Riverkeeper to share his story at Spokane City Forum

The keeper of the fire for tribes and past cultures was a sacred figure who made sure the flame stayed lit so as to give light to a spiritual and ceremonial space, and give rise to understanding the circle of life, the connection to creation. For many tribes today, the keeper of the fire keeps sweat lodge stones hot. The keeper of Spokane’s namesake river, Bart Mihailovich, will be a guest at the Spokane City Forum this week to discuss the community’s role and his own in preserving this scenic treasure. “I will talk about how my position allows me to craft my vision and the vision of our members and supporters, and what tools and strategies I have and apply to this mission,” he said. The event is 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m Wednesday. It’s $10 and includes lunch, but advance reservations are required. Contact www.spokanecityforum.org Mihailovich will share his primary role as Riverkeeper — a project of Spokane’s Center for Justice, part of a network of Waterkeepers tied to the national Waterkeeper Alliance. His journalism degree from Eastern Washington University and his co-author status of the Down to Earth blog bode well in his role because communication is vital to getting people to understand the “legacy of pollution, misuse and negligence associated with the Spokane River.” This includes Spokane’s motto – “Near Nature, Near Perfect.” “Very few have the courage and creativity to do work that’s needed to protect, preserve and/or restore our natural resources. So we have this stupid motto that makes people feel good about the natural environment, but we don’t have enough people with the awareness or experience necessary to speak or act appropriately for the environment,” he said. “This place finds it far too easy to make excuses as opposed to making progress. That’s just part of that legacy of neglect that needs to be reversed.” Mihailovich’s appearance at the forum will be joined by former Spokane Valley City Councilman Dick Denenny, who is involved in regional wastewater efforts, which shows one of the forum organizers’ goals of bringing balance or equivocation to every monthly session. “My voice is drop in a bucket compared to the noise around us. But still, this is Spokane and it’s too nice to let a crazy river advocate loose with a microphone,” Mihailovich said, but admitted he’s looking forward to hearing Denenny’s perspectives. Mihailovich wants to hear how people interact with the river and the entire watershed. He’s the town crier, the watchdog, so citizens who don’t have the time to engage or advocate can still be heard. He’s not just a storyteller. He works at legal, legislative, and scientific levels, with scientists, lawyers, politicians, and officials from various agencies, including Washington’s Department of Ecology. Mihailovich recently attended a Spokane County zoning hearing, and he was livid about three county supervisors’ anti-river votes but he’s steeled to keep up the fight. “Just recently a gravel pit and blasting area was approved by Spokane County to go on some real nice, rural land around Coulee Creek and Deep Creek. Mind you there’s already a gravel pit ONE mile up the road, so this new one would be 1 mile closer to the refinery area,” he said. “There’s noise pollution for this area, potential threat to the hydrology of the area including natural springs, and threats against a very culturally sensitive area. “But they approved it. So trucks transporting this stuff would save 1 mile. The building industry is slow now, no one has money for anything in development and building. Do we need more gravel, or do we just WANT more gravel?” Frustration and anger at this decision soon give way to accepting his keeper of the river role, whereupon he believes he must learn the law, and possibly litigate. He knows he must crack the books and do the necessary politicking in this age of mitigation, consensus building and outreach. What are some of the negatives in your role? Having to be so entrenched in the never-ending bureaucracy of our political system. Sometimes things are as easy as they appear. But policy makers don’t see it that way. Everything is talked about to death, and that never-ending cycle burns people out and chases them away. That’s how they win. So having to accept and adhere to it, no matter how ridiculous I think it is sometimes, is the hardest part. Washington faces growth, climate change, more CO2 in the atmosphere and soil, extreme weather, and erratic watersheds. How do you interface with all of those highly dynamic, multi-dimensional issues? I read a lot. That’s what makes this work so fun, the challenge. The river we know now won’t look the same in 25 years. All I can do is learn about its history, grasp what people project for the future, and surround myself with people who are experts in areas like climate change or soil. I certainly can’t figure it all out, but as a network we can really prepare ways that will benefit our community and our natural resources. What can the media do better to share river issues? Understand them better. The river isn’t just water and boats. But it’s not so complex that citizens can’t figure it out. The media needs to trust that people have enough interaction with the river, or enough sense to absorb river information. This river affects our economy, our culture, our health and more. What are the most important river issues facing Spokane, the county, and state? In Spokane it’s pretty simple. It’s stormwater, wastewater and dealing with mine waste from North Idaho. It’s not that complex, not as much as people make it sound. In the county it’s preventing sprawl so we aren’t putting too much pressure on our resources; and at the state, it’s the budget. We’re hamstrung because there are ways to reverse damage and prevent future threats, but those take agency programs or guidance and we don’t have that in full right now. Political discourse is so ugly these days. Has it infected your duties here? It’s made me less excited about having to interface with the political structure. The issue over clean water isn’t about politics, it’s health and safety, and legality. At the end of the day, it’s pretty black and white. What did you need more of, tool-wise? Legalese. I’m thankful for people like Rick Eichstaedt and Mike Chappell for guidance and knowledge. What would make Spokane unique, river-wise if all the forces came together? In this day and age, an entirely free-flowing river would be unique. Removing the dams would be my dream. What are your biggest threats? Misinformation. We can only go as far as our understanding of our place. Right now, I don’t think we’re being fed the right information, I don’t think our society is perceiving information correctly, and I don’t think there’s enough honesty and critical thinking. I think we have an education gap, and need to reverse that trend if we want to accomplish what’s possible.