Have you written your letter of support for the Beacon Hill Trail System? The deadline for Conservation Futures is in just under two weeks (April 30th to be precise) and we need your voice to resonate with the County and the City of Spokane. So far Evergreen East has received over 250 letters of support stating why the Beacon Hill Trail System is important and worth preserving.
We face a tough challenge though. Over 50% of Beacon Hill is privately owned – see the map below. It is only through the amazing and generous individuals who own this land that we are allowed access to some of the best mountain biking in the Inland Northwest.
Folks from all over have written letters and we have officially gone international with our efforts having talked with families from British Columbia and Alberta. It is truly amazing to see how much this land means to so many people.
So please, take the time to write a quick letter on behalf of Beacon Hill. Address your letters to the Land Evaluation Committee with your name, address and occupation and then email into info@evergreeneast.org and we will include them in the Conservation Futures applications. Let the Committee know what Beacon means to you!
We’ve been asked for some talking points so here you go:
- the trail system is close in, accessible, and heavily used by bikers, hikers, trail runners (to name a few)
- close to neighborhoods, easily accessible
- it has become a destination trail system for the Pacific Northwest
- Spokane could emulate the Boise Ridge to Rivers trail system ; preserving open space, encourage infill building instead of ridge top sprawl
- parcel purchase ensures continuity and connectivity of trail system
- parcels are adjacent to either existing City Parks or County Park/Conservation land, ensuring continuity
Tips for letters: You don’t have to make it long or fancy. Just state in your own words why you think County Conservation Funds should be used to purchase Beacon Hill properties. We want letters from all kinds of users and community members, not just mountain bikers. There are a few sample letters on our Facebook page.
More on Conservation Futures:
We don’t need to tell you that Beacon Hill is a special place and offers some of the best mountain biking in the inland northwest. What you may not be aware of is that many of these trails are located on private lands and that we would lose access to some of our favorite trails without each individual landowner’s permission. Even now there are areas to the north of Camp Sekani which are planned for development. Conservation Futures offers us a way to purchase some of that land and ensure that our favorite trails do not become housing units.
For those of you who may not know, the Conservation Futures Program was established in 1994 as a property tax levy and dedicates all revenue towards preserving and enhancing Spokane County’s quality of life. The Dishman Hills Conservation Area, Iller Creek and Antoine Peak Conservation Area were all purchased with Conservation Futures funds.
Evergreen East has been working with the City, County and property owners within the Beacon Hill area in order to renew landowner relationships, formalize the Beacon Hill Trail System Preservation Plan and to aid landowners in nominating their properties for Conservation Futures. To date, approximately 150 acres of private lands have been nominated for this round of Conservation Futures.
We need your help to push things through though. Letters of support are a crucial component of the application process and will show the County that Beacon Hill is special and worth protecting for future generations. Please address your letters to the Land Evaluation Committee with your name, address and occupation and then email your letters to info@evergreeneast.org and we will include them in the Conservation Futures applications. Your letters should be personal and heartfelt and outline why you love Beacon Hill.
Check out the map below to see who owns what and also which parcels we will be applying for this year for Conservation Futures. To understand this map, green is City or County Parks, yellow is private property, red is Avista property, and purple is private parcels that are being nominated for the Conservation Futures purchase.
