The impact of our work is felt, experienced, and valued across our state. As the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) 2023-2025 grant cycle comes to a close at the end of this month, a lot of projects are finishing up. And that means we get to do what we love most: attend new project openings and celebrate new parks, trails, and habitat restoration projects!
I was fortunate to visit several project openings and Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program-funded sites in the greater Spokane area last month. Spokane County has some of the least amount of public lands per capita: about 10%. That’s far behind the average of 30% in the West, and surprising when compared to King County, where just over 50% of the land is in public hands.
We look forward to many more conservation and recreation projects in and around Spokane, to bring natural habitat improvement, recreation access, and joy to the region’s humans and wildlife. Read on for a summary of how our advocacy is helping to transform the outdoor landscape and recreation access for Spokane residents and beyond.
Project Opening #1: Liberty Lake Park Improvements. Spokane County Parks, Recreation and Golf completed a significant park improvement project at Liberty Lake. Congratulations to our friends and partners at Spokane County Parks, Recreation and Golf for reaching the final ribbon-cutting milestone on May 21, 2025. Upgrades include three new picnic shelters, new restrooms, outdoor showers, reconfiguration of the park entrance, irrigation improvements, interpretive signage, storm water improvements, accessible beach parking, and a large dock with an accessible kayak launch. It included multiple funding sources, including a $950,000 WWRP Water Access grant and $500,000 Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA) grant for a total of $1,450,000 from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Many thanks to State Senator Leonard Christian, who acknowledged that “the work is a great example of state and local leaders working together for the benefit of Eastern Washington residents.” Congratulations to the entire project team for completing these wonderful new amenities in this well-loved park! Watch local news coverage of the park’s opening here.
 | Spokane County celebrating new improvements at Liberty Lake Regional Park – KREM.com SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane County will celebrate new improvements at the Liberty Lake Regional Park. This is a project that started to form in 2018 after an anonymous $50,000 donation helped … www.krem.com |
Project Opening #2: Palisades Trails Network. On May 22nd, Spokane County Parks, Recreation and Golf staff, the Spokane Tribe, the Inland Northwest Conservancy, and Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown officially cut the ribbon on 118 acres of forest, shrub steppe, wetland, cliff habitat and 1.5 miles of new trail at Palisades Park, forming a new connection with Riverside State Park. The acquisition preserves an extensive wildlife corridor for moose, elk, and white-tailed deer. The opening event included a guided tour by “Visionary Cowboy” Craig Volosing, whose long-time vision and efforts by the Friends of the Palisades became reality with the help of the WWRP. The site was acquired by a $731,744 WWRP Urban Wildlife grant. Read the Spokesman review of the opening here.
 | Opening of new Palisades Park trail marks milestone in decades-long conservation effort by neighbors and one ‘charismatic cowboy’ – The Spokesman-Review News; Local government; Opening of new Palisades Park trail marks milestone in decades-long conservation effort by neighbors and one ‘charismatic cowboy’ www.spokesman.com |
Site Visit #3: Glen Tana Farm. A WWRP Urban Wildlife grant was just approved to preserve 11,000 acres at the remarkable Glenn Tana historic farm site, northeast of Riverside State Park, including wildlife habitat and trails. Spearheaded by local community leaders and the Inland NW Land Conservancy, it took a lot of partners for this project to come to fruition, a visionary leader, and willing lenders (US Bank and Craft3) who tied it all together. Watch this video of Inland NW Land Conservancy Executive Director, Dave Shaub, during our property tour.
Site Visit #4: Polly Judd Park. This little gem has been around since 1999 and is still entertaining kids in the playground and hikers on the ravine trail daily. A quick stop to take in the views from “The Bluff” over Latah Creek, and a peek in the park and playground was well worth it to check out another WWRP park, nestled at a dead-end road in a Spokane neighborhood. The original site was acquired with a WWRP acquisition grant in 1993. With the help of Polly Judd, an enthusiastic supporter of Spokane Parks and an active community member, the park received a development grant in 1997. The park was completed in 1999 in the WWRP-Local Parks category with $184K in grant funding (and another $213K match) and includes a playground and a lovely view trail, high above Latah Creek. Seeing this park so well used more than 25 years later speaks to the legacy and impact of our work at the Coalition and the long-lasting impact and community benefits of the WWRP.
 | Polly Judd Park – Spokane Historical Polly Judd was an enthusiastic supporter of Spokane Parks and was active in the community. According to her obituary on March 30, 1981 in the Spokane Daily Chronicle, she was one of the founders of the Lilac Festival, served on the board of the festival and show, head of the floral department at the Spokane Interstate Fair, member of the Finch Arboretum Auxiliary, guided the planting of the … spokanehistorical.org |
Site Visit #5: Mt Spokane. This was a personal site visit to Mt Spokane on a weekend day, on the recently opened 182 Trail. Mt Spokane has benefited from multiple WWRP and other RCO grants, and it’s worth a visit for so many reasons: trails, wildlife, wildflowers, berries, skiing, foraging, and more. I hiked and foraged along the new trail, which was completed in 2024. This 3.2 trail was mostly built by volunteers from our friends at the Washington Trails Association, under the guidance of the amazing Holly Weiler! I enjoyed finding marvelous ladyslippers along the way, and a few morels to boot, YUM!
 | Mount Spokane State Park – Trail 182 – Washington Trails Association Mount Spokane State Park’s Trail 182 offers park visitors a new beautifully forested singletrack trail option on the western side of the park. The main access point for Trail 182 is via Day Mountain Road, located near Greenbluff, making this the perfect trail to enjoy before visiting the nearby farms and breweries. www.wta.org |
Site Visit #6: Saltese Flats. And bonus: a bikeride with Melinda at the Saltese Uplands Nature Preserve, funded through a Conservation Futures Grant.
The Saltese Flats Wetlands Protection and Restoration Project was led by Ducks Unlimited, Spokane County, and the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy. This Acquisition and Restoration Project was made possible through a $473,000 WWRP grant in the Riparian Protection Grant Category, with an additional applicant match of $475,203.00. The project was completed in 2023 and consists of two parcels totaling 112 acres in the Saltese Flats of Spokane County. Wetland and riparian habitats were restored on the two acquired parcels and an adjacent county-owned parcel. Surface flows were redirected, and shrubs and trees were planted.
Visit the flats for wildlife watching and then walk, hike, or ride the Saltese uplands trails on horse or bike and find yourself surrounded by the impact of the WWRP: all in view from the Uplands trails and all funded by the WWRP: Mt Spokane State Park, Mica Peak, and Liberty Lake, all in view from these looped cross country trails. Thank you, Spokane County and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, for your preservation and care of these two outdoor access projects!
And finally, a visit to Spokane is not complete without a stop at the Spokane Falls and waterfront amenities, right in town. You guessed it: as part of a larger community vision, habitat protection and access were also partially funded by the WWRP through a 36-acre riverbank acquisition project for riverine habitat protection along the Spokane River in 1994.
Many thanks to Spokane County Parks and Washington State Parks for hosting me in meetings on this trip to discuss additional opportunities and other benefits of our Coalition’s advocacy and policy work for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.
If you don’t yet have your summer road trips fully planned, head to Spokane and experience the WWRP! This is just a sampling; next time I’ll be sure to visit Antoine Peak and Mica Peak – both funded by WWRP grants, with lots of trails and wildlife to explore.
Thank you, as always, for your support of our work, and wishing you happy summer adventures!