Eagle perched along the Skagit River. PHOTO BY ED McKNIGHT

There are several sites in eastern Whatcom and Skagit counties that provide visitors with plenty of views as well as interpretive displays and even speakers. Visit the ranger stations or visitor centers as well along the way on Mount Baker Highway and North Cascades Highway for additional ideas.
Deming Homestead Eagle Park: Located off of Truck Road, on the North Fork of the Nooksack River, the park has some interpretive signs and benches. To get here, travel east on Mt. Baker Highway. After milepost 14, turn right on Truck Road. It’s an easy .3 mile one-way walk in the park.
Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center: Follow the signs in Rockport from Highway 20 and Highway 530 to Alfred Street and you’ll find the center open weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through mid February.
Howard Miller Steelhead Park: Located near the Interpretive Center is the Howard Miller Steelhead Park, near the bridge over the Skagit River. The bridge offers the best view point, but there are hiking trails at the west end of the camping areas that lead to more riverside viewing sites. Also nearby is the Bald Eagle Natural Area, a State Fish and Wildlife viewing site on Martin Road, off SR 530, just south of the Skagit River bridge.
Take a rafting trip: A winter rafting trip provides a beautiful, up close way to view eagles as they  are perched above and soar down into the water to feed on salmon.  Check out the local Wild & Scenic River Tours in Glacier, as well as Skagit RIver Adventures, Ackerlund’s Guide Service on the Skagit River, Alpine Adventures, Blue Sky Outfitters and Pacific NW Float Trips.
Milepost 100 Rest Area: The Skagit River runs directly next to this popular site at Sutter Creek on State Route 20, allowing visitors great views of feeding areas on the gravel bars on the south side of the river. Look to the mountainside—a prime eagle night-roosting site. There are interpretive displays here and parking.
Marblemount Fish Hatchery: At Marblemount, cross the Skagit River bridge and proceed past the entrance to the Marblemount Boat Launch (this is the starting place for bald eagle rafting trips and the location of a very nice bird-watching loop walk that follows the Skagit and Cascade Rivers). Go past the boat launch a half mile, then turn right on the Rockport-Cascade Road, cross the Cascade River Bridge, and take the next right to the Fish Hatchery.
Visitors can view and learn about them from volunteers with the Eagle Watchers Program hosted by the US Forest Service. Three viewing stations with off-highway parking along North Cascades Highway 20 provide spotting scopes and binoculars to help you see the birds up close. Volunteers will staff stations Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. through Jan. 29. Eagle Watcher stations are located at Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport, Sutter Creek Rest area (milepost 100) and the Marblemount Fish Hatchery. View a map showing the viewing sites and learn more about Skagit River wildlife. Call (360) 856-5700 ext. 515 for more information.

by the Foothills Gazette

COUNTY – Areas of eastern Whatcom County received up to 18 inches of snowfall during this week’s storm, with temperatures below freezing and making for icy road conditions and closures. According to the National Weather Service, another strong wet system is coming through on Friday, but will bring heavy rain at times, with more snowfall in higher elevations throughout the weekend.

Snowfall accumulates on mailboxes in Van Zandt along Highway 9. PHOTO BY KELLY MAKARAVAGE

As of Wednesday evening, snow accumulation was as much as 18 inches in the South Fork Valley and Maple Falls-Glacier area, and approximately six inches to a foot and more in other communities.
The Mount Baker and Nooksack Valley school districts – closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday – announced closures on Tuesday due to snow and icy road conditions, and continued to be closed through the week.

The Mt. Baker Ski Area, which held its Locals Qualifiers event on Monday for the annual Legendary Banked Slalom, closed on Wednesday due to weather conditions, and reopened as of Thursday morning. Ski area officials recorded an estimated 57 inches of new snow during this week’s storm, giving Mt. Baker Ski Area one of the  deepest snowbases in North America. Snow levels show a 118-inch base at Heather Meadows and 148 inches at Pan Dome.

Ski area officials have issued a deep snow warning to skiers and snowboarders, letting them know to ride with a partner (in sight) and be aware that tree wells and deep snow conditions exist throughout the ski area.

The National Weather Service has issued avalanche and flood watches in some parts of the east county. A watch means conditions are favorable, but it is not imminent or occurring. Temperatures will rise into the 40s over the weekend, and snow levels are expected to fall, creating possible avalanche and flood conditions. Snow levels will begin around 5,500 feet Friday and remain there until late Saturday when it will fall to 2,500 feet. All areas could see excessive surface runoff. The winter storm watch will remain in effect from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.

