Public Lands

GIVING BACK TO OUR

PUBLIC LANDS

BY DERRICK KNOWLES & JON JONCKERS

RAFTING THE FREE FLOWING SALMON RIVER. //PHOTO SHALLAN KNOWLES

FOR OUR SECOND ANNUAL public landsthemed issue, I wanted to highlight some of the hard-working non-profit organizations that make our public lands, and our lives, so much better. Rather than picking those groups and causes ourselves, we turned to some of Out There’s frequent advertisers for their input. In addition to making each issue of Out There possible, our advertisers are an incredible lot who don’t just do business here but also regularly give back to the places that make living here so special. I hope you find their stories and insights inspiring and discover a new public lands cause worthy of your support. (DK)

SPOKANE RIVER FORUM/

SPOKANE RIVER WATER TRAIL Spokanewatertrail.org

What They Do: The Spokane River Forum’s mission is to create materials, events, and activities that promote regional dialogues for sustaining a healthy river system. A major project of the forum and partners has been the development of the Spokane River Water Trail, including improved access along the 111-mile length of the river.

LOCAL SUPPORTER: Lyte Balance Electrolyte Concentrate

LYTEBALANCE.COM

The Cause: The 40-mile stretch of the Spokane River from Post Falls Dam in Idaho to Nine Mile Dam in Washington is largely non-motorized with a variety of recreation uses. Since 2010 when the Spokane River Forum and others created the Spokane River Water Trail, 18 river access points have been restored. Andy Dunau, founder of the Spokane River Forum, which brings diverse interests together to the benefit of the Spokane River, notes that river use since the trail was established has increased exponentially. “A lot of our attention now is on how do you maintain the river trail, keep the experience as safe as possible, and educate people,” he explains. “Keeping the river clean is a part of loving Spokane.”

Lyte Balance, a Liberty Lake-based company that makes an all-natural electrolyte concentrate that you can add to any beverage, was one of the first local companies to step up as a Water Trail Steward. Donors like Lyte Balance are critical to funding ongoing maintenance at water trail access points, says Dunau. For Lyte Balance founder Tim Cunninghamm, the decision to help with funds to pay for the care-taking of two river trail access points was a natural fit. “We are a local company, and we love our river. We love the pleasure and the peace it gives us,” he says. Lyte Balance also provides their electrolytes to volunteer river cleanup crews, adds Cunninghamm. “It’s probably one of the greatest assets we have in Spokane—that a river runs through it and that we all get to be on it.” (DK)

PROTECT OUR WINTERS

Protectourwinters.org

What They Do: Protect Our Winters (POW) helps passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change. POW has grown from an idea into a worldwide network of more than 130,000 outdoor enthusiasts and supporters.

LOCAL SUPPORTER: DOMA Coffee Roasting Company

DOMACOFFEE.COM

The Cause: In 2007, pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones saw more resorts closing from the lack of snow that had always been reliable. Since he couldn’t find any organizations focused on getting skiers and snowboarders involved to help combat climate change, he formed Protect Our Winters, which quickly brought together other concerned pro athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and elements of the outdoor industry. POW reminds us that we all need winter, and winter needs more of us who love the outdoors to get involved on its behalf.

Post Falls-based DOMA Coffee Roasting Company owners Rebecca and Terry Patano, both skiers and conservation-minded outdoor enthusiasts, heeded the call and began supporting POW after experiencing climate change impacts firsthand on a coffee sourcing trip to Peru. “We went into some places in the Andes and there was no snow, and no snow means no water and that whole cycle of things,” explains Terry. “And we said wow, what can we do back home that will have an impact? We knew a little about POW and looked into it a little more and liked the work that they were doing and said let’s get involved.”

That’s when DOMA created its DEEP coffee that supports POW with $1 from every can or bag sold, explains Rebecca. “If your views align with POW, we make it really easy. You just buy coffee and enjoy your morning, and we’ll donate your dollar.” Rebecca says she has also witnessed the impacts of climate change in Central America, but it was the farmers in Guatemala, where the beans for their DEEP coffee come from, who first started voicing concerns about climate change. And that caught her attention. “They were asking what are we going to do about water shortages, what are we going to do about the severe droughts we’re facing? They were the ones who motivated me,” she says. “We are seeing the impacts of climate change across the globe now, including in DOMA’s supply chain.”

It’s up to all of us to do whatever we can to reverse the impacts we’re having on the planet, adds Terry. “Whether you’re a hunter or fisherman or trail runner or skier, if you’re using the outdoors, it’s worth protecting. We all love the outdoors and need to do what we can to protect it so we don’t wake up one morning and it’s not there.” (DK)

PROJECT HEALING WATERS

Projecthealingwaters.org

What They Do: Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. (PHWFF), brings a highquality, full-spectrum fly fishing program to an ever-expanding number of disabled active military service personnel across the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, in military hospitals, and the Warrior Transition Command. Beginning in 2005 serving wounded military service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, PHWFF has since expanded nationwide.

