Glen Tana conservation area on the Little Spokane River. Photo by Lorenzo Menendez courtesy of Inland Northwest Land Conservancy
At the end of September, Inland Northwest Land Conservancy (INLC) announced a $4M capital campaign to complete the protection of the Glen Tana area, an 1,100 acre piece of land with two miles of river in the Little Spokane River Valley. And in October, the Spokane Audubon Society (SAS) made the bold step of “adopting” 10 acres of that land by making a $10,000 gift to the campaign to protect it.
This gift was doubly special because the funds used to secure the land for conservation stemmed from a land protection partnership between the SAS and INLC more than two decades earlier. Reardan, Washington’s East Lake had gone up for sale and a group of avid birders rushed to protect this vital migratory haven from being sold and developed.
With the help of the Conservancy, the small but dedicated team raised $51,000 to secure an option-to-purchase. Then the Conservancy took out a $350,000 loan, a massive commitment for the Land Trust, barely 10 years old at the time. INLC acted as a “bridge owner,” holding the land until the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) could purchase it.
East end of Audubon Lake
Today, you can visit the Reardan Audubon Lake Wildlife Area—permanently protected for birds, animals, native plants, and people to enjoy. Thanks to the quick thinking, and dedication of Spokane Audubon Society and Inland Northwest Land Conservancy. But that was only the beginning of the story. The money from WDFW’s purchase of the land went into a fund specifically designated for bridge ownership projects in which INLC’s typical method of protecting private land with a permanent legal agreement didn’t fit the bill, and outright purchase was the only way to protect well-loved, important natural spaces.
This fund came to bear more recently in the permanent protection of Rimrock to Riverside, a connecting piece of land between Palisades Park and Riverside State Park. This area is now owned and managed by Spokane City Parks. The fund was also used to add 55 acres to the Saltese Uplands Conservation Area, situated between the rapidly growing Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake.
Chris DeForest touring Deep Creek Preserve
As the number of projects grew, the fund did as well, enabling Inland Northwest Land Conservancy to purchase Glen Tana in 2023. The Conservancy is holding this land that will ultimately be owned and managed by Washington State Parks and the Spokane Tribe of Indians. The Conservancy’s capital campaign, mentioned above, helps to cover the cost of caring for the land for the time being. It will also replenish the funds used to purchase the land, meaning that INLC will be able to protect more well-loved and important spaces for the benefit of the community.
The Spokane Audubon Society’s decision to contribute to this campaign through “Adopt-an-acre” was made by the organization’s board as a way to protect important habitat for the birds they love. “To save birds, you have to save the habitat they depend on. And, as the Spokane Audubon Society is not in the business of buying land, it makes perfect sense for them to support INLC, an organization that is in the business of buying land needed for wildlife corridors.” –Elizabeth Melville, INLC Blog.
While the organization or hiking group you’re involved with might not have been at the forefront of protecting migratory bird habitat in the early 2000s, adopting an acre TODAY is a great way to ensure that places you love to play will be around for the long haul. The $1000 price tag to adopt an acre might seem like a lot to individuals, but this is a chance to get together with your riding buddies, your hiking friends, your photography pals, or your ski bum cohorts to make a difference together for the future of our beautiful outdoors! To learn more about how to adopt an acre, or to make your financial commitment today, visit InlandNWLand.org/Adopt-an-acre or contact INLC’s director of philanthropy, Carol Corbin at ccorbin@inlandnwland.org.