The Mt. Baker Highway Department of Transportation crew have been out clearing and sanding the highway, while Whatcom County Public Works crews also worked to clear local roads. Officials said several roads were covered in snow and ice this week, with many drivers staying off the roads. Drivers on Friday morning will likely see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain.

“It’s been quite a week in terms of snowfall. It’s not unusual to see this much snow lining the highway east of Glacier. But what’s unusual is that most of it came all at once. We must have got two feet of snow in one night at Power House Hill. Usually it builds up over the course of the winter, but not normally in one night. The teams have done a great job and worked really hard and long hours to keep up with it all,” WSDOT Superintendent Rod Morgan said.

“We actually have two teams that work Mount Baker Highway. We have a seven-person crew stationed at the Shuksan snow camp and a four-person crew stationed at the Maple Falls shed. The Shuksan crew covers the highway from Glacier to the ski area, and they work four ten-hour days each week. The Maple Falls crew covers the highway from Glacier west, and they have been working 12-hour shifts this last week, so we can have two people working days and two working nights. We’ve been on this schedule since last weekend and will continue this way as the weather dictates.”

Morgan added both teams are experienced and dedicated to keeping the highway cleared and safe for drivers. “There’s great communication between the teams, and they work really well together to take care of the highway and drivers. They are truly a pleasure to work with.”

Emergency management officials in Whatcom County are now compiling reports of property damage in Whatcom County due to the winter storm for informational purposes. Residents can report the damage (except for vehicle collisions) to Whatcom Unified Emergency Management at (360) 676-6681.

by Marnie Jones
COUNTY – Voters in the Nooksack Valley and Mount Baker School Districts are being asked to approve levy measures on the Feb. 14 ballot.

Nooksack Valley
Voters in the Nooksack Valley School District will decide on the district’s request for a general fund levy for educational maintenance and operations as well as a technology and capital projects levy.

The maintenance and operations levy is intended to replace an expiring levy and provides 20 percent of the district’s funding, while the latter is required to fund four specific types of expenditures: classroom technology, energy retrofitting, telephone system replacement, and roofing for district buildings. Both levies are four-year measures, lasting from 2013 to 2016 and expected to bring $3.7 to $4.2 million into the district annually.

Nooksack Valley Superintendent Mark Johnson clarifies that taxpayers need not expect rising costs if the levies are approved. The expiring levy totals 20 percent of the district’s operating funds and the replacement levy on this year’s ballot will do the same if approved. “We’re talking about a large volume of our overall budget,” Johnson emphasized. “It’s really vital.”

The amount will be reduced in 2013 even if both of these levies pass, as the school district will make the final payment on its current bonds in December of next year. This will create what district literature calls a “significant decrease” in the overall tax rate. “That is a red letter day for our tax payers and our community,” according to Superintendent Johnson. “Our community will finally own all these facilities.”

The technology and capital projects levy, which is separate from the replacement general fund levy, would allow the school district to repair roofs and retrofit buildings for energy efficiency. According to Johnson, these upgrades will be based on a completed energy audit which identified 20 items in need of improvement for a total bill of $500,000. The energy cost savings resulting from these improvements would be expected to pay for the repairs in just four years. “It makes good sense to do that,” Superintendent Johnson said.

In addition to roofing and energy retrofitting, the second levy would fund updates to classroom technology and an outdated telephone system. “Our phone system is 25 years old, and we bought it used then,” Johnson said. “We can’t even get parts to repair it anymore.”

As for classroom technology, modern computers and equipment are not part of the state’s contributions to education. A total of $100,000 per year of the proposed levy will go towards technology upgrades for students.

In discussing what funds are needed and how they’ll be used, Superintendent Johnson explained what his district has accomplished with taxpayer support. “Our district has received a lot of awards for student achievement, and we’re proud of that. I’d be embarrassed to ask for levy money if I didn’t feel that our schools were doing good things for kids.”

In addition to being in the top 5 to 10 percent of achieving schools in several state and national studies, the district was one of 15 “outperforming districts” in a Standards and Poor survey of Washington State schools in 2005. This was based on a comparison of demographics to achievement, and relates closely to the districts track record of doing more enrichment with relatively less funding than some other districts.

