INLC and Conservation Futures

Paul Knowles is Spokane County’s park planner and real estate coordinator. He and his colleagues, John Bottelli and Doug Chase, were pivotal in seeing the Trautman and Pettibone projects come to life. Here are a few words from Paul:

“Both the Trautman and Pettibone properties really demonstrate the value and positive impact of the Conservation Futures Program for Spokane County residents. Both of these properties were slated for entering the real estate market and destined for private ownership. In the case of the Trautman Ranch, the property could have been sold and subdivided into rural home sites, creating a permanent gap in a significant wildlife and recreation corridor stretching from Nine Mile Resort to Downtown Spokane. If the Pettibone property were sold to a private party, the new owner may have logged the property’s mature, well-preserved, diverse forest of Western red cedar, Western white pine and other key species, impacting wildlife. These Conservation Futures acquisitions help expand existing open space areas – a key to preserving our larger, charismatic wildlife species such as moose and a boon to trail-based recreation in the area.”