By Lisa Langelier, Retired Wildlife Refuge Manager, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Land Protection Committee Member, Inland Northwest Land Conservancy
Dedicated to protecting critical landscapes and ecosystems for wildlife and people, the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy chose five priority areas where it plans to focus its conservation efforts. The Channeled Scablands Priority Area (CSPA) is one of these unique environments that includes both Palouse prairie remnants and portions of the easternmost tract of the Scablands near Cheney.
This geologically unique area underwent numerous changes over millions of years, including volcanoes that laid down a bedrock of lava, followed by wind deposited soils and ash that created fertile rolling hills. The Channeled Scablands were formed during the Pleistocene Ice Age when the ice dam of glacial Lake Missoula broke, sending water surging across the landscape from northeast to the southwest to the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. The force of the water scoured the bedrock, creating deep channels or coulees that became lakes and wetlands. It’s estimated that these floods occurred more than 80 times over the course of more than 10,000 years. Early farmers dubbed the rocky areas scablands, dismissing them as useless since they could not be farmed.
At the core of this area lies the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, 23,000 acres of diverse habitats from tall Ponderosa pine forest, with deep sloughs, small potholes, grassland steppe, and scattered aspen. This mix of habitats creates a stunning wildflower parade from February through August and results in matchless wildlife and plant diversity. The refuge harbors hundreds of bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species, as well as uncounted numbers of insect species. From the massive Moose to the tiny Western jumping mouse, Turnbull offers protected homes for diverse animals, but is best known for its abundant birdlife, particularly migratory waterfowl.
Scattered within the CSPA are fragments of Palouse grassland. Only small patches exist because they were either too rocky or steep for agricultural development. The Palouse is the most endangered ecosystem in the continental United States, with only 1% of the original habitat left. These unique and vulnerable lands harbor imperiled species and are under threat from fragmentation, development, and non-native plants. It is important to protect what remains.
The Conservancy selected the CSPA because it is a large, connected landscape with healthy habitats and migratory corridors for wildlife that can prosper despite changing weather patterns, extreme temperatures, drought conditions, and heavy precipitation. Within this priority area, the Conservancy collaborates with landowners and partners, contributing to land protection and habitat restoration. The area also offers opportunities near Spokane for outdoor education and recreation. With the four other priority areas, the Channeled Scablands provides vital land for the Conservancy to contribute to preserving biodiversity and sustaining both wildlife, plant, and human communities.
Check out other stories in the Fall 2025 Print Newsletter and learn more about conservation priority areas here.
