- Methow Rapids Natural Area Preserve (dnr.wa.gov)
This 85-acre preserve protects examples of two rare types of native shrub-grassland that were once found over much of the valley floors and foothills of the Okanogan River and northern Columbia River. The site, located on gently sloping ground next to the Columbia River, is strewn with large granite boulders left behind by melting glaciers 12,000 years ago. A number of shrub steppe or steppe-dependent birds, including the sage thrasher, Brewer’s sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, and loggerhead shrike, are known to use the site. The Carlton Complex wildfire burned through virtually all of the preserve in 2014, removing most of the shrub cover but leaving an intact native grassland.