow Trails network generates 12.4 million dollars annually for the Methow Valley community, and the Rendezvous section of that network, frequently accessed through Cub Creek, is a critical connection for the community” said James DeSalvo, the executive director for Methow Trails. “The current trailhead is undersized, lacks appropriate amenities, is only open in the winter, and most critically, may soon be closed to the public. Without a trailhead to this area, access to 1/3 of our trail network may no longer be possible for recreationalists, organizations, and businesses that have relied on it for decades. This year-round trailhead would also be the highest in our network which makes it the most resilient to climate change. It would be a game changer if access to this recreation area was cut off and a game changer if a permanent year-round trailhead facility could be built.”

Methow Trails is working with several organizations to propose and implement the trailhead, including the United States Forest Service, Methow Valley Snowmobile Association, Mountain Groomers Association, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, Back Country Horsemen of Washington, and the Methow Valley Trails Collaborative. This award will be used as a match to enable Methow Trails to receive funding from the Recreation and Conservation Office to start construction.

“The Methow Valley Fund Game Changer is the largest grant the Community Foundation offers and is very competitive” said Jennifer Short, the foundation’s director of community grants. “The impact this trailhead will have on the community will be a game changer for thousands of people that use the Methow Trails system year-round. That and the collaborations involved presented a strong case for the types of projects we seek for this grant.”

The MVF Game Changer funding is made possible by bequests made from local residents who wanted to leave a legacy in the Methow Valley. An advisory committee comprised of local volunteers review, evaluate, and make the grant recommendation. The grant is community-centered: funded by and awarded by its residents with oversight by the Community Foundation.

For more information on the Methow Valley Fund, visit www.cfncw.org/methowvalleyfund.