Please join us for the Annual Membership Meeting on Sunday, May 28th over Memorial Day weekend at the Firehall on Mink Road.

We will start the morning with a one-hour session beginning at 9AM, where members can ask questions, meet your current trustees, get registered and visit with your neighbors. We will start the meeting promptly at 10 AM. When the meeting is over (noon or 1PM) we will provide hamburgers with all the fixings, as well as paper plates, silverware, and refreshments. Please bring a dish to pass and chairs.

A few highlights that we look forward to presenting are:

• Overview of what has been accomplished by your Board in 2023

• Update on past member dues collections.

• Vote on the 2024 Budget

• Election of Trustees (Read Candidate Bios)

We look forward to seeing you on May 28th. If you have any questions, or if you would like to receive paper copies of the Annual Meeting documents, please contact our Business Manager, Bahia Rowan, at lraa.business@gmail.com.

View 2023 Annual Meeting Documents

We are fortunate to have three of our Trustee’s seeking re-election for their second term, and one appointed member running for their first term. The membership elects Trustees, and they in turn elect officers and committee chair positions.

Our LRAA voting bylaws are located on the Governance page. If you’re interested in running for a seat on the Board, please email our Business Manager, Bahia Rowan, at lraa.business@gmail.com.

Board Members Seeking Re-election:
Aaron Sanday
Sylvia Silberhorn
J. Gordon

Appointed Board Position:
Caryn Darmer

CANDIDATE BIOS

Aaron Sanday
Current President seeking final year of Board membership
Areas of Responsibility: Contracts
We bought our first lot in Lost River nearly 20 years ago when our children were small. We all fell in love with the rivers, the mountains, the access to public lands, and the peaceful nature of our community here under the trees. We had to sell that lot in 2007, but life just didn’t feel right. Fortunately, we were able to buy another piece of paradise in 2016. Our children are no longer so small but they still love accessing the wild places from our cabin. We snowmobile, snowshoe, hike, run, hunt, go birding, and search for wild flowers in this quiet place. I deeply enjoy our community and chatting with our neighbors. This appreciation for Lost River, and the people that reside here, led me to serve on the Board for the last five years; the last 2 years of which I have served as President. Looking forward to my final year as Board President.

Sylvia Silberhorn
Current Treasurer seeking second 3-year term
I spent a majority of my life living in a small town in southern Michigan. where I worked as a Materials Manager for a manufacturing facility until I retired in 2018.  For many years, I traveled to Washington to visit my daughter and her family (grandkids!!), who also owns property in Lost River. My husband and I purchased our property in Lost River in 2017. We traveled back and forth from Michigan to Washington several times a year, until we sold our home in Michigan in 2022 and became permanent residents of the state of Washington. The beauty of Lost River is so breathtaking and I feel so fortunate to live here.

J. Gordon
Current Trustee seeking second 3-year term
Committee: WUCIOA (Governance)/Legal
My wife Krista and I have owned our cabin along Harris Road since 2006. We live in Bellingham where I am still a practicing geotechnical engineer. I served for 11 years on the (governing) City of Bellingham Public Library Board of Trustees, and served on our company Board of Directors. I have served one three-year term on the LRAA Board. My professional career and previous board experience allow me to contribute these skills to the LRAA Board. My wife and I love to hike, road and mountain bike, and ski in the Methow Valley and looking forward to spending more time in our cabin as I get closer to retirement!

Caryn Darmer
For the past four years I have been a dedicated LRAA community member who is very passionate about the Methow Valley. I happened upon my land in Lost River in an ad on craigslist of all places. Currently, I am in the process of building a fire-resistant cabin out of recycled materials along the runway with the help of my family. To get to LRAA I either fly in on the airstrip with my boyfriend or drive up to Mazama with tools in tow. Professionally I am a project engineer in Seattle and have ten years of expertise working with all aspects of commercial construction. What I will bring to the board is a vast range of knowledge on development, actual experience of using our community’s runway and a diverse range of practical skill sets to best serve our community. Outside of work and cabin building I can be found riding horses, skiing, farming hay and fly fishing in our local rivers.

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Dear Lost River Friends and Neighbors,

In recent months we’ve had two critical issues arise with regard to our recycling and garbage pickup.

