By Cara Carlton, Carlton Communications

The Little Spokane River bends through a deep, forested valley north of Spokane, carrying cold water, birdsong, and the tracks of animals that have moved through this place for millennia. Along a one-half-mile stretch of the river, private landowner Gary Verbrugge, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, and the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy (Conservancy) joined forces to ensure this land remains protected forever for wildlife, clean water, and Tribal cultural connection.

“The unique thing about the property is how many different environments there are, river bottom, marsh, steep forest, high ridges, so you get a whole variety of habitats in one place,” says Gary.

And he should know. The Verbrugge family has cared for nearly 900 acres along the Little Spokane River for nearly a century. Gary’s father’s uncles, Will and Harry Storms, purchased adjacent acreage in 1927, and both left their properties to the Verbrugge family upon their passing. Moose, elk, deer, cougar, bobcat, goshawk, bears, and wolves move through the forest, shrub fields, and open areas, and Gary fondly recalls that the only things his mother couldn’t grow in the family garden were tomatoes and strawberries, which required a longer growing season than what the valley provided.

Industrial logging came and went, and Gary, often with volunteers, responded by replanting trees by hand, restoring streamside vegetation, quietly stabilizing banks, creating shade, and improving habitat, efforts that he continues today.

Conservation Over Time

The Conservancy first partnered with Gary in 2007 to place a permanent conservation easement on his 605 acres, preventing the land from ever being subdivided or developed. Later, Gary purchased an adjacent 280 acres and added it to the conservation easement, a project that finished in late 2025.

During this time, the Kalispel Tribe was creating its first Tribally owned and managed community forest, focused on natural resource education. Gary’s vision and the Kalispel Tribe’s goals aligned, and a conversation began about what it could look like for the Kalispel Tribe to become the long‑term owner and steward of Gary’s land.

“I believe that the Kalispel Tribe will do a great job of caring for the property and the wildlife,” says Gary. “They brought a silviculture expert in to do a forest plan, so there’s detail about everything that’s growing, or eating, or flying out here. They did a really good job inventorying the forest.”

According to Ray Entz, director of Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources for the Kalispel Natural Resources Department, a “love for wildlife, pure and simple” prompted Gary to donate his land to the Kalispel Tribe. Ray is candid about why the Kalispel Tribe ultimately became the right fit. “The strength of the Tribe is that we’re not going anywhere,” he says. “The connection to the land is forever.”

That permanence matters. The Kalispel Tribe’s reservation covers just under 5,000 acres, a small core within a much larger ancestral landscape in northeast Washington, north Idaho, western Montana, and Canada. Regaining ownership of lands like Gary’s gives Tribal members space to hunt, fish, gather, and engage in other cultural activities that need real, functioning landscapes, not just small fragments.

“The Kalispel Tribe is committed to being a good steward of the land and natural resources,” said Curt Holmes, Vice Chairman, Kalispel Tribal Business Committee and Executive Director of Public & Governmental Affairs. “We’ve made a promise to future generations that we will do good things with the land, things to benefit nature, our culture, and the community. It’s rewarding when people acknowledge our stewardship by donating their land to the Tribe. When a gift of land is received, it’s very meaningful—it shows that we’ve earned the trust of the landowner. They understand that we will do right by the land.”

Establishing Natural Safety Corridors

Ray’s team spent several years in “proof of concept” mode with Gary, developing a formal forest management plan, helping him secure state funding for pre-commercial thinning and fuels reduction, and guiding contractor selection and on-the-ground work on roughly 40 acres. All of it was aimed at improving habitat conditions and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

“There’s quite a variety of trees and a lot of elevation change here,” Gary said. “That mix of forest types and wet areas makes it more resilient when you think about fire and what’s coming with climate.”

“Everything is based on improving habitat conditions and protecting the forest from catastrophic wildfire,” Ray says. That urgency is not theoretical. Nearby communities were recently devastated by the Oregon Road Fire, a reminder of what is at stake when forests become overgrown and climate‑driven fire seasons intensify.

The goal is to create “a better fire‑adapted community of forest ecosystems that are more resilient to fire,” where fire can move through as a lower‑intensity, beneficial force instead of a devastating event.

Water, Salmon, and Resilience Downstream

The benefits of protecting this land extend far beyond its boundaries. Ray describes the Verbrugge property as part of a “really, really productive forest landscape” that feeds cold, clean water into the Little Spokane River. Upstream, the Tribe and the City of Newport have now protected most of the Little Spokane’s headwaters wetland, ensuring that cool water flows into the system from the very top. Downstream, the Conservancy has helped safeguard key river segments through Riverside State Park, Waikiki Springs, Glen Tana, and hundreds of acres of other conservation properties.

This continuous chain of protected lands is vital for native fish and the region’s resilience. The Little Spokane once supported healthy populations of native westslope cutthroat trout, and cold water from its headwaters and forests now helps support ongoing efforts to restore salmon and steelhead in the Spokane and Little Spokane rivers.

The Dynamic Future of the Forest

When asked what the forest will look like in 100 years, Ray imagines a dynamic mosaic of habitats, always changing, always supporting wildlife.

“You won’t notice a difference in what types of trees and vegetation are there,” he explains. “What you will notice is the locations will be different.” Old forests today will become the young forests of tomorrow, and the young stands will grow into the big trees associated with ancient forests. The overall pattern remains the same, but it shifts across the landscape over time.

For the Conservancy’s senior conservationist, Chris DeForest, projects like this are central to its mission. “On its own, the Verbrugge property is such a lovely, diverse collection of habitats,” Chris says. It is also one of many projects along the Little Spokane that, together, are “bringing more cool water and shade and habitat downstream.”

Having worked alongside the Kalispel Tribe for over 25 years, Chris emphasizes this project’s deeper significance. He sees it as a positive, natural extension of a long-standing partnership built on trust, science, and shared purpose, and he looks forward to more collaboration with the Kalispel Tribe.

Ray hopes that those who read or hear this story will broaden their view of what legacy and conservation can be. “We can share. We can coexist on this landscape,” he adds. “There is no competition. There is only a conservation outcome.”

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