The rapid loss of open space on the Rathdrum Prairie has been chronicled by headlines in The Spokesman-Review. On Monday: “Rathdrum Prairie is disappearing fast: Group working to keep remaining 10,000 acres of 100-square-mile grassland development free.” On March 3, 2003: “Rathdrum committee hopes to preserve prairie: Governments see one last chance to head off urban sprawl.” On Jan. 25, 2002: “Group fights for open space on Rathdrum Prairie.” Each year the drumbeat for controlling growth on the Rathdrum Prairie grows louder. Each year, development gobbles another 1,000 acres on the prairie, causing conscientious planners, such as Kootenai County’s Rand Wichman, to wring their hands and warn: “If we wait another 10 years, we’re going to look like the Spokane Valley.” Now, time’s running out on the open space that protects the region’s sole source of drinking water below, serves as a buffer for prairie towns and provides visual and environmental relief from expanding subdivisions and advancing commercial use along State Highway 41. Elected officials must take steps to protect the prairie – now. The border towns of Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Hauser, Rathdrum and Hayden must protect open space on their borders and encourage continued farming of some sort – now. Annexation requests must be viewed through a filter that puts a premium on prairie open space – now. The window of opportunity to preserve this valuable asset is rapidly closing. “There’s still time,” said Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin. “But if something isn’t done in the next 12 months – real solid work of moving ahead – it’s a lost cause.” Few can speak with more authority than Larkin. As mayor of one of the fastest-growing communities in Idaho, he has seen the southern edge of the prairie gobbled by his booming town. He has also been involved in a lengthy skirmish with regional environmentalists to lock up rights to enough water to meet his community’s growth needs for the distant future. And he has long predicted that the recent opening of Pleasantview Road from Seltice Way to State Highway 53 will increase the pressure for more growth on the western edge of town. To their credit, Post Falls leaders recognize the importance of open space and the prairie. On Aug. 3, they will ask voters for approval to spend $9.5 million over the next 10 years to buy up to 1,000 acres of prairie for land application of treated wastewater. The move would serve two important purposes: It would lock up a part of the remaining prairie for open space. And it would reduce the amount of effluent being dumped into the increasingly contaminated Spokane River. The city of Spirit Lake and the Hayden Lake Recreational Water and Sewer District already have land application systems in operation, and Rathdrum has purchased 300 acres to do likewise. A shared vision for alternatives to wastewater disposal is a giant step forward in the push to preserve the prairie. Other steps must be taken, too. Elected leaders must determine what the steps are – now. And they must have the courage to follow through on them – soon.