Mount Baker
Voters in the Mount Baker School District are being asked to approve a 4-year Educational Programs and Operations Replacement Levy and a 6-year Facilities and Technology Levy on Feb. 14. The Mt. Baker School Board unanimously approved the levy amounts and length of each during the Dec. 8 meeting.
If approved, the Educational Programs and Operations Replacement Levy would bring in between $4.87 million and $5.57 million each year from 2013-2016. The levy would help fund the day-to-day operations of the district. The measure is not a new tax but would replace the four-year maintenance and operations levy that expires at the end of 2012.  The Educational Programs and Operational Replacement Levy accounts for about 20 percent of the district’s general fund budget. It helps maintain class size, offsets transportation costs not covered by the state apportionment, as well as after school activities and athletics and curriculum supplies and textbooks.

The Facilities and Technology Levy is proposed as a 6-year measure. It will assist the District in the repairs of roofs and other maintenance needs.  It will also provide technology for student learning and help provide for transportation needs to meet state requirements.  The Mt. Baker School District is the State of Washington’s second largest district geographically and relies heavily on school bus transportation.

The Facilities and Technology measure unlike a bond measure does not require the district to pay interest on the amount and the measure and once approved, will replace a 1997 Bond that will be paid in full at the end of 2013. The Mt. Baker School District also receives state timber revenue to support capital projects.  This measure will allow the school district to continue to qualify for these revenues. This past year that amount was equal to $.503 million dollars.

The two measures, if approved by voters, sets the maximum amount of money the district can collect in property taxes from residents.

The estimated overall school property tax rates range from $4.80 in 2013, to $4.56 per $1,000 in 2016. That means a person with a home assessed at $200,000 would pay $960 in school property taxes in 2013 and $912 in 2016. The total tax rate in 2012 that is already approved by voters is estimated to be at $4.27.  This is a difference of $.53 cents in 2013 and $.29 cents per thousand in 2016.

About $1.30 per $1,000 of the projected tax rate in 2013 is for outstanding district bonds that the voters approved in 1997.

For more information, visit www.mtbaker.wednet.edu/.

Two community input meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 24, the first at 5:30 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m. in the High School Library.

The application for the position may be viewed at http://www.macnjake.com/searches.php,  the home website for the McPherson & Jacobson search firm.  Applications for superintendent will be accepted until Feb. 27. Following that period, the consultants will perform background/reference checks and meet with the Board on March 13 to report on all applicants.

The School District expects that interviews will be conducted the week of March 19. The Board will review the applicants’ qualifications again on March 22 and hopes to go into final deliberation on March 27.

Kaden Fox

Kaden Fox, a 10-year-old student at Acme Elementary, was on a family outing in December when he fell off a 40-foot cliff and suffered multiple injuries, including broken bones and a shattered jaw (resulting in the loss of most of his teeth). He has had several surgeries.  and will continue to require medical care. He is currently in a wheelchair.

The fundraiser, organized by the Acme Fire Department, Acme PTA, and community members, will be a spaghetti dinner and bake sale, as well as a silent auction. The dinner will be $5 per person and includes spaghetti, salad, bread and choice of drink. Local entertainment will be provided.

Donations of baked goods are welcome, and can be dropped off at the following times and locations: Friday, Jan. 27 at the Acme General Store during business hours; and Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Acme General Store until 3 p.m. and at Acme Elementary School from 3 to 4 p.m. Organizers ask that bake sale items be labeled and must be baked (not raw or requires refrigeration) for food safety.

In addition to the benefit, monetary donations can be made to the account for Kaden Fox at any WECU branch, or send checks payable to Kaden Fox Donation Fund, P.O. Box 9750 Bellingham WA 98227.

For more information about the event, or to make a donation for the silent auction, ask any member of the Acme Fire Department, contact Laura Smith at 595-9381, Judy Paine at the Acme Store or Renee Kalsbeek at 739-5132.

by Marnie Jones

KENDALL – Kendall Elementary students, teachers and families broke ground on a new garden on Saturday, Dec. 3. The garden, which is being constructed under the guidance of the Common Threads School Garden Collective, will allow students to learn about food, farming, horticulture, and the environment.

Kendall joins 10 other Whatcom County schools in engaging with Common Threads to get their garden started. “School gardens are more sustainable if there’s a garden educator or an outside human resource to keep the energy going,” according to Common Threads’ Tessa Bundy. Having an experienced person come in and rally the troops, she explained, can make the garden more  sustainable.

