Steve Faust, Friend of the Falls

Growing up in Eastern Montana, Steve Faust often cast his fly rod into the Boulder River along his family’s property. When it was hot, he and his siblings would jump into the cool water, the current carrying them downstream, their tennis shoes helping them glide across the rocks’ surface and on through the small rapids. He attended college in Missoula, where he rafted with friends down the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers. You could say his affinity for river waters ran deep. Then in 1985, Steve moved to Spokane, where he would connect with yet another river, and realize a passion—that had been instilled in him all those years ago—that could positively impact the beauty and power of the Spokane River and Falls. As executive director of Friends of the Falls (FOF), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the historic waterfalls and river gorge in downtown Spokane, Steve is no newcomer to supporting his community. He’s been involved in the Business Improvement District downtown, the United Way, AHANA—a professional organization aimed at improving quality of life for ethnically diverse communities—and the EWU entrepreneurship program, in addition to serving on the FOF board since March 2004. Steve also operates his own business-law practice in downtown Spokane. For more information, visit: www.friendsofthefalls.org How did you become involved with FOF? I knew about FOF from conversations with my friend, and FOF board member, Mike Edwards. I had also floated the Gorge on an FOF rafting trip and was deeply moved by its natural beauty. The Gorge seemed unknown to most of our citizens, and undervalued by local decision-makers; I wanted to help change that. Have you always been committed to making the planet a better place? It’s hard to imagine that any person is not committed to making the planet a better place. At Friends of the Falls, we assume everyone has the capacity to care about the river and understand its connection to Spokane’s future. We try to approach issues in a way that educates and bridges interests of the parties involved, whether they are environmentalists, recreationists, developers, or others. The 6th Annual Spokane River Clean Up in October and the planned Whitewater Park in the Great Spokane River Gorge are good examples of how you can build common cause just by bringing people to the river and letting them connect in a way that is meaningful to them. When we can expect to see the Whitewater Park’s development? What we really want people to understand is that it will be a “community park,” where everyone can interact with the river in a somewhat controlled fashion. While the whitewater feature will be prominent, there will also be eddies and areas of calm water along the shoreline. So not only will you see kayakers, you’ll also see kids wading, people in inner tubes, and fishermen casting their rods. Currently we are working with the City Parks Department to obtain permits needed for construction. If permitting goes smoothly, the project should begin in July 2009, with the Park opening to the public by October 2009. If there’s something related to the sustainable world people should know more about, it’s… …that what you do daily, in your personal life, may matter more than anything else. For example, we have a problem with phosphorous in the Spokane River. While it’s easy to point a finger at industrial users, a huge part of the problem is non-point sources, like the chemicals we put on our lawns and what we use to clean our homes. Nobody’s perfect, but what we do matters and it all adds up. How would you finish this phrase? “In the next year, I’d like to…” …see our communities in Spokane County look at a regional approach to funding operations and management for our trails network and public lands along the River. Users of the Spokane River and Centennial Trail don’t care if they are in Riverside State Park, the Spokane Valley or Liberty Lake. What they care about is that these regional amenities are clean, safe, and accessible. But where is the money coming from to ensure these things? Our children will be well-served if our leaders can agree on a regional management plan and funding mechanisms that ensure proper care of these unique gems we are blessed with. Anything else you want people to know about you? Just because I’m executive director of FOF, I’m a beginning kayaker, so don’t expect to see me doing any tricks on the waves in the Whitewater Park.