Several cycling events will be held in Riverside State Park in coming months.

The first is called "The Blazin' Saddles Chili Ride," to be held on Sunday, February 29. This is a fun ride to raise funds for the Riverside State Park Foundation. Last year's event raised $750. The ride is followed by a chili feed and libations at a location adjacent to the park.

The other annual event hosted by Round & Round Productions, Ltd., is the 24-hour mountain bike relay on Memorial Day weekend, May 29-30. This year's event will be the USA Cycling's National 24-hour Championship.

New this year will be a Bicycling Duathlon consisting of a three-part race, mountain bike — road bike — mountain bike, in and around the park May 1st.

A portion of the profits from all of these events goes to the Foundation. For more information contact Round & Round Productions at (509) 455-7657 or www.roundandround.com.

As most of you know Jack Hartt left Riverside State Park last November to manage what is considered State Park’s flagship park, Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island. I not only had the great privilege to learn and grow my own career under Jack, I also gained a good friend. I can assure you all that if extended family didn’t exist for Jack on the west side of the state, he would still be here with us.

Our Region Manager and Human Resource Manager, Jim Harris and Scott Griffith, have been hard at work recruiting eligible Rangers throughout the state for the position. The two day interview process is set to be February 18^th and 19^th here in Spokane. Jim Harris has asked for a few members of the Riverside State Park Advisory Board to meet with and ask questions of the top selected candidates on the 19^th.

The team here at Riverside is very excited to have a new leader on board before the busy spring season descends upon us. We hope that our new leader will carry us forward into the future, with the clear vision and mission that the agency has set forth and that their vision and mission for this park will be to work together as a team to "Create a showcase park of excellence, where wonderful and meaningful memories are made".

The Spokane County Conservation Futures Program (CFP) acquisition process for the Granger Farm is in progress. This parcel was nominated by the Riverside State Park Foundation (RSPF), and is considered by both the County and State Parks to be an important property to conserve for wildlife and public access. The owner has selected an appraiser from the list supplied by the County. The property, bounded by Riverside State Park on the south and Long Lake on the north, and situated between Granger Rd on the west and West Tormey Rd on the east, is scheduled for appraisal this month (January 2004).

At the monthly public Riverside State Park Foundation (RSPF) meeting held on November 17, 2003, residents of the Lake Spokane Park Association (LSPA) neighborhood located east of the Granger Farm voiced concern over possible development scenarios. LSPA residents stated that they did not want additional traffic due to the number children in the neighborhood, did not want large numbers of cars to be parked in the neighborhood or a non-motorized boat launch site, and did not want a public road to be established connecting West Tormey and Granger Roads.

A discussion followed in which RSPF members stated that the wording of the October 2003 RSPF Newsletter was simply a statement of geographic fact, and that at this point there are absolutely no plans at all of any type being developed by anyone for the parcel, including parking areas, boat launches, or roads on the property. We stated that if the property is acquired as part of CFP it would be purchased and owned by the County for conservation purposes, not Œrecreation¹ purposes. The property would probably be managed by Washington State Parks as part of Riverside State Park. The reason that we nominated the parcel for the CFP was specifically to enable the parcel to be conserved for wildlife and public access to Lake Spokane from Riverside State Park, and that construction of a road (other than a gated emergency access/exit) connecting Granger and Tormey Roads was most definitely NOT part of any possible plan.

Considering the neighborhood opposition, that there already is an unimproved parking area on the west (Granger Rd) side, and that there already is an access road from Granger Rd. into the Granger Farm parcel, it is our opinion that there seems to be no real reason to establish a parking area/trailhead on the W Tormey Rd (east) side. However we also stated that we are an advisory board, not a decision-making body, and that it will be up to County and possibly Washington State Park Planners as to how the parcel would ultimately be used and developed, if in fact it is purchased by the County. In any case the property would be managed in a manner that would have to conform to the statutory conservation guidelines for CFP property, and there will be plenty of opportunity for the public to review and comment on any plans before they are implemented.

LSPA members appeared to appreciate and accept the points listed above, and to support the Granger Farm CFP acquisition, as long as access to it is through the Granger Rd side. The RSPF stated its appreciation for the LSPA members voicing their concerns and urged the members to join the RSP Foundation (as either paying or non-paying members) as one way to stay in touch with evolving issues like this. It was agreed that a formal statement of the proceedings would be written and published in the next RSPF Newsletter acknowledging what has been stated above.

For additional information about the Spokane Conservation Futures Program and the names and contact information of people who can answer specific questions about permitted usages of CFP properties, please refer to http://www.spokanecounty.org/parks/conservation.asp and http://www.conservationfutures.org/. For additional information regarding the RSPF and it¹s role in the Granger Farm CFP process, contact Eric Erickson (468-7001) or erice@icehouse.net.

Lynn Wells attended the Spokane River Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) Workshop at the Department of Ecology on December 10, 2004.  The meeting included a presentation by  contractors CH2MHill with Sarah Hubbard Gray as the Moderator.

How does this impact Riverside State Park? The last free flowing stretch of the Spokane River between the Nine Mile Hydroelectric Dam (HED) to the DNR Boat Launch within Riverside State Park is a very short stretch of river but is pretty critical to fall spawning.  There is also evidence of salmonid fishery in the Little Spokane River.  The Park is on both sides of the River.

There are Rainbow Trout spawning and incubation between April-June in riverine or riverine-like segments of the river: Nine Mile HED to Little Spokane River.  River Mile 59-RM 56.3. 

WDFW:  Lake Spokane is being studied as a warm water fishery, some rainbow genetics testing conducted, management of Spokane River to support resident fishery, continue limited trout stocking program and recent electrofishing data.

Avista:

To support the FERC relicense, studies are ongoing to evaluate the spawning/post-spawning distribution and location of rainbow trout habitat in the Spokane River (Post Falls HED to Nine Mile HED) throughout the spring and summer.

There are other studies taking place on other stretches of the River, much of which borders the Park.

The above is part of the STATUS SUMMARY as of November 21, 2003.

Why Conduct a UAA and What are the Goals? To ensure that financial resources produce the greatest environmental benefit.  A Use Availability Analysis is about ensuring that resource protection funds make a difference.  It is possible that effluent from the Spokane City Sewage Treatment Plant will require a change in treatment.

Another goal is to protect the river using informed decisions and to make sure that designated uses are appropriately defined and water quality criteria reflect the uses.  A UAA also makes certain we understand the river's condition, needs and constraints.

The sponsors and associated representatives make up the Spokane River UAA Sponsoring Committee. The Committee is made up of all major dischargers, including industrial and municipal dischargers to the Spokane River.

Watch for notices of the following Community Workshop dates. 

The Spokane River Use Attainability Analysis Public Workshop will be on
Thursday, February 26, 2004 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M.
Spokane County Health District Auditorium
1101 W. College Ave. Spokane, WA

Other workshops: Mid April 2004 (tentative) and Late May 2004 (tentative) there will be a Community Workshop held with Department of Ecology and CH2MHill on the subject of Dissolved Oxygen TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load).  http://www.spokaneriveruses.net/