Saturday’s ground-breaking followed guidelines laid out by a landscape designer who works with Common Threads, but the work to follow will offer opportunity for creative input from the Kendall Elementary community. A garden committee, made up of parents, teachers, and staff, will join Common Threads staff in a visioning process to determine what shape the garden should take in the spring. What to plant and whether to prioritize food crops, vibrant flowers, or a garden theme are all questions that will be answered in a collaborative process over the coming months.

Kendall Elementary principal Charles Burleigh is happy to see the garden starting, and feels that student interest will grow now that the first visible progress has been made. The project has evolved almost entirely out of parent support, Burleigh said, pointing to Kendall parent Katie Chugg as the garden’s most vocal supporter. “I would say she’s right at the center of making these things happen,” Principal Burleigh said “I really appreciate our parent organization taking the lead. [The project] is going to be a great opportunity for our students.”

Common Threads, operating as a non-profit, requires a $2,300 per year membership fee for schools which join the collective. This money goes primarily towards paying their Garden Educators, who spend time at each garden site on a regular basis to help plan and inspire. Examples of the work that might be done by a Garden Educator include organizing school gardening clubs, helping with garden-related curriculum development and lesson plans, and helping the school to embrace their garden and appropriate it into their own culture.

As for Common Threads, their staff is pleased to be working with the enthusiastic Kendall community. “There’s a lot of potential [in Kendall] to engage these kids in growing food and using the garden in the school,” Bundy said.
Kendall Elementary is the Collective’s second outlying school, joining the Lummi Nation School and nine Bellingham member schools. “We’re thrilled to have a garden out in the county. Interest in school gardens is growing, and we’ve been able to gain a sense of what works for different schools.”

According to Bundy, the Common Threads staff have become very good at guiding a school towards creating a garden that works for their distinct needs.

For more information about Kendall’s school garden, contact Katie Chugg at 599-1391 or Chuggkm78@yahoo.com, or Tessa Bundy at 961-7562 or email tessa@commonthreadsfarm.org.

by Cameron Deuel

GLACIER – Kristen Fisher and her husband, Bear Yoho, didn’t intend to start a glass-blowing company. “It just sort of happened,” Fisher said.

Glacier Glass Works’ Kristen Fisher and daughter Isabella at their booth at the Bellingham Farmers Market. Fisher and husband Bear Yoho operate the glass company. PHOTO BY BRENT COLE

Their interest in the craft began about 15 years ago when Yoho was just starting to toy around with the art of blowing glass. Fisher remembers people asking them to create pieces, especially pendants. “People were ordering such large amounts that it started to effect our work schedules,” Fisher explained. Eventually, the two decided to work on their art full-time.

Although they began in Glacier, they traveled to Florida for a short time, eventually returning to the Pacific Northwest – first in Eugene, OR, then settling back in Glacier. They have created a presence at the Bellingham Farmers Market and Allied Arts in Bellingham, as well as locally at Glacier Creations and hold occasional sales at their Glacier home. Bellingham provided a great community as an artist, Fisher said, which gave their new company a chance to grow.

“We made really good glass-blowing friends,” Fisher said. “You just start to sell more merchandise and you end up buying new equipment. Before you know it, you have a business.” Fisher said she didn’t consider her glass-blowing as a career until she had been doing it for eight years.

The couple differ in style and content, Fisher said, as she enjoys decorating vases and jars with images of trees made from smaller pieces of glass. “Bear likes to make nautical themed pieces,” Fisher noted, “Maritime things like a ship in a bottle.”

A glass-blown ornament. COURTESY PHOTO

Overall, the couple enjoy speaking with customers and learning about who buys their products. In addition to the farmers market and the Allied Arts Festival, they now sell their glass on Etsy, a website geared towards giving independent craft-makers an online storefront. “I like the idea of people learning about our glass but how the heck did someone from Virginia find out about us?” she said. While they strongly appreciate their online business, the couple appreciates being able to interact with their customers.

In addition to pendants, Glacier Glass Works offers a variety of products from tooth fairy jars to goblets and straws made of glass, as well as ornaments for the holidays. Fisher mentioned how they use borosilicate pyrex glass, which makes for a more durable piece of art.