LOCAL SUPPORTER: Dry Fly Distilling

DRYFLYDISTILLING.COM

The Cause: At its headquarters in the heart of Spokane, Dry Fly Distilling is committed to promoting public lands and conservation. Terry Nichols, VP of sales and marketing, reports that “Obviously streams, rivers and fish habitat are important to us.” Dry Fly invests in more than a dozen public lands advocacy groups, including Spokane Riverkeeper, Casting for a Cure, and Trout Unlimited. Dry Fly also supports Project Healing Waters.

Known for a genius method of using fly fishing as a therapy for vets, Project Healing Waters provides the physical and emotional tools for disabled military personnel and veterans to seek healing through fly fishing. PHWFF has become recognized as a leader and model of therapeutic outdoor recreation for the disabled, successfully using the sport of fly fishing as a rehabilitation tool. The outings are much more than a one-day fishing trip. For many participants, the personal interactions, time out in nature, and camaraderie are as important and healing as the fishing itself. (JJ)

1% FOR THE PLANET

Onepercentfortheplanet.org

What They Do: 1% for the Planet is a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental solutions to our planet's most pressing environmental issues. Business partners pledge at least 1% of their yearly gross sales to approved nonprofit partners.

LOCAL SUPPORTER: Townshend Cellar TOWNSHENDCELLAR.COM

The Cause: In 2002, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard helped create 1% for the Planet to encourage other businesses to donate to protect the environment. Townshend Cellar, located in Green Bluff, was one of the first Washington winery members of 1% for the Planet. It's local giving has been directed toward three Spokane-area nonprofits and public lands causes: Evergreen East, The Lands Council, and Spokane Riverkeeper.

Townshend Cellar’s journey toward supporting local public lands and conservation causes began with enjoying the outdoors and eventually being in a business position where they could give back, explains Michael Townshend, who co-owns the business with his brother Brendon. “We had been exploring ways to use our business to be a force of good for a while and in that process learned about 1% for the Planet. And that’s when we decided to commit to donating 2% of our total revenue to charitable causes that mesh with our values and ideals, and a major part of that is environmental causes.”

Those efforts locally include supporting The Lands’ Council’s Spocanopy program that works to increase Spokane's urban canopy by planting street trees for free in low-income neighborhoods, as well as lending a hand to Evergreen East Mountain Bike Alliance’s public lands trail building work. “For Evergreen East we have a bunch of heavy equipment we use up at our farm

in Green Bluff that we loan to them to use for trail building at Beacon Hill and Camp Sekani and up at Mount Spokane,” explains Michael. Townshend also donates wine to events and contributes financially to those two organizations plus Spokane Riverkeeper.

“Wine making is ultimately an extractive thing,” says Michael. “We started thinking about how we can improve our business practices, reduce waste, and improve agricultural practices without sacrificing quality.” Along the way, they learned that it is really hard and takes time to change some of these practices and decided a good first step was to be more involved with local public lands causes. “It all works in tandem together,” he adds. “We can’t create the best wine while ruining the planet.” (DK)

AMERICAN RIVERS

Americanrivers.org

What They Do: American Rivers believes a future of clean water and healthy rivers everywhere, for everyone, is essential. Since 1973, it has protected wild rivers, restored damaged rivers, and conserved clean water for people and nature.

LOCAL SUPPORTER: Northwest River Supply (NRS)

NRS.COM

The Cause: NRS remains deeply connected to public lands and non-profit conservation groups. From the beginning, it has always invested in programs that promote the health and future of America’s rivers and streams. Mark Deming, NRS director of marketing, explains that “NRS has supported American Rivers in many ways over the years, including with the creation, funding and execution of the 5,000 Miles of Wild campaign (2016-2018), which helped result in thousands of miles of new wild and scenic river protections."

Most recently, NRS has partnered in a communications plan advocating for the removal of the lower four Snake River dams to help restore wild salmon and steelhead populations while promoting an economic revival in the Inland Northwest. NRS also proudly supports Idaho Rivers United, focused on keeping drinking water clean, defending at-risk populations of fish, and minimizing the impacts of dams on Idaho's rivers. (JJ)

SPOKANE RIVERKEEPER

Spokaneriverkeeper.org

What They Do: Spokane Riverkeeper is a vigilant guardian and advocate for the Spokane River and its watershed. The Spokane Riverkeeper works to protect the river’s ecological health, its aesthetic integrity, and the public uses of the river for future generations of our community. The end goal? A healthy, fishable and swimmable Spokane River.

LOCAL SUPPORTER: FLOW Adventures FLOW-ADVENTURES.COM

The Cause: The Spokane River is a beloved natural asset for the entire community, and the Spokane Riverkeeper’s first priority is to defend the river against pollution and to hold polluters accountable. Formed in 2009 to stop polluters from abusing the river, the group takes a hands-on approach that includes an active presence on the river and uncompromising advocacy. In addition to regularly cleaning up thousands of pounds of trash from the river with help from volunteers, Spokane Riverkeeper has stopped millions of gallons of raw sewage from entering the river each year and created a pioneering effort to keep toxic pollution out of the river. Anyone who spends time on the river owes them a big thank you.

It’s no wonder that FLOW Adventures is a major supporter of Spokane Riverkeeper. The “FLOW” in the Spokane-based river outfitter’s name stand for “For Love Of Water.” FLOW takes clients on whitewater rafting trips on the Spokane and Salmon rivers, rents tubes and other inflatable craft, and runs tubing shuttles, and a clean river is essential to owners Jon and Jeanie Wilmot’s business.

