It's a terrible word, fire. The destruction it causes is immense, costly, and long-lasting. And yet, on the other hand, fire is an essential ingredient to maintain the ecological integrity of the Riverside area. Fire has threatened and blackened hundreds of acres at Riverside during the past couple of decades. During the 1990's, three significant fires have blazed through the park. In 1994, hundreds of acres
burned in the Devil's Toe Nail/ Rifle Club area. Evidence of this fire still exists along
both sides of the river. In 1996, 1997, and 1998, other fires swept through portions of Riverside State Park as well. In 1999, several small fires were started throughout the park from unknown causes. In 2001, an acre of woods burned near the Fisk property on Lake Spokane. In 2002, careless or intentional use of fireworks burned over 100 ridge-top acres near the Little Spokane River near Nine Mile Falls. In 2003, half an acre was burned near the ORV area due to a fire of unknown human origin. In addition, over 5 acres were burned along the Centennial Trail due to human carelessness. Please consider the damage that one carelessly thrown cigarette or unwatched campfire can cause in this dry environment. Please do not take chances with flames or sparks. And please alert authorities to any suspicious behavior associated with the numerous small fires that occur.We are doing all that we can to reduce the danger of uncontrolled vegetative growth throughout the park. However, creating a more natural forest that is fire resistant will take us decades of work, just as decades of neglect created this problem.
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