Lands Council plans restoration of Feryn Conservation Area

Wetlands that are home to a variety of waterfowl along the Little Spokane River will get a bevy of new foliage this fall.

The Feryn Ranch conservation area east of Mt. Spokane High School will host a number of volunteer groups over the next couple months, who will plant a variety of saplings and shrubs aimed at restoring the streambed of Peone Creek. The groups will work under the coordination of the Lands Council, which is using state grant money to support the project.

“We’re hoping to finish the planting by next spring,” said Amanda Parrish, watershed program director for the Lands Council. The grant, which lasts through June 2017, would then be used to maintain the roughly 700 young willow and cottonwood trees and 300 potted species in a 100,000-square-foot area along the creek, which feeds into the Little Spokane River.

“This is an area, back in 2004, where we had some restoration efforts that didn’t take in the way we’d hoped,” said Spokane County Parks Director Doug Chase. Roots from the trees and shrubs help filter stormwater and should cut down on agricultural pollution into the water system, Parrish said.

Similar restoration projects have brought additional plant life to the Hangman, Coulee and Deep creek areas, she added.

The Feryn area has long been a favorite of birders in the county, with the local chapter of the Ducks Unlimited group working with the Spokane County parks department to buy the 164-acre conservation area through grant money and the Conservation Futures property tax levy. The land was previously owned by Marie Feryn, who sold it to the county in the late 1990s to protect the area from development.

Primitive footpaths wind through the acreage, where more than 100 species of birds can be seen, according to Spokane County. Parrish said she’d just completed some planting with a volunteer group from Numerica Credit Union, and several outdoor enthusiasts were on site.

“Every time I’m up there, there’s always someone that’s out there birding,” she said.

Several area schools, including the Mead Alternative High School and St. George’s School, are already slated for planting this fall, Parrish said.