“FLOW got started with Riverkeeper near the beginning,” says Jon. “It was a good fit, and the river is such a wonderful resource, and it needs all the help it can get.” FLOW helps out Spokane Riverkeeper in several ways, explains Jon, including having staff assist with cleanup projects on the river, using their rafts to haul out trash, donating auction items for fundraisers, and, more recently, donating a new raft to Spokane Riverkeeper to use for cleanups and other work to protect the river. “I’ve been floating the river for a long time, and it’s been a wonderful place to play,” he says. “I want it

FAR LEFT: PHOTO COURTESY OF TOWNSHEND CELLARS. // LEFT: SPOKANE RIVERKEEPER VOLUNTEERS AT WORK. // RIGHT: DRINK GREAT COFFEE AND SUPPORT POW. // BELOW: FREE THE SNAKE FLOTILLA

to be a wonderful place to play forever and will do what I can to help keep it that way.”

Jon also emphasizes that Spokane Riverkeeper does a lot more than the important work of almost weekly volunteer-driven river cleanups, a sentiment that Riverkeeper program director Jule Schultz echoes. The organization spends the bulk of its efforts using science, education, advocacy, and the law to protect and clean up the Spokane River, he explains. And the organization’s citizen science program is a prime example.

Earlier this year Spokane Riverkeeper had volunteers out daily measuring sediment coming out of Hangman Creek during the rainy season when the creek regularly dumps tons of dirt into the Spokane River, says Schultz. This cloudy water is bad for fish, macroinvertebrates, and other wildlife that depend on them. “We are taking that scientific data we collect with volunteer help and are using it for both advocacy and policy making to protect the river,” explains Schultz. Participation in all of Riverkeeper’s volunteer projects has been tremendous in recent years, adds Schultz. “We are seeing more and more interest in the Spokane River and protecting it than ever before.” (DK)

SAVE OUR WILD SALMON

Wildsalmon.org

What They Do: Save Our Wild Salmon (SOS) is a coalition of conservation organizations, recreational and commercial fishing associations, clean energy and orca advocates, and businesses and citizens committed to protecting and restoring abundant, self-sustaining fishable populations of salmon and steelhead to the Columbia-Snake River Basin.

LOCAL SUPPORTER: Eco Depot SOLARENERGYSPOKANE.COM

The Cause: The Columbia-Snake River Basin was once the most prolific salmon producing regions on the planet with returns of adult wild salmon and steelhead exceeding 16 million fish annually. In recent years those populations have plummeted, and SOS and many scientists lay the blame mainly on the many large dams built on the Columbia and Snake rivers over the last century. Consequently, all four of the remaining salmon and steelhead populations in the Snake River Basin are at risk of extinction.

SOS works to restore salmon and steelhead in the Snake River Basin in two main ways: 1. Securing removal of the lower Snake River’s four high-cost and low-value dams and restoration of a free-flowing river as a cornerstone of a lawful Columbia Basin Salmon Plan along with other measures. And 2., securing a modernized U.S.-Canada Columbia River Treaty that expands its purpose to include ecosystem-based function or health of the river as co-equal with the treaty’s other purposes of energy production and flood management, as well as ensuring that Columbia Basin Tribes and First Nations are treated as full partners.

Bruce Gage, co-owner of Eco Depot, a Spokane-based commercial and residential solar installer that’s been helping people create energy from the sun since 1999, was first introduced to the plight of Northwest salmon by Save Our Wild Salmon. Gage admits he didn’t know much about the campaign to remove the four Lower Snake River dams when he first met SOS’s Inland Northwest director Sam Mace, who is now his partner. “I was into solar and Sam was into salmon, and that’s kind of how I got interested in the whole idea of using solar to save salmon,” explains Gage.

Eco Depot has been a financial sponsor of SOS and provided event support for all five years of the Free the Snake River Flotilla events (now known as the Nimiipuu River Rendezvous), where hundreds of salmon advocates gathered on the Snake River in boats to rally for dam removal. Gage says Eco Depot has also signed onto letters from business owners supporting dam removal, including hand delivering one such letter to Senator Murray’s office in Washington, D.C. And then there’s the salmon and solar connection, adds Gage. “By installing more solar all around the Inland Northwest, we are helping to counter any argument that those four damns need to be kept for energy production, even though they produce so little power in the first place.” (DK)

FROM PRIVATE TO PUBLIC

CONSERVATION CHAMPIONS PROTECT OPEN SPACES FROM DEVELOPMENT

AS THE NATURAL WORLD AROUND us changes rapidly, our relationship with it is changing too. These stories represent families and individuals who view land not just as a commodity but as a partner, a sustainer, a life-giving force. Protecting land for its own sake—for the sake of the animals and plants that rely on it, for the sake of clean water and air, and for public enjoyment now and for future generations—rarely makes sense solely from a financial perspective. Thankfully, there are private land owner conservation champions who see former working forests and ranchlands as so much more than short-term dollar signs.