The couple are planning to have a holiday party on Dec. 11 to show off their latest work. “We’ve had a few of these before,” she said. “I make cookies and people stop by to look at our art.”

Fisher said that Glacier Glass Works needs to have a larger presence in the craft-market. She added, “I need to network more,” explaining how she’s excited about her latest project, glass buttons.

The vibrant swirl of reds and blues amongst the clean, clear glass shows how both artists have managed to hone their craft. Glacier Glass Works provides a strong variety in their products, ranging from meticulously created glass ornaments to beautifully crafted shot glasses. It’s no wonder how they are attracting customers from other parts of the country.

For more information about Glacier Glass Works, visit their booth a booth each Saturday through Dec. 18 at the Bellingham Farmers Market, or at the Allied Arts Festival. Call 599-1485 or e-mail glacierglassworks@netzero.com. Items are available online at etsy.com/people/glacierglass.

Correction: The print version of this article incorrectly stated items are available at Glacier Creations.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MT. BAKER SKI AREA

MT. BAKER – A new mid-mountain lodge, expected to open later this week, will offer food, warmth, and comfort to Mount Baker Ski Area visitors.

Raven Hut Lodge sits at the base of chairs 4, 5 and 6 and is only accessible by ski or snowboard. COURTESY PHOTO

Accessible only by ski and snowboard, the new Raven Hut stands at the site of the former Raven Hot Cafe. Full dining service, a rock fireplace, and classic Northwest architecture characterize the new $3.5 million building, which has been designed in the style of the original 1920’s Mount Baker Lodge.

Ski area representative Amy Trowbridge calls the design “timeless,” and expects that the artisan-crafted lodge will rank among the nation’s finest. “It’s very northwest, very classic, very Cascades,” she said.

Ski Area staff had at least two compelling reasons to build a new lodge, according to Trowbridge: first, large crowds at the ski area’s popular White Salmon Lodge needed room to spread out. Second, the old Raven Hot Cafe was suffering the ravages of time and challenging weather, and needed to be replaced.

As for the construction process, it’s been managed during a short warm season. “With the incredible snow pack we had last year,” Trowbridge explained, “things didn’t melt out until well into the summer.” Staff and construction crews managed to cut a road and clear snow to get into the construction site during the spring, while general contractors Wellman & Zuck managed to work through a summer of challenging alpine conditions. Finishing touches are being put on the commercial kitchen now, and final permits should be in on time for an estimated Dec. 9 opening. “We’re hoping,” Trowbridge said of the opening date, “though you never know until you actually open the doors.”

While construction of the lodge is wrapping up, artistic details will be added throughout the season and into next year. “We’ve had some Northwest artists do some beautiful [detailing] for us,” noted Trowbridge, who hopes that visitors will observe such touches as bronze ravens on the door, artful post carvings (yet to be completed), and a stone fireplace which was handcrafted by a local crew.

The new Raven Hut Lodge is designed in the 1920s-30s Cascadia style architecture and features the work of numerous local woodworkers and artisans. COURTESY PHOTO, Nov. 2011

The Raven Hut sits at the base of chairs 4, 5, and 6, opening after what has been a great start to the season. “We’ve had a bit of a roller coaster with the weather this week,” Trowbridge said, “but what a fantastic opening day we had.” She described their opening weekend as boasting “some of the best conditions we’ve ever had.” The weekend allowed for the establishment of a great base, which will serve skiers and snowboarders well as the season goes on.

In other news, Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit the ski area on Dec. 10-11.

For more information and snow conditions, visit www.mtbaker.us or call (360) 734-6771.

COUNTY – Through an agreement with the Whatcom Community Foundation (WCF), the 4th annual Foothill Gazette Community Fund is now accepting donations.

The annual fundraiser benefits the Foothills Food Bank and Everson-Nooksack Food Bank, which also serves the Sumas Food Bank.

Through Dec. 31, the Foothills Gazette will collect monetary donations, placing all of the proceeds towards a fund to benefit the non-profit organizations. In January, coordinated through the WCF, the proceeds will be donated.

Readers who participate in this fundraiser are asked to make a donation of at least $10, through cash, check, credit card or money order. The donations are tax-deductible and each donor will receive a letter from the WCF. Readers who donate to this cause will be listed as a donor (with their permission, see donation form.)

The Foothills Food Bank, located at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Deming, operates on Tuesday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m.

The Everson-Nooksack Food Bank operates on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Everson Presbyterian Church, 204 N. Washington Street in Everson. Call 966-4833.

