Angels Make Conservation Happen

May 30, 2019

Conservation angels are local people who love the land and have found a creative way to protect it from development.

Connecting Palisades and Riverside Parks would be but a fantasy without the incredible generosity of these forward-thinking people who bought some of the key parcels connecting the two parks and are holding them until they can become part of Palisades Park.

The conservation angels are very clear about why this particular land is so important to them.

For example, Becky Brown (biology professor) and her husband Chris Lambiotte (engineer) write,

“We love the beautiful views, rocks, wildflowers, moose, elk, and ponds. We love biking there, running there, walking there, and even cross-country skiing there! Our kids love to explore and find new special places at Palisades. The view of the city at sunset is mesmerizing.”

Kyle and Rachel Baird write, “We live near Palisades and we are daily trail runners. At our deepest level we are animal lovers. We have seen a lot of wildlife in Palisades and we want to do everything we can to preserve open space for the original inhabitants.”

Another angel, who wishes to be known as a “concerned citizen enamored by biscuit and swale topography,” asserts, “Palisades allows soaring views, soaring birds, seasonal ponds, and general wonderment at the geology and plants. I love the feeling one gets just being up there, able to see east into Idaho, south down the Latah Creek corridor, and northwest into Riverside State Park.”

Lambiotte-Brown family photo by Eric Mickelson

​The angels are equally clear regarding why they are acting now. “When I saw the ‘for sale’ signs on the properties,” says Becky Brown. “I knew we needed to immediately protect the land, or the opportunity would be lost.”

Kyle and Rachel Baird assert, “Instead of having regrets later after these parcels were developed we decided to step up and do what we felt was best for the wildlife and the area. Once the land is developed it never goes back.”

Finally, another angel writes, “The urgency to protect open space adjacent to all urban centers can’t be overdramatized. The Palisades area is critical for the city of Spokane as its lungs and as a means of carbon capture. Air quality can be challenging in our fair city, and so too the summer temperatures and summer smoke. Palisades filters and cools air, and stores carbon dioxide. It’s an honor to contribute towards the community wisdom of ongoing protection of this area.”

We, in turn, are honored by the generosity of these angels, and so many others who work for conservation. We welcome more angels to underwrite the numerous projects INLC has in the works. Let us know when you are ready to help preserve our very finite, endangered, undeveloped land for plant and animal habitat, for recreation, and for the very life of our planet. Please contact Dave Schaub, INLC’s Executive Director, at 509.328.2939 or email him at dschaub@inlandnwland.org.