JAMES T. SLAVIN CONSERVATION AREA, SPOKANE COUNTY, WA

“It went from a love/hate relationship, to more love than hate, and then once the county took over, now I can just love it,” says Jim Slavin, Jr. as he sidesteps a pile of skunk scat in the trail and points out memorable landmarks on the 628-acre conservation area that bears his family’s name.

Jim’s father, James T. Slavin, Sr., was the son of a hops farmer in the Yakima Valley who eagerly homesteaded his first 160 acres of farmland south of Spokane in 1965. Over the subsequent decades, he added to his spread when land became available, putting in a canal to channel water to hayfields and provide grazing land for cattle. “This was his sanctuary,” Jim Jr. says of his father, who preferred to spend the day on this land with “a dog, a gallon of water, and a bag of apples,” over time at a country club or other public setting.

The Slavins’ four children and Joanne, the matriarch of the family, got used to driving old cars with doors prone to falling off since investing in their beautiful agricultural land was Jim Sr.’s top priority. As the kids grew up, Jim Jr. was the only member of the family to live on the property, and he has many fond memories of coming home to his family’s own 600+ acre slice of heaven during his college and early career days.

“When he was in his 70s,” Jim Jr. says, “it just became a lot to manage.” In 1998, the land went up for sale and to be sure it didn’t turn into a subdivision or mobile home park, the family worked with Spokane County to protect it as a conservation area in perpetuity. When the county purchased the land, they returned the water to its natural state, allowing a shallow, meandering wetland to host hundreds of waterfowl, migratory birds, eagles, coyotes, deer, and the occasional elk. In addition to working to put this land into conservation status, the Slavins contributed $100,000 in an endowment to help care for and maintain the area for years to come.

A striking part of the James T. Slavin Conservation Area story is how relationships with land change over the years. “I remember bucking hay bales and thinning trees,” Jim Jr. shares. “And that was hard work.” Now, he leads tours of young people, community organizations, and friends who want to learn about the flora and fauna, the history of the land, or just enjoy watching flocks of geese and pelicans settle in during a Spokane summer sunset.

“This place is special, and he wanted to see it protected so the community could use it,” Jim says of his father, a stalwart farmer and lover of the land to his last breath.

CABINET VIEW NATURE AREA, SANDERS COUNTY, MT

“I want to save little places where nature can prevail over human destruction,” says Judy Hutchins, daughter of environmental advocate Ruth Powell Hutchins. Much of her life has been dedicated to the business of real estate, just not for the usual reasons people get into real estate. A wildlife biologist by training, after stints in New York City and Ann Arbor, Michigan, she landed in Heron, Mont., and never looked back. “It felt like coming home,” she says of her first visit to Montana from her childhood home in western Colorado.

Western Montana beavers and other wildlife have Hutchins to thank for the 76-acre Cabinet View Nature Area, which is home to a thriving spring-fed beaver complex. Throughout her life, Hutchins has purchased or otherwise worked with land in Colorado and Montana in order to put lands in conservation easements, which are legal agreements that protect private land from future development. Hutchins’ strategy of buying land, putting those acres into conservation easements, and then reselling the real estate, has protected 10 pieces of land including wildlife corridors, wetlands, and habitat including the Cabinet View property.

As a member of the board of the Kaniksu Land Trust (KLT), Hutchins worked with the organization as they transitioned to a community land trust model, and when she saw the need for public places in which to educate local residents about land and water, she knew she’d found the perfect buyer for this pristine wetland. Thanks to funding through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and tireless work by KLT, the land was purchased in June of 2019 and opened to the public. Mindful of disturbing the animals living on the land, KLT put in a trail system and signage to encourage responsible use and enjoyment.

“Although somewhat off the beaten track,” says KLT’s conservation director Regan Plumb, “the Cabinet View Nature Area has served local junior high and high school students as an outdoor classroom for many years. The land also offers a location for quiet walks and wildlife viewing for area residents and provides high-quality habitat for diverse wildlife species.” From extensive water-storing wetlands to healthy timber stands, wildlife habitat, and scenic trails, this property provides myriad benefits to the twolegged and four-legged (and feathered) residents of our community, says Plumb. “And it would never have been protected without the generosity and foresight of the previous landowner, who recognized many years ago that there was something very special here.”

BY CAROL CORBIN

As the natural world around us changes rapidly, “It’s comforting,” says Hutchins, “to look up at the mountains and realize they’re unchanged. Things will change, but rocks, rivers, mountains will survive.” Hutchins’ investment in those special places, those pockets of nature, give us hope and a fighting chance for the beautiful lands and waters we all love.

PHILLIPS CREEK, DISHMAN HILLS CONSERVATION AREA, SPOKANE COUNTY, WA

Hiking down a path littered with bones, where the wind howls at night, even when everything else is still, is a lure so powerful that teenagers can’t resist. This proved true for Andrew Phillips as he and childhood friends tramped around the property his grandfather homesteaded in 1904. Nights spent sleeping under the stars—or, more accurately, lying awake wondering what massive night monster was about to have dinner at his expense— helped Andrew get to know and fall in love with the Phillips Creek land in Spokane Valley.

