The Thorpe Natural Area—proposed for management by Spokane Parks and Recreation—is one of six Trust Land Transfer projects the Washington Board of Natural Resources approved for state Legislature funding in the 2027-2029 budget cycle, the first time the property has made the priority list. The Washington Department of Natural Resources will now send the roughly $30 million funding request to the Legislature, which must approve it before the transfers can be completed. The property sits in Spokane’s Latah Valley, a neighborhood with little parkland, and borders the Fish Lake Trail that connects to Fish Lake Regional Park and Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.
First proposed as a Trust Land Transfer candidate in 2023 along with about 30 other parcels, the Thorpe property drew a competing proposal in December 2024, when the outgoing commissioner of public lands pushed to exchange it to Blue Fern Management for housing development. The plan drew strong opposition, including a City Council resolution, a public hearing and more than 100 written comments. In summer 2025, Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove terminated the exchange and set a two-year moratorium on further exchanges. “I thank the broad coalition of Spokane organizations, along with many more from across the state, for the fierce advocacy for Thorpe—it worked,” says Jeff Lambert, conservation chair for the Spokane Mountaineers.
