Good Neighbor Handbook
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Illustration from Good Neighbor Handbook
Malcolm Wells
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the Good Neighbor Handbook is its lists of local, state and national resources. Landowners can find numbers and Web addresses for recycled building material suppliers, local planning agencies and even a Methow Valley botanist. The free handbooks are now available throughout the valley - even in the county office, right next to applications for building permits.
Inspired by the Good Neighbor Handbook, similar guides are popping up like New West housing developments. Christine Egan, who works for the Columbia Basin Land Trust, is starting to put together a landowner's handbook for the Columbia River Gorge. "Landowners will do the right thing if motivated and informed," she says.
To order the Good Neighbor Handbook, call 509/996-2870. The guide can also be viewed on the Web at www.methowconservancy.org.