Phillips Creek, adjacent to the Glenrose Unit of the Dishman Hills Conservation Area, with its basalt outcroppings, grassy hillsides, and overgrown orchards speaks to the agricultural history of the area, but it also tells a story of Welsh immigrants who moved to Spokane Valley to build a future for their family—a future founded on farming and ranching. “My sons made a camping area out there,” Andrew says as he reminisces about memories made on the land throughout his youth and then as he raised his own family. Although Henry Lloyd Phillips, the second-generation owner of the Phillips Creek property, had planned to sell the land for development, he was unable to because of zoning regulations. When Phillips passed away and the family was working to settle his estate, they decided its value as green, open space was higher than yet another housing development.

For years, neighbors had used the Phillips Creek area as if it was public and the family’s concerns over liability grew. They wanted friends and neighbors to enjoy the beautiful place as they had, but didn’t have the capacity or desire to maintain it for public use. And so they decided to work with the Dishman Hills Conservancy and Spokane County to put the 179-acre piece of land into public ownership and management in perpetuity in 2018.

“I enjoyed growing up there,” Andrew says, “and I wanted to keep it natural—to give others the chance to experience it as well.” Like Jim Slavin, Jr., Andrew says his love/hate relationship with the family farm—loving the place but not having the time for the endless hard work—has turned only to love since he can now hike the trails, listen to the birds, and look out across the valley, knowing the land is cared for and protected forever for the good of the community.

If you or someone you know is interested in creating a lasting conservation legacy for an important piece of private land wildlife habitat here in the Inland Northwest, contact one of our region’s hard-working land trust organizations.

Carol Corbin lives, plays, and writes in the Inland Northwest. She also works for Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, one of many non-profit organizations working to protect natural spaces throughout the region for wildlife, clean air and water, and climate resilience.

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2021 Fall Compost Fair

October 23, 2021

Learn how to reduce yard waste and earn a free compost bin!

Spokane County residents can learn about home composting and earn a free compost bin at this popular annual event. (Limit one per household.) This year’s compost fair may take place in person at Finch Arboretum, be held virtually, or both. For more information closer to the date, call 509-625-6580 or email solidwaste@spokanecity.org.

Sponsored by the Spokane County Master Composters/Recyclers

www.spokanecountysolidwaste.org Spokane County Regional Solid Waste System

KEEP IT WILD

#TAGRESPONSIBLY

BY AARON THEISEN

I HEAR IOWA IS NICE this time of year, full of granite pinnacles and glittering lakes. The mountain biking and high-alpine backcountry skiing are firing, maybe all-time. That’s according to my friends in Idaho, at least.

In recent years, it’s been increasingly common to see Idahoans in regions experiencing rapid growth—the Boises, McCalls, and Teton Valleys—tagging their photos on social media with “Iowa.” It’s a 21st century joke that stems from an older one, in which, for most of the country, Idaho and Iowa (and sometimes Ohio) were essentially interchangeable. Today, those locals would gladly have you trade their state for somewhere in the Midwest. Or anywhere else, really.

It’s all part of a broader “Tag Responsibly” movement, which asks that social media users refrain from highlighting the specific locations of their scenic shots. That movement comes in response to unprecedented growth in the Mountain West, whose cities occupy many of the top spots for skyrocketing populations and property values and whose parks see record-breaking visitor numbers year over year. The Tag Responsibly movement simply asks that social media users use discretion when highlighting sensitive backcountry areas where increased traffic could be disastrous.

The counter-argument suggests that concealing one’s location is a form of gate-keeping, of flaunting one’s privileged access to the best spots. But there’s a difference between gate-keeping and hanging out a neon sign, a difference between studying a map or guidebook or a local’s time-tested suggestions and baby-birding backcountry beta.

I used to sit on a state grant committee that allocated funding for, among other things, maintenance of public recreation sites. In 2017, the land managers for a subalpine lake in the Central Cascades that shall not be named came in front of the committee pleading for increased maintenance funding. They showed us photos of vehicles overflowing the trailhead parking lot and stretching more than a mile down the road. Then they showed us a graph of visitor numbers: it looked like the tip of a pencil. Traffic to the lake had increased exponentially in the middle of the decade; land managers attributed it almost entirely to Instagram.

I’ve made a vocation out of guiding the public towards desirable trails and destinations. I often feel conflicted about that. On the one hand, many people can’t love and cherish wild places—and, in turn, advocate for their protection—without seeing them firsthand. On the other hand, all those firsthand visits have resulted in places being loved, if not to death, at least to life support. But, divorced of all context, an endless scroll

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of location-tagged photos is nature’s clickbait, exploiting both the viewer’s curiosity and the landscape at the same time.

Many Central American churches prohibit photography within their walls, a practice stemming from Mayan beliefs that mirrors (and, by extension, cameras) steal a piece of one’s soul with every exposure. In the same way, our wild places lose a bit of their soul with every location tag, diminishing what attracted us there in the first place—a form of backcountry gentrification.

The solution may lie less in tagging responsibly than recreating responsibly, picking our destinations not for their social media value but for their intrinsic value—for their ability to engage us rather than their ability to generate engagement.

After all, not everywhere can be as immediately attention-grabbing as Iowa. //

Aaron Theisen has contributed to a number of mountain bike magazines, including Freehub, Mountain Flyer, and Dirt Rag. He wrote about biking in the Methow Valley for the July/August Out There.

