February 15, 2007 Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Attn: Mr. Daniel Farber, Parks Planner PO Box 42650 Olympia, WA 98504-2650 Mt. Spokane State Parks Advisory Committee Attn: Mr. Cris Currie, Chairman 621 W. Mallon Suite 509
Spokane, WA 99201 
SUBJECT: Mt. Spokane Potential Alpine Ski Expansion Area (PASEA) The Washington Natural Heritage Program is providing the following information to assist in scoping the impacts of the possible ski area expansion at Mount Spokane State Park. In 1993, the Natural Heritage Program conducted an evaluation of forests at Mt. Spokane State Park. The detail results of Mt. Spokane State Park found in that report will not be presented in this letter. The report’s conclusion that much of the park was and still is a natural forest will be emphasized to define it as a valuable conservation asset of uncommon quality. The Blanchard Creek Natural Forest area as recommended in 1993 includes the proposed ski expansion area. Today, the Blanchard Creek Natural Forest area retains all the natural qualities as previously identified except that its forest structures are nearly 15 years older. Since the original recommendation, natural forest processes have created openings in the previously closed canopy. Those canopy openings increase the forest habitat diversity of the area. The Natural Heritage Program still recognizes that the Blanchard Creek area is a Natural Forest Area in 2007. The possible ski area expansion would reduce the size and natural function of the current Blanchard Creek Natural Forest in half. One of the greatest values of Mount Spokane State Park is its large size and low level of fragmentation of forests within its boundaries. Those mostly unfragmented forests extend from the southern tip of the park north along the westerly slopes of Mt. Spokane to forests off the park to the northeast. The northwest slope of Mt. Spokane (the ski expansion area) is part of the largest, least fragmented forest habitat in the Park and connects the park forests on the south to forests on and off the park to the north. Mt. Spokane Park appears not only to be the largest, least fragmented forest landscape locally but inspection of aerial photography in Washington and Idaho reveals that similarly sized and continuous forest areas do not occur within a 20 to 30 mile radius. The aerial photograph below illustrates the size and continuity of the park’s forests in the surrounding patchwork landscape.  Figure 1. Mt. Spokane Park's dark forest contrast with surrounding fragmented landscape. The forest vegetation communities composing the Blanchard Creek Natural Forest are representative of the subalpine and mid-montane forests of the Northern Rocky Mountains. Although these communities maybe relatively common, their occurrence in a continuous forest block in a natural, unmanipulated condition is an uncommon quality. The area warrants special recognition and attention so that in continues to add to the diversity of the park as an important natural destination in Washington. The Washington Natural Heritage Programs strongly recommends that any ski area expansion be limited to the east side of Mt Spokane and the Blanchard Creek Natural Forest on the west remain intact and not be developed. Thank you for considering our comments and concerns about the PASEA. If you have any questions please give me call at (360) 902-1749. Rex C. Crawford, PhD 
Natural Heritage Ecologist 
Washington Dept of Natural Resources 
Olympia, WA 98504-7014