The Sleeping Lady

Clark Conservation District is one of 40 something conservation districts in Washington. There is pretty much one district for every county in the state. Every year, district employees from across the state get together for a conference at a little resort in Leavenworth, Washington. Leavenworth is an interesting town in itself, it is very close to Lake Wenatchee, where I was not too long ago for Envirothon, at the east side base of the Cascade mountains. So in the rain shadow and dryer climate and near the mountains that get pretty snowy. Perfect combination for becoming a tourist town if you have the right charm.... well... Leavenworth went for the small town Bavarian theme very similar to another mountain Georgia town that I know about. However, if you pass through Leavenworth and turn down a road that goes along Icicle Creek, tucked in at the base of a steep mountain range, amongst a shady canopy of ponderosa pine and hidden by native shrubs, you will find a beautiful little resort that exists as close to harmony with nature as it can while still providing the most peaceful and soothing accommodations to its guests. The resort was built with environmentally sensitive construction methods, and incorporates environmental conservation into its daily operations. It has been recognized for setting standards of excellence in ecotourism and ecobuilding industries. With its central location and its environmentally conscious setting, this resort and conference center is the perfect place to hold the annual Washington Association of District Employees conference. So looking at the mountain known as the Sleeping Lady, that towers over the resort with the same name, can you see how she got the name?

WADE is a wonderful occasion for districts to connect with each other and share experiences, ideas and changes. The conference also provides learning opportunities for all the diverse jobs of district employees. From financial administrators to resource planners, there are a number of classes and discussion sessions to learn about the latest and greatest techniques in the conservation district world. I spent the 3 days following the livestock information sessions since most of my job entails farm planning and technical assistance for livestock owners. I had a few refresher courses on pasture management and joined in on a discussion about farm plan formats. Wednesday night Becky (the financial manger for Clark CD) and I competed in the first ever WADE Rain Gutter Regatta. The boats we built we quickly discovered were no where near the engineered for speed marvels that some of the other competitors had created so we did not stay in the running very long, but we had a great time racing our boats! The 3 days Becky and I spent at WADE were a great experience, a beautiful setting, wonderful food (all you can eat buffet 3 times a day with local and seasonal foods and prepared beautifully by the resorts own chef), and beautiful sunshiney warm weather!