We all love our furry friends, and the Dishman Hills is a great place for you and them to get outside. Take a picture of your dog or pet on a leash in the Dishman Hills and send it to us! Submit your photos by emailing it to our Outreach Director at isobel@dishmanhills.org, tagging us on Facebook with @DishmanHillsConservancy, tagging us on Instagram with @DishmanHills, or by sending us a direct message! We will feature the best (and cutest!) photos on our social media. For more information about the dogs-on-a-leash rule in Spokane County see https://www.spokanecounty.org/590/Pet-Laws
Do you know about the Desert Shooting Star (Dodecatheon conjugens)? The word dodecatheon means ‘twelve gods’ in Latin. This wildflower, which prefers sunny, dry soil, blooms during the same part of the season as the Arrowleaf Balsamroot and the Desert Buttercup. Desert Shooting Stars do not produce nectar, but pollination is accomplished by bumblebees foraging for pollen through a method known as “buzz pollination.” A bumblebee arrives at the flower, grasps the fused anthers with its feet, and hangs upside down. Then, it buzzes its wings at a specific frequency, causing the anthers to vibrate, showering pollen onto the bee’s thorax.
Grab your binoculars and go birding in the Dishman Hills. What kind of birds could you spot? How many? Use the resources posted on our website at (link) to identify them. Send us your final count and your best birding picture for a chance to be featured on our social media pages and website!
Submit your photos by tagging us @DishmanHillsConservancy (Facebook), @DishmanHills (Instagram), sending us a direct message, or by emailing it to our Outreach Director at Isobel@DishmanHills.org. Check back on Sunday to see all the entries!
For help identifying birds in the field, download this mobile app from the Cornell Lab or Ornithology: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Do you know about the Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnipolia)? A member of the rose family, the Serviceberry is the first shrub to bloom in Spring. The dark blue berries and leaves are eaten by a variety of animals. Many indigenous peoples mixed the berries with fat and meat from buffalo or other animals, and used the mix for pounding into cakes and drying. These shrubs were a real game changer for Lewis and Clark, who originally had to use boats to transport large barrels of salted meat and fish on their journey west. Also called Juneberry, the fruit was used to make pies, jelly, and wine.
You may have noticed those clumps of thin twiggy branches in some large serviceberry shrubs. These are the result of being infected by the fungus (Apiosorina collinsii) and are commonly referred to as… ‘Witches broom’.
For Weekly Challenge #2, we asked our community to look for hearts in nature in celebration of the #WildHeartOfSpokane. Here are some of our favorite submissions from Diane Delanoy, Braedon Folsom, Lisa Giegel, Stephanie Hill, Genie Schmidt, George & Susan Stratman, Charly Wight, Notorius, and the Badasserys Hiking Team. Thanks to everyone who submitted photos! Hover your mouse over photos to read the captions or click to enlarge.
Bud – Lisa Giegel
Photo by Lisa Giegel
Notorious of @notoriousandfriends on Instagram
Arrowleaf Balsamroot – Photo by George & Susan Stratman
Broken Heart – Photo by Diane Delanoy
Hanging Heart – Photo by Braedon Folsom
Heart on the Trail – Photo by The Badasserys Hiking Team
Here are some of our favorite submissions from Weekly Challenge 1 - Flower Identification. Thank you to everyone who participated! These submissions are from Marie Anderson, Julie Finnigan, Lisa Giegel, Brad Sondahl, and George & Susan Stratman. Even though this challenge is over, it's never too late to post and share photos of flowers in your neighborhood. Hover over each image to view the captions, or click to enlarge. Enjoy!
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, we are challenging you to go around your neighborhood, nearest park, or the Dishman Hills and pick up and properly dispose of any trash you see. You can simply walk around and pick up trash where you see it, or focus on a smaller area and clean it up. Every little bit helps!
This beautiful weather we’ve been experiencing recently has encouraged lots more people to get outside, but unfortunately, that also means that we are having a bigger impact on our natural areas. A big part of our mission at DHC is stewardship, and we want to encourage everyone to join us in that goal. Let’s be good stewards of the land and keep our neighborhoods and natural areas free of litter!
Post a picture of the cleaned area, a selfie, or a nature photo of where you cleaned and tag us with @DishmanHillsConservancy (Facebook), @DishmanHills (Instagram), or email it to elijah@dishmanhills.org. Your photos will be posted at the end of the week, so check back then!
The Dishman Hills is a geographic area surrounded on three sides by urban development, making it a gem of a natural area in the middle of Spokane and Spokane Valley. Show us your love for the #WildHeartofSpokane and find the best heart-shaped nature item you can (a rock, leaf, branch, etc), take a picture, and post it using the hashtag #wildheartofspokane
You can also send your photos to us by messaging us directly on Facebook or Instagram, or send it in an email to our Communications Director Elijah at elijah@dishmanhills.org. Make sure to include your full name and where you found the heart. At the end of the week, we will post your best pictures – check back on Sunday!
Even though we are stuck at home, there are still many ways you can support the Dishman Hills Conservancy! Here are just a few suggestions:
1. AmazonSmile – If you shop on Amazon, we invite you to support us by shopping on AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. When you shop on AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price of each eligible item to the nonprofit of your choice. Simply go to smile.amazon.com and use your account to select DHC as your supported organization!
2. Target Circle – DHC has been selected to participate in the Target Circle program for a second time! The Winter 2020 voting round ended March 31, but we are participating in the Spring 2020 round from April 1 – June 30, 2020. If you are a Target shopper, this is a way to help DHC with fundraising. DHC is the only Spokane nonprofit selected to participate a second time. For details on the Target Circle program, CLICK HERE.
3. Auction Items – We are still collecting items for our auction in place of the Celebration Dinner. The auction may be held at a summer event or online. In either case, we will accept a wide variety of experiences, art, outdoor equipment, and other items. We will pick up donations and provide a receipt. To donate an item, contact Jeff Lambert, Executive Director, at (509) 999-5100 or ED@DishmanHills.org.
4. RedBubble – DHC is now retailing items through RedBubble. CLICK HERE to check out our online storefront. Let us know what you think!
5. $25 Sponsor a Kid Campaign – The cost of our Kids in the Hills program is about $25 per student. We are converting Kids in the Hills to an online course. Sponsor one or more kids at $25 each. To sponsor a kid, just mark your donation “Kids”. CLICK HERE to visit our donations page.
