Outdoor group gets popular rock area
Friday, June 26 | 6:45 a.m.
A Spokane conservation group has acquired 80 acres in a land swap, including a popular climbing area known as the Rocks of Sharon and a granite-studded ridge line with lofty views of the Palouse.
The Dishman Hills Natural Area Association closed the deal Wednesday, trading a similar amount of acreage near Hallett Road, southwest of Spokane, with Spokane Investors LLP.
"Trading our conservation land off Hallett Road was not taken lightly," said Andrew Ashmore, Dishman Hills association board member. "But Big Rock, which offers southern access to the Dishman Hills area, is a keystone."
Big Rock is more popularly known as the Rocks of Sharon, because of an electric railroad stop that used to bring picnickers to the area in the early 1900s, said Mike Hamilton, DHNAA president.
The Dishman Hills Natural Area is a forested preserve located just to the east of Spokane.
Since 1994, the association has acquired about 500 acres in the area, Hamilton said. Wednesday's deal creates about 1,300 acres of Dishman Hills and county land dedicated to natural-area protection and public, nonmotorized recreation, Hamilton said.
Big Rock, which towers 230 feet above the ground to an altitude of 3,576 feet, has been a popular climber training hub for 50 years, said Chris Kopczynski of the Spokane Mountaineers. He recalled learning skills there that eventually led to a climb of Mount Everest.
John Bottelli, who administers the Conservation Futures Program for Spokane County Parks, said motorized vehicle use in the area will need to stop.
Spokane County made an unsuccessful bid to acquire the Rocks of Sharon in the mid-1990s.
"It's been on our radar since the beginning of the Conservation Futures," Bottelli said.
At that time, Bob Hamacher, spokesman for Spokane Investors, told The Spokesman-Review that Spokane County would be the perfect steward for the land, but he could not agree to the appraised price, which the county could not exceed.
Hamacher could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Jeff Lambert, of the Spokane Mountaineers, partnered with DHNAA and the Inland Northwest Land Trust to work out conservation easements that will restrict development along a stream that runs through the property Spokane Investors acquired from DHNAA.
The deal went through years of complicated legal issues that cost the association about $55,000 in addition to hundreds of hours of volunteer effort, Hamilton said.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
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