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LOVE IN THE OUTBACK

BY SUMMER HESS

PLANNING A WEDDING can generate stress and anxiety for many couples—and not just because of the expense. In an industry where an extravagant version of perfection is expected, some people are choosing to simplify and dig deeper. They want their venue to be more than a beautiful backdrop, and they want their memories to be rooted in what matters most.

Here are two stories from couples who love the outdoors so much that public lands were integral to growing their relationships, framing their wedding days, and inspiring their ongoing love stories. Their nuptials show that while identity is grounded in friends, family, heritage, and tradition, it can also be rooted in place—the geography of hills, lakes, trees, and ridges that inspire us.

AN ELOPEMENT AMONG THE LARCHES

Ryan Craig describes his elopement in October 2020 as “a scene out of a Nordic warrior film. Misty and stormy, windy with tall granite peaks over us and a really cold lake below.”

His wife, Alyssa Chamberlain, continues, “The big focal point was all the larches. I don’t know how we timed it so perfectly. It was all beautiful gold.”

The only person at their self-officiated private ceremony in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness was a friend and professional photographer, Brighton. Their plucky and adoring pup, Harold, also made the hike in. Harold was one of the reasons they picked that spot, since most places with larches don’t allow dogs.

Many couples experience a lot of pressure regarding where they should host their wedding. But Alyssa explains that the people who are closest to her know that “I’ve always wanted to elope. I think the ceremony is more about the person you're with.” She feels that she’s not a strong public speaker and that saying everything in front of a lot of people would have been hard.

“COVID-19 gave us a nice cover.” She explains that they decided together, “Oh, now we really have to elope!”

The foursome hiked up together the night before the intimate ceremony. Ryan hung his suit on hanger in a garbage bag and attached it to the outside of his backpack. Alyssa folded her dress into a packing cube. She had hand dyed the bottom gold with the help of a friend to match what she hoped would be a stunning stand of fiery larches.

“When we hiked in, it was 55 degrees and beautiful and calm. We woke up to 35 degrees and rapid dropping temperatures and wind. It was pretty cold,” remembers Ryan. Alyssa wore leggings under her dress, hiking boots, and wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders.

The words they shared that day were for each other, lifted up by the wind and carried over the hills and valleys. The symbolisms fits what their love is built on. For example, the dried flowers in their bouquet and boutonnière were plucked during hikes they had taken together on both the East and West coasts. Even her wedding ring represents

PUBLIC LANDS ELOPEMENT AMONG THE LARCHES. PHOTO COURTESY OF RYAN CRAIG AND ALYSSA CHAMBERLAIN.

LOVE IN THE OUTBACK

their love of wild places, with a mountain skyline carved into it.

The couple just returned from a week in Vermont, where they celebrated their commitment to each other with East Coast family. It was a beautiful celebration, but after dealing with the stress of COVID-era travel, they are happy to be back hiking around local public lands with Harold.

LOCAL HIKE TO A WEDDING

Ella Kerner’s description of the weather on her November wedding day in 2015 is most brides’ nightmare: “It rained a little bit. It was windy.” Then, there was the tardiness of the guests. “We had to wait for 45 minutes for a couple stragglers to make it up the hill.” But, in her eyes, “It was perfect.”

She married Nathan Leach (now Nathan Kerner) “huddled behind the wind break of the boulders” at Rocks of Sharon, which is one of their favorite Spokane hikes.

“[Rocks of Sharon] is a very excellent viewpoint,” says Nathan. “It’s gorgeous and expansive.” It’s a view that both of them love in the summer and winter. Nathan continues, “On one side you can see Spokane Valley and the freeway leading to Spokane. You can also see the Palouse, and there are just a few barns and houses out there.”

About 40 people joined them for the hike and ceremony, and dozens more met them at their reception in town afterward.

The couple’s friends and families were not surprised that they chose a hike to commemorate their lifelong commitment to each other. Ella explains, “We knew we wanted to get married on a mountain, but one that was accessible to most people. I had done the hike a dozen times before we got married. It’s such a great trail. It’s a great reward for not much work.”

One of the best parts of the day was watching guests mingle in an unconventional setting. “Everyone got to chat on the way up,” she says. “It was fun. Even [the stragglers] talked about that as a good day.”

At first, Nathan jokes about getting married in one of the bleakest months of the year. “I’d rather be cold than be hot.” But then he reflects on why it was so special to get married up there. “Buildings are temporary, but the outdoors is permanent. If we want to revisit the place we got married, it will still be there.”

Ella explains how the location has become a place of importance for their entire young family. “We took [our firstborn] Charlie (age 4) up when he was a baby. He was 6 months old, and we carried him up.”

They haven’t yet taken their newest arrival, Del (age 2), but they will soon—perhaps this November. They plan to do the hike every year on their anniversary, even though they missed it last year due to COVID-19 and child chaos.

