February 2023 | Save the Dates:

• February 2nd: Groundhog's Day
• February 6th: ACC Committee Meeting
• February 14th: Valentine's Day
• February 20th: President's Day

Our Volunteers ROCK!

Most of you have seen the Edelweiss community map created by long time Edelweiss homeowner, Ron Bomba. Ron, also prepared maps for the Edelweiss Roads Plan, the Evacuation plan map and now the Edelweiss Historical Maps. Ron also prepared maps for our Firewise Coordinators (see above). According to his website, “Ron had a graphic design business in Seattle from 1970 through 2006. A time period that witnessed the evolution of computer graphics from its infancy to dominating the industry”. We have been the grateful recipient of his generosity and expertise over the years. Thank you Ron!

Edelweiss before Edelweiss - Historical Maps:

Thanks to local, retired graphic designer Ron Bomba and Okanogan County, you can now get a glimpse into what Edelweiss looked like in years past. The County provided aerial photos from 1940, 1960, 1970 and 1990 and Ron enhanced them and provided Edelweiss boundaries. They show, for instance, the original farm house near the pool and the meadows as cultivated fields. What did your property look like? The maps can be found on the Edelweiss website in the maps link or in the About Us Historical page. 

Dark Skies:

The Architectural Guidelines for Edelweiss states that our community strives to be a “Dark Sky” community. A Dark Sky Community is a town, city, municipality or other legally organized community that has shown exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of a quality outdoor lighting ordinance, dark sky education and citizen support of dark skies. Dark Sky Communities excel in their efforts to promote responsible lighting and dark sky stewardship and set good examples for surrounding communities.

Recommendations to preserve dark skies fall into two primary methods:

Use only the amount of light needed, only when needed - fewer lights, lower LUX bulbs
Use motion sensors, timers or other methods to limit the amount of time a light is on

Focus the light only on what needs to be lit and prevent spread into unneeded areas - Focus lights downward. Shield lights with fixtures or reflectors to minimize light outside of the lighted area.

Please refer to Appendix E in the Edelweiss Architectural Guidelines on our website for more specifics on how to construct or remodel your home or cabin, or ways to improve existing lights to preserve dark skies.

Household Garbage –Toilets and Car Doors?

Edelweiss members pay for household garbage disposable but staff often find non-household waste improperly disposed of at our facility. Household garbage is generally considered the non-hazardous waste generated by a normal, non-commercial household. It can include items such as food waste, food contaminated containers and cartons, paper towels, tissues and kitchen wastes. All recyclable material should be placed in our recycle bins and other reusable in good repair should be taken to the ReMake program at Methow Recycles (Methow Recycles :: Reuse It.

Some of the non-household garbage reportedly found in our dumpsters include: construction materials and waste generated during remodeling projects such as lumber, rugs, carpet and carpet pads, Other more unusual items found in our dumpsters over the years have included toilets, ladders, a giant birdcage, a car door, tires, oil, lumber, pine needles and Christmas trees.  Once, a rusty chain saw showed up at the dump and with a little TLC was put back in service!

Edelweiss by the Numbers:

How many lots are there in Edelweiss? How many are undeveloped? How many homes are occupied year-round? By using our current address list, we have some answers. 

There are 320 lots on the list, with 93 undeveloped. About 35 lot owners own more than one lot.  As you can see in the charts above, there are 25 lots in the campground. Of the non-campground lots, 81 have full time status, and the vast majority of those lots, 214, are listed as part time status.

Leptoglossus Occidentalis – a common visitor in Edelweiss:

The link below is a short video on You-Tube about Leptoglossus occidentalis. Enjoy.

Board Business:

At the last board meeting the board reviewed the December finances. They showed we were on budget. The final numbers were unavailable for the year-end financial report but that will be available as soon as possible. The Board also reviewed a new and vastly improved Welcome Package (thank you Alison Naney). 

The Board is also working on a Violation and Fine policy similar to one passed at the November meeting for Architectural violations. Other new business is development of a Standard Operating Procedure document that will provide a set of step-by-step instructions to help future staff carry out routine operations. The Roads Committee reviewed the survey questions pertaining to roads and one conclusion was a need for better communication. The Edelweiss Firewise Committee is organizing an event this spring to help reduce duff and other fuel that cannot be placed in our trash dumpsters. The next board meeting is planned for Wednesday, March 8 at 7 pm.

Package Hut:

The shed is about full, and packages have been stacking up for months.
We checked with the post office, and the clerk mentioned the new person doesn't put a note in the regular mail boxes to alert of mail in the shed, so it's worth checking the shed for packages on a regular basis. The EMC requested that notices be placed in the Mailboxes from here froward. The old mail carrier, Corrine, did put alert notes in boxes, but that was an over-and-beyond personal effort on her part.

Newsletters and Website Navigation:

The following article is intended to help members navigate the website. 

Members Only Page: There is a Members Only Page on the website which is password protected. Please contact Pitkin Thomas if you need the password (manager@edelweissmethowvalley.org). On this page, you will find links to Board Meeting agendas, Board minutes, Financial Statements and historical Management Reports.

Board Meetings: The board meeting dates are announced at the end of each board meeting and captured in the meeting minutes, the newsletter and the calendar of events on the website. The agenda is posted about 1 week before the board meeting with the agenda attachments (like staff, Treasurer and committee reports) linked to the agenda (shown in all Capital lettering) as soon they are available. All relevant links can be found at the bottom of the agenda, as well. https://edelweissmethowvalley.org/board-meetings/

The meetings are recorded and can be found on the Board Meeting Page, there is a link next to the most recent meeting date. Due to size constraints, only the previous meeting recordings will be posted. 

Newsletters: the monthly newsletters are distributed via email on the first Friday of every month. We welcome your ideas and photos which must be received no later than the last Friday of the month. The newsletters are also posted every month on the website under the News tab. To print paper copies of the newsletters open the Newsletter in your browser and print as you would any other web page or document. https://edelweissmethowvalley.org/newsletters/

• You can view past issues, and past community emails: HERE 
• If you are not receiving these emails, you can subscribe: HERE