CONSERVATION -- John Dawson, a Colville-area cattle rancher, will be featured at a Spokane event this week sponsored by several conservation groups to raise awareness of need to maintain working ranches for the benefit of wildlife.

Read my December feature story about Dawson.

The Dawson family are the first in Stevens County to put their ranch into a conservation easement to assure that it remains a ranch and is not developed.  The move has been lauded by conservation groups, wildlife biologists and cattlemen who know that economic pressures force many of them to develop and price the land out of the reach of the next generation of ranchers.

The event with appetizers and wine is set for Friday at the American West Bank Building lobby, 41 W. Riverside Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m.; program starts at 7.  It's sponsored by Conservation Northwest, Inland Northwest Land Trust and The Lands Council. Sen. Lisa Brown is a host.

RSVP to Crystal Gartner, (509) 570-2166, crystal@conservationnw.org

For more info, read my December feature story about the Dawson's and their conservation easement decision.

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