As Nathan points out, it will always be there for them when they need a refresh and to get a perspective on what matters most. //

SPOKANE STUDENTS WRITE FROM THE WILDS OF YELLOWSTONE

Every other year, 4th and 5th grade students from Pioneer School make a handson learning expedition to Yellowstone National Park. Pioneer School is a K-5 accredited, non-profit school for gifted and highly-capable learners in Spokane Valley, and with small class sizes and a thematic approach to learning, Pioneer students take frequent field trips to learn about history, science, and other topics they cover at school. But the semi-annual, week-long Expedition Yellowstone trips are a favorite of Pioneer students and teachers alike.

Expedition Yellowstone is a National Park Service program where school groups get to choose a theme, such as history, ecology, and wildlife, says Pioneer 4th and 5th grade teacher Nicole Bronson. “The kids are outside all day everyday despite the weather,” she says. “I usually start getting them ready for the trip two-to-three months before we go, so by the time of the trip they have a huge wealth of knowledge, and then they get to do field work and there are the hikes and the games that they play. It’s like a capstone trip for my class.”

The Expedition Yellowstone trips and inclass learning at Pioneer cover a wide range of topics that can change from year to year, but one of the main themes Bronson says they always try to touch on is the idea of Yellowstone as a supervolcano. “It’s pretty crazy. It’s this massive bubble of magma down in the ground, the biggest one in the world, actually, and it’s still active. That’s why there are so many hydro-geologic features there.”

Bronson says they also cover the concept of conservation and how it’s been evolving throughout the history of the park. One example she cites is how the bears in the park were once fed and treated like circus animals. Today, she explains, feeding wildlife is strictly prohibited and bears have returned to their natural food sources, which is much better for the bears, and conflicts with people have decreased too. According to Bronson, getting to view the park’s incredible wildlife is a major highlight of the trips. “Every year we go we see either bears or wolves and other species you don’t often see, like pronghorn, bison, and elk.”

Writing about their Expedition Yellowstone experiences is also a part of the trip, and the following Pioneer School 4th and 5th grade essays from this year’s trip provide a window into the park’s wildness and unique history and geology through the eyes of several students. (Derrick Knowles)

Yellowstone's Thermal Features

BY BENSON SIDE Yellowstone National Park is home to four kinds of weird thermal features. The Earth is hot in Yellowstone because it is an active supervolcano caldera. Yellowstone is where half of the geysers in the world are found! There are approximately 500 geysers in Yellowstone National Park, and that's a lot.

Geysers are cool (the water is not cool, though). They are activated by pressure and heat in a chamber below the ground. Water that collects there is heated up beyond boiling, which is extremely hot. It’s a big chamber with a little opening, kind of like a teapot. It builds up pressure until it can’t hold the pressure any more, and it goes ka-bluey!!!! There are two types of geysers: cone and fountain geysers. Fountain geysers are practically the same thing as a cone geyser underground. Cone geysers erupt in an upward spout from a mound or cone of sinter rock, but fountain geysers erupt from a hot spring. Fountain geysers look like a pool that has a bomb exploding under the water, if you can picture that.

Yellowstone’s hot springs are an amazing sight. They are beautiful puddles or pools of steaming water that often have colors. Those colors aren't just for decoration, they are little baby bacteria that can only survive in different temperatures. The bacteria that needs the hottest water is dark blue, the second ring of color is turquoise and the second hottest, the third ring is yellow and is the third hottest, and the fourth ring is the fourth hottest and it is orange. These bacterias are called thermophiles, which means heat-loving. You are not allowed to swim in the hot springs because the oils on your skin will kill the bacteria, which is bad!

Mud pots are weird and satisfying. They are satisfying because they bubble slowly and make interesting sounds. Mud pots can be stinky because of the hydrosulfide that is dissolved in the water. Mud pots sometimes don't have much color, but when they do have color they are called paint pots.

SPOKANE STUDENTS WRITE FROM THE WILDS OF YELLOWSTONE

PIONEER SCHOOL STUDENTS LEARNING IN THE FIELD AT YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. // PHOTO COURTESY OF PIONEER SCHOOL.

They get their color from minerals that mix in the mud pots. Fumaroles are vents that steam because of geo-heated water below the surface of Earth’s crust. There is some water deep in the fumarole, which evaporates before it gets to the surface. Fumaroles are found in many sizes. I hope that someday you will go and see the awesome geology at Yellowstone. It is so worth the trip!

Artists in Yellowstone—Thomas Moran

BY NYOMI MEINHART Thomas Moran was born February 12, 1837, in Bolton, England, but he lived to play an important role in American conservation of wild places. At age seven, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and later to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

When Thomas was 16 he began his artistic training in a wood engravers shop. At 18, he left woodworking and began painting. Thomas made illustrations for Scribner's Magazine, and in fact he found out about the Hayden Expedition through Scribner’s. The Hayden Expedition went to Yellowstone as the first scientific exploration of the area in 1871. Thomas went with another artist, Willaim Henry Jackson, a photographer.

Once in Yellowstone he made sketches of the Gardiner River, Mammoth Hot Springs, Liberty Cap, Tower Fall and The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Once he had a portfolio of sketches and watercolors he went home to fix up his finished paintings. Jackson later wrote, “The wonderful coloring of Moran’s paintings made all the difference.” His art convinced Congress to preserve Yellowstone as our first national park in 1872!

