Antoine Peak purchase approved

Some of the best habitat for elk and moose in Spokane County will be saved from development under an agreement approved Tuesday by the Spokane County Commission.

Antoine Peak, about two miles north of Trent Avenue and Barker Road, will become the largest property purchased by the county in the dozen years since it started its Conservation Futures program. Officials agreed to buy 1,101 acres in three phases from development company Timberwood Ranches, as long as the state chips in.

“This is a prime piece of real estate, and if we don’t act on it, it will be developed it in a heartbeat,” said Commissioner Mark Richard.

Under the purchase agreement, which was approved unanimously, the county will buy the northernmost 390 acres, including the peak, for $2.8 million next year. The second phase will cost $3.4 million and the final phase $4 million. The paperwork gives the county the right to pull out of the agreement at a later date, but commissioners said they don’t expect that to happen unless the plan doesn’t receive state aid.

County park director Doug Chase told the board he’s confident the state will pay half of the first phase price and that the land is likely to win state funding for half the cost of the remaining property.

State wildlife officials say Antoine is important to animals because it’s part of a corridor of forests and meadows that connects to Mount Spokane and beyond to the north, and into Idaho on the east. The area is a prime breeding ground for numerous species of birds and a favorite habitat for elk, moose, weasels and other mammals. A pond on the property is home to turtles, frogs and other creatures.

“It provides us with a very unique opportunity to be visionary,” said County Commissioner Todd Mielke.