In addition, the Foothills Gazette sponsors local families each holiday season, helping with food, gifts and other needs. Local residents are invited to participate by purchasing a specific gift for a child or donating good food. Families remain anonymous. Gifts and food are delivered mid-December.

For more information about the Foothills Gazette Community Fund, or how you can help a local family this holiday season, contact the Foothills Gazette at via e-mail info@foothillsgazette.com or call 599-3320.

Following are some of the tree farms in eastern Whatcom County area, most open through Dec. 23 or Christmas Eve.

• Alpine Meadows Tree Farm: 3585 Valley Highway, south of Van Zandt, 595-1019. Open through Dec. 22. Hours are 9 a.m. to dark, Monday through Saturday. Trees include Noble Fir, Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, Fraser Fir and Nordmann. U-cut, pre-cut and live trees are available, as well as kids’ trees and wreaths and garland. There is an indoor warm-up area with free coffee and hot chocolate.

• Bell Creek Trees: 5669 Mount Baker Highway, Deming, 592-5061 or 592-4005. Open through Dec. 23. Hours are 9 a.m. to dusk on the weekends, as well as by appointment. Trees include Grand Fir, Noble Fir and Fraser Fir, Cedar, and both u-cut and we-cut are available, as well as wreaths and cut greenery. Coffee and light refreshments available.

• Fullner U-Cut Christmas Trees: 3765 E. Hoff Road, 592-5820. Open through Dec. 24. Hours are 9 a.m. to dark, daily. Trees include Douglas, Grand and Concolor Firs, Norway Spruce, and Fraser. A gift shop is also on site. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and candy canes available.

• Kelly Road Christmas Tree Farm: 1129 E. Kelly Road, 510-9198, www.kellyrdtreefarm.com.  Open through Dec. 18. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Trees include u-cut or we-cut Noble Fir, Grand Fir and Fraser Fir. Gift shop on site. Refreshments available.

A couple cuts a tree at Alpine Meadows Farm. PHOTO BY KELLY MAKARAVAGE

• Misty Meadows Farm: 6197 Everson Goshen Road, Everson, 312-3554, www.mistymeadowsfarm.com. Trees are certified organic and include Grand Fir, Douglas Fir, Noble Fir and Nordmann Fir.

• Noon Road Trees: 7188 Noon Road, Lynden, 354-8689. Open through Dec. 24. Hours are dawn to dusk, daily. Trees include u-cut Douglas, Grand, Noble, Colorado Blue, Norway and others.

• Pete Pederson Christmas Trees: 4035 Mount Baker Highway, Deming, 592-2639. Trees include Noble Fir, Grand Fir, Fraser Fir and Douglas Fir.

• Red Mountain Tree Farm: Located on Mount Baker Highway  between Kendall and Maple Falls, 599-1765, www.redmountaintrees.com. Open through Dec. 23. Hours are 10 a.m. to dusk, daily. Trees include Noble, Open Noble, Grand Fir, Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Spruce, Blue Spruce, and Nordmann. U-cut, we-cut, potted trees and wreaths available, as well as garland, ornaments and other items.

• River’s Edge U-Cut Christmas Tree Farm: 4773 Deming Road, Deming, 592-5220, www.riversedgeucut.com. Open through Dec. 24. Hours are 9 a.m. to dark, daily. Trees include Noble Fir, Grand Fir, Fraser Fir, pre-cut Douglas Fir, and live trees, as well as garlands and wreaths. Free wagon rides Dec. 3-4 and 10-11. Coffee, cider, hot chocolate and candy canes available.

• Sisters Tree Farm: 3771 Valley Highway, a mile south of Van Zandt, 592-5614. Open through Dec. 24. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to dark on Saturday and Sunday. Trees include Douglas Fir, Nordmann Fir, Fraser Fir and more. U-cut, we-cut and wreaths available. Sisters Gift Shoppe on site includes crafts, ornaments, handmade dolls, stockings and more. Cookies and coffee available.

• Stoney Ridge Farm: 2092 Van Dyk Road, Everson, 592-5220, www.stoneyridgefarm.com. Open through Dec. 10. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Trees include  Fraser Fir, Noble Fir, Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, and Nordmann. We-cut, u-cut, wreaths, garlands, stands and more available. Gift shop, pie shop, animals. Coffee and hot chocolate available.