Moran’s 7x12 foot painting of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone was purchased by Congress for $10,000. It hung in the White House for many years. Together they helped give America its first national park, and as they did so they became known across the country for their journey and their artwork. We will ALWAYS remember Thomas Moran as the first person to paint Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Wolves

BY VANSH AMIN Wolves are a very crucial part of Yellowstone. Did you know that at one point in Yellowstone’s history all the wolves were extinct!?!? Most people would think that wouldn’t affect anything, but it had a huge impact on the Yellowstone ecosystem. Since the wolves weren’t there, many of the hoofed mammals, like deer and elk, overpopulated. This was the reason people killed the wolves, because they wanted more deer and elk. But it was very bad because the deer and elk eat trees, especially deciduous trees. This destroys riparian habitat for animals like birds, beavers and otters who can’t hide behind trees while resting, drinking or raising their young. Also, the deer and elk would eat all of the food.

The Yellowstone biologists decided to reintroduce wolves in 1995. They couldn’t just bring in some new wolves from anywhere. After 80 years of wolves being gone, they had to find wolves that were used to the habitat and prey found in Yellowstone. That is when they got the idea to bring in wolves from Canada just north of the Montana border where they also hunt elk and bison. The wolves have repopulated Yellowstone and have changed the environment in a good way. Riparian plants and trees like aspen grew back, which brought back the beaver. This benefitted the whole wetland ecosystem and all the species that need that habitat. This is why wolves are a keystone species.

The average wolf pack size is about 10 wolves. They inhabit most of the park. When they are active the most is at dawn and dusk. Many other animals benefit from wolf kills. For example, when wolves kill an elk, ravens and magpies arrive pretty much instantaneously. Coyotes arrive soon after, waiting nearby until the wolves leave. Bears often attempt to chase the wolves away, and are often successful. Another benefit is that the wolves are also keeping the elk population in balance, otherwise the elk would overpopulate and it would mess up the food chain. Also the ravens, magpies, vultures and other scavengers wouldn't have as many sources of food, and then they would starve and food chain would be even more out of order. Wolves help keep wildlife populations healthy just by hunting and surviving. //

Editor’s Note: These student essays were printed as they were provided by Pioneer School and were unedited by Out There. To learn more about the school, visit Pioneerschool.com.

PUBLICLANDS LOCAL ARTIST TAKES INSPIRATION FROM NW

PUBLIC LANDS BY CHRISTINA DEUBEL

THE ARTIST’S RECENTLY COMPLETED MURAL AT CAMP SEKANI PARK. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTINA DEUBEL

AS AN ARTIST AND SPOKANE NATIVE, I am endlessly inspired by the beauty of our local landscapes. To sit beside an alpine lake and watch the sunbeams kiss the mountains, to slumber amongst giants in an old growth forest . . . such places, just beyond our doorstep, are breathtaking. I was raised on the trails, mountains, and lakes of our surrounding area and took my son for his first backpacking trip at the age of seven. After my son graduated this year, being an empty-nester and not even 40 got my wheels turning. There's a big old beautiful world out there waiting for me to explore and paint!

I converted an old Chevy van into an art studio on wheels and decided to immerse myself in the wild places that offer me such inspiration. I set out to explore every inch of the Northwest. Admittedly, that's an impossible task. With millions of acres of public lands, from state parks, national forests, and wilderness areas to BLM, DNR, and county and city park land, I feel like a kid in a candy store. The Northwest has it all: vibrant colors, moody atmosphere, rich textures, and curious wildlife. The opportunities for adventure and beauty are endless.

I strive to create works of art that capture the places I visit and people I meet. But my deepest goal is to capture that feeling of love for the great outdoors with my paintings. I paint not with brushes like most artists but instead by using my fingers and hands. You will often find mountain landscapes, vibrant sunsets, hikers, bikers, paddleboarders, and wildlife in my paintings. These works, in which I'm literally elbow deep in paint, are expressions of pure love, passion, and admiration for the outdoors.

The trails and public lands I’ve been visiting offer me such inspiration that I decided it was time to give something back. I began doing volunteer trail work with Washington Trails Association, and then after riding the trails at Beacon/Camp Sekani, I knew I wanted to paint a mural there. I worked with Evergreen East and Spokane Parks & Rec to get permission for the painting, which ended up being on the garage door at the entrance to the park. Inspired by an image by Spokane photographer Aaron Theisen, I painted a vibrant, explosive piece depicting one of our local riders (Alex Anderson) sending it into the sunset.

The mural at Beacon was my first public work of art, and while there painting, I was inspired by all of the people out enjoying the trails. This 46-mile trail system is one of the largest in the state and has rides for all abilities. Unfortunately, much of Beacon's epic trail system is still on privately owned land. Evergreen East Mountain Bike Alliance has been working with the public lands agencies that manage the land as well as some private land owners to raise the funds needed to acquire some of the properties that many of the trails pass through. If they succeed, their efforts will combine what are now four separate chunks of park land into one large park and trail system that will be protected for generations of riders and trail users. To learn more about Evergreen’s efforts to make Beacon public or to make a donation, visit www.evergreeneast.org/trails/campsekanibeaconhill.

Christina Deubel is a Spokane artist currently traveling around the Northwest in her van. You can find more of her work by following her on social media at @mnttidings or on her website Mountaintidings.com.