Vision To Preserve Land Must Endure

Why do Americans still revere the name of Teddy Roosevelt? He was a conservative with vision, the creator of national parks and forests, his gift to the future. Some of his successors had more mercenary motives; their portraits hang in history’s doghouse.

Contemporary politicians do well to think, from time to time, about the legacy their service will leave. That’s what County Commissioners Skip Chilberg and Pat Mummey did a year ago when they approved the conservation futures program. Funded by a property tax of 6 cents per $1,000 valuation, it provides money to purchase land and set it aside for public green space, wildlife corridors and parks.

The county held hearings on the program and with the help of enthusiastic citizens identified a score of properties worthy of acquisition. The first major piece purchased was the old-growth cedar grove at Liberty Lake, threatened with logging and beloved by generations of Boy Scout campers. Now, it’s county parkland.

The next big parcels on the wish list include important elk habitat on Tower Mountain and a mile of untouched shoreline on Long Lake.

It is important for the program to continue, now, because rapid growth and the impending efforts to manage it mean developers are racing to snap up construction sites.

Meanwhile, from growth areas such as the Valley and the North Side, commissioners have heard justified concerns about the lack of park and recreation sites.

Alas, the county’s conservation program is in jeopardy. Commissioner Steve Hasson opposes it; his new colleague, Phil Harris, has toyed with reconsidering the program via a public advisory vote.

However, the program is consistent with the Boy Scout values we thought Harris stood for. It’s scheduled to sunset in two more years. Then, instead of a mere advisory vote, the commissioners could ask voters directly to decide whether the program should continue.

The delicate process of negotiating land acquisition needs the predictability of a three-year planning window. Recreational treasures hang in the balance. So do available matching grants to cut the county’s costs.

The people of Spokane revere the leaders who set land aside for the city’s parks. That land could have gone for more housing tracts; developers of the day would have been pleased. Instead, vision prevailed. Now, it’s Harris’ turn: Is he a pawn for the bulldozer boys? Or a leader?

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster/For the editorial board