April 16, 2007 Honorable Joan Thomas Chair, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission 7150 Cleanwater Lane POB 42650 Olympia, WA 98504-2650 Dear Commissioner Thomas: After review of the materials related to the possible alpine ski expansion at Mt. Spokane State Park (MSSP), I am writing to request that the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) support Alternative 2, which would improve and limit alpine skiing to the currently developed area. The Nature Conservancy has worked closely with State Parks for more than 25 years to identify important natural forest and old growth resources within state parks to enable their protection and conveyance to future generations for education, interpretation and passive recreational enjoyment. A Conservancy representative served on the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to State Parks for Old Growth Forests, established in 1984 by the Commission and then-Director Jan Tveten. During its existence the Ad Hoc Committee made numerous recommendations to State Parks for the establishment of Natural Forest Areas (NFA), a new classification incorporated into Parks’ land management categories in the mid-1980’s to highlight the importance that the agency placed upon the protection and preservation of mature and old growth resources. The vast majority of the recommendations made by the Committee were subsequently adopted by the Commission, providing the initial class of NFA’s – all of which continue to the present. In the early 1990’s State Parks and the Conservancy mutually agreed that it would be beneficial to work with the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP) to provide a scientific assessment of old growth resources in all of Washington’s State Parks and to determine additional qualified candidates for NFA nominations. The Conservancy provided $25,000 for the inventory, and DNR, State Parks, and the Conservancy signed a contract to produce the evaluation. In 1993 the WNHP published its final report on the project entitled Natural Forest Inventory of Washington State Parks. To this day, the report remains the single most comprehensive study of natural forest/old growth resources within the State Parks system. Mt. Spokane State Park was one of the parks evaluated by the ecologists working for the WNHP. With their considered professional experience they recommended two areas within MSSP as qualifying for NFA designation: one in the Ragged Ridge area, and the other in the Blanchard Creek drainage. The latter includes the PASEA, whose fate the Commission will, in part, determine at its meeting on April 26th. Page 2. Ecological importance of the PASEA In the briefing report to the Commission (p. 2) staff state: “Biological data are…general at this stage.” While true at the species level (both faunal and floral) a characterization of plant/forest community types is available and much can be said about the PASEA’s ecological value by consulting this report (the Natural Forest Inventory). 1. Forest contiguity: The continuous block of unmanaged forest within the recommended Blanchard Creek NFA is not only extraordinary within the park itself, it is nearly unique within Spokane County because of the history of timber harvest and residential development in areas surrounding the park and beyond. 2. Altitudinal relief: The major topographic relief contained within the proposed NFA incorporates a minimum of three forest types – from redcedar/grand fir in the lower areas through western larch/lodgepole pine and ultimately subalpine fir in the highest zone. Experiencing all of these forest types within one, discrete NFA would be unique to the State Park system in eastern Washington. Indeed, within the system only Moran State Park’s Mount Constitution could rival this unparalleled opportunity for natural history protection, interpretation and environmental education. 3. Uniqueness in Washington: With the exception of portions of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness Area, the Blanchard Creek NFA is the only place in Washington where a high quality example of these mixed coniferous forest types exists. While staff correctly point out that such forests are more common in Idaho, they are rare in our state. Moreover, as Washingtonians, we can only protect what exists within our state boundaries. State Parks has the opportunity to accomplish this at Mt. Spokane State Park by formally classifying the Blanchard Creek area as an NFA. Ultimately the high ecological value of the proposed Blanchard Creek NFA resides less in its constituent parts and more in the seamless weaving together of all the forest types along an altitudinal gradient. Compromise components of this mosaic, as ski area expansion into the PASEA surely would, and you degrade the whole. A conservation direction for future generations In its briefing paper, staff document that, in the past, county residents and local organizations joined hands to protect forested areas that are now part of Mt. Spokane State Park. This concern for forest protection at MSSP is mirrored today by Inland Empire organizations like the Spokane Mountaineers and local private citizens who want a balanced recreational approach atop Mt. Spokane. Page 3. Currently the top of the mountain is approximately 60% developed, leaving a minority of the forest in a natural state. When the Commission weighs the competing recreational directions at the summit and on the slopes of Mt. Spokane, we request that you consider those who delight in seeing the wonders of a natural forest – both among current state residents and visitors, but, more importantly, all of those generations who will follow us. Finally, we would underscore that the decision to be made is neither a local nor even a regional matter. Mt Spokane is a State Park, and, as the largest park in the state system, decisions related to park values must be made with a statewide perspective in mind. If we cannot protect the remaining truly extraordinary natural features in our state’s largest park, it is questionable whether we can muster the commitment to do so in less high profile areas. We appreciate the opportunity to provide this written testimony to the Commission, and we respectfully request that the Commission support Alternative 2. Sincerely, David Weekes Executive Director The Nature Conservancy of Washington