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Centers
Proposed Spokane Audubon Center
The Spokane Audubon Center will be located
just ten miles from downtown Spokane, Washington’s second-largest
city, in the 10,000-acre Riverside
State Park.
Location/Description
Seven miles of the Little Spokane River flow through Riverside
State Park, which is one of the few places in eastern Washington
with both healthy Ponderosa pine and riparian forests. The
park’s boundaries also include the Norman Clark Barns,
remnants of the area’s earliest hobby farm. One of these
structures, the two-story 1939 Milking Barn, is proposed as
the headquarters of the center, with 5,850 square feet.
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| © Jeff Larsen |
Riverside State Park provides natural
habitat for a variety of wildlife, including large mammals
such as moose. The Little Spokane Natural Area portion of
the park has recently been nominated as an Important
Bird Area.
Thanks to successful community and government
conservation efforts, the park environment remains much the
same as it was two centuries ago. Recreational activities
abound in the park: canoeing, kayaking and fishing in the
Little Spokane River; bird watching, camping, horseback riding,
hiking, and bicycling. Other park highlights include ancient
Indian rock pictographs and the 300-foot-high suspension bridge.
Partnership
This project is a partnership of the Spokane Audubon Society,
Washington State Parks, and Audubon Washington. Negotiations
are currently underway to formalize a memorandum of understanding
and lease agreement. Meanwhile, the Spokane Audubon Society
is planning to offer pilot educational programs on site.
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| © Jeff Larsen |
Key Audience
In 2000, Spokane’s population numbered about 322,500.
When the greater Spokane metropolitan area is considered,
the population increases to more than 500,000. Census data
showed that 89,846 were three years or older and enrolled
in school (kindergarten through college), with 41 percent
of that school population in elementary school.
Currently, no other nature centers serve
the Spokane area. A market analysis and business plan will
help determine the area’s conservation education gaps
and how the proposed Audubon Center can most effectively provide
programs.
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| © Jeff Larsen |
Conservation
The park’s large size and healthy habitat support a
wide variety of birds, mammals, fish, and other wildlife.
Mammals that live in the park include beaver, muskrat, porcupine,
coyote, white-tailed deer, black bear, cougar, and moose.
Well over 100 species of birds can be seen in and around the
park, notably Osprey, Cooper’s Hawk, Western Wood-peewee,
Townsend Solitaire, Canyon Wren, Violet-green Swallow, Black-backed
Woodpecker, and Cassin’s Vireo. A Great Blue Heron rookery
is situated in the Little Spokane River Natural Area, which
abuts the site of the proposed center. The Little Spokane
River supports Eastern book, rainbow, and brown trout; northern
squawfish and mountain whitefish.
The pristine quality of Riverside Park
and the abundant wildlife that lives there, combined with
the area’s close proximity to Spokane, provide an incredible
venue for conservation education for people of all ages.
For additional information, please see:
Support.
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