News
Welcome to our end of the year newsletter! Despite COVID-19, we have been busy as beavers!
Our efforts to help mitigate and reduce the impacts of climate change are multi-pronged. This year we have constructed beaver dam analogs, protected beaver habitat, planted over a thousand trees, helped Spokane create a climate action plan, and we are helping a regional coalition wind down our fossil fuel supply chain. Almost all of the staff are involved in climate and sustainability issues.
By Monica Nickelsburg
When the worst wildfire season on record in the West finally subsides, it will give way to another potentially devastating environmental crisis: toxins from charred and melted plastics, electronics, and other household materials leaching into watersheds, endangering residents, agriculture, and ecosystems.
By Mike Petersen
The Lands Council, along with our partner Spokane Ponderosa, is dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of the native Ponderosa pine urban forest found throughout Spokane County. The cities of Spokane County are enriched by the native Ponderosa forests that distinguish us from Midwestern and Eastern cities. Our goal is to help retain as many Ponderosa pine as possible and plant new ones in many areas such as the North Spokane Corridor - and your yard!
For the past three years, we have been working with students from North Central High School on our Fungi Project. We began our innovative Fungi Project to investigate the ability of several species of mushrooms to break down persistent polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This project aims to prevent PCBs from entering our urban waterways and making their way into the food and water supply.
We've seen our share of rain this spring... and managing storm water is part of protecting our river. As a part of a year-long storm water curriculum, Kat Hall worked with the City of Spokane and Spokane Public Montessori on a rain garden to address storm water runoff at the Spokane Public Montessori school. These students designed a storm garden and then created it and installed it themselves!
It's inspiring to think that the often neglected space between sidewalk and street has wonderful rain garden potential.
Check out two amazing videos covering this awesome project:
