11 Agencies Collaborated on Chelan County Interactive Neighbor Handbook

The Chelan County Good Neighbor handbook is a tool for residents, both newcomers and longtime community members, to have a one stop guide to enjoy and protect our surroundings. The handbook was a collaborative effort among 11 nonprofit, state and federal agencies.

The Chelan Douglas Land Trust was originally the producer of the handbook, however it had aged about ten years. The joint effort for the latest edition included: Cascadia Conservation District, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition, US Forest Service, Trout Unlimited, Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wenatchee Outdoors, Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and Chelan and Douglas County WSU Extension Officer.

"We (agencies involved) felt it was a good time to brush off this resource and make it more modern and fresh for landowners in Chelan County," said Allison Lutes, habitat program manager. "There's of new people moving to Chelan County as well as existing landowners who have to navigate permitting codes, just being able to understand how to be a better steward to natural resources."

The handbook covers wildfire preparedness, watershed protection, outdoor recreation and wildlife coexistence among many other locally relevant topics.

"Part of the intention was to make it more relevant with current information and have it in a way landowners today can access. So we included live links and apps as well use of videos so it was more of an interactive handbook," said Lutes.

Folks can find the Chelan County Good Neighbor Handbook digitally at chelancountygoodneighbors.org.