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1. Glass bottles were placed in the recycling bins.
Please do not do this! A glass bottle that goes undetected contaminates the truck load. As a result, the entire load has to be trashed instead of recycled. I know that many of you come from communities on the Westside where glass can be mixed with other recyclables. Just be mindful that this is not the case in the Methow Valley, and please ensure that guests using your cabins are aware of the glass restrictions. Please take your glass to Methow Recycles in Twisp or, if possible, take it home with you to recycle.

2. Do not dispose of fireplace ashes in the recycling bins or in the garbage dumpsters. This is a serious safety concern. Here’s an article describing how to safely handle and dispose of ashes. If it happens again, we face the possibility of our recycling and garbage service being suspended!

3. Here are a few reminders to ensure good recycling in Lost River:

• Recyclable containers should be Clean, Empty, and Dry.

• Empty bags of recyclable plastics and cans into the recycling bins.

• Empty paper bags can be placed in the recycling bins.

• Plastic bags should go in the trash dumpsters.

• Consult the posters in the recycling area to determine what is and what is not recyclable.

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It is Bear Season again in Lost River. Please ensure that garbage shed doors are closed, dumpster lids are down, and the bars are secured with the U-bolts.

If you have any questions, feel free to text, call, or email me at (608) 466-0560 or lohmankirk@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Kirk Lohman
Lost River Airport Garbage Committee

The Lost River Association Board of Directors is hiring a replacement for our Business Manager. This is a paid position that reports to the LRAA President and works for the Board on behalf of the Association.

If you are interested in applying for the Lost River Business Manager position, please send an email with a brief introduction, your interest in the position and your resume to: lraa.business@gmail.com and lraa.president@gmail.com.

Your interest letter and a resume must be received by February 10th. Thank you!

VIEW JOB DESCRIPTION

Invoices for LRAA Association Dues & Water Fees are going out this week. Please note that payment is due by the close of business on March 31, 2023.

• 2023 Association Dues: $709
• 2023 Water Fees: $365 per water right

Members whose payments are received after March 31 will be assessed 12% interest (compounded monthly) on the outstanding balance, as well as a $50 Late Fee per quarter until payment is made in full.

If you have questions about your invoice or how to make a payment, please use the form on our Contact Us page, selecting “Fees/Payment Information” from the dropdown menu under “Topic.”

Thank you!

Please join us for a ‘Wildfire Preparedness Discussion’ specific to our Lost River Airport Association and the Methow Valley. Bring a chair & learn more about how to keep our neighborhood safe! This is a free event and all are invited to join.

Discussion to include:

• Methow Valley & Neighboring Forest Health

• LRAA Neighborhood Safety & Actions to Take

• Resources & Local DNR and Okanogan Conservation District Contacts

• Q&A from LRAA Homeowners!

When: Saturday, October 22nd, 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Where: Lost River Fire Hall, Littel Road

Guest Speaker: Guy Gifford, Assistant Division Manager of WA DNR's Community Resilience Program (Wildfire Management Division)

Background: Guy started his wildland firefighting career on a 20-person crew in 1984 for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In 1991 he started his Forestry career in the Spokane area for the DNR and has worked in this area in numerous Forestry positions. Before he became the Assistant Division Manager of the Community Resilience Program, Guy was the Firewise coordinator for the Northeast region, which covers 6 counties. In addition, he served as a Land Owner Assistance Forester (LOAF) in Spokane County. He has also been involved in helping other Methow Valley HOA’s create and execute Firewise USA® Site plans.

Wildlife Preparedness Discussion RSVP

It would be helpful to know how many members plan to attend, so please RSVP below.

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Be BearWise!

“When bears emerge from dens, their digestive systems are sluggish and may take a week or two to gradually normalize. Then, hunger hits hard, and despite eating Spring foods, such as grass, dandelions and tree cambium, their bodies slowly lose more and more fat reserves until WA berries start to ripen.”

For additional facts and (safety) tips for how to live responsibly with black bears, please visit BearWise.

The policy of the DF&W is NOT to capture and relocate bears. If a bear becomes a problem, they will euthanize it. As Sargent Christensen said, “a fed bear is a dead bear.”

If you encounter an actively aggressive bear call the Washington State Patrol at (509) 227-6650 and they will dispatch enforcement officers. Also contact the LRAA through the Contact Us form on our website.