SPOKANE, Wash. — Waikiki Springs Nature Preserve, one of the area’s most popular trails, is currently closed as the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy undertakes a major restoration project to undo decades of environmental damage and restore the natural flow of the Little Spokane River.
The preserve was used as a sewage treatment plant from the 1970s to the 1990s. When the facility closed, gravel was placed on top of the sewage settling ponds to cover the area. That decision blocked the Little Spokane River from flowing through the preserve, fundamentally altering the ecosystem.
Over the past few weeks, the land conservancy has been hauling thousands of yards of gravel out of the area. In total, 40,000 yards of gravel must be removed to restore the natural landscape.
“They impeded the river’s natural flow. So it basically turned into a big weed patch. So we wanted to restore some natural function, create some shaded side channels, really build some nice habitat for water fowl and birds,” said Rose Macaulay, stewardship director for the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy.
The excavation work is already showing results. During this week’s work, the land conservancy began seeing water trickling through the nature preserve—a sign that the Little Spokane River is beginning to reclaim its natural path.
Once the gravel removal is complete, the land conservancy plans to reintroduce thousands of native plants to the area with the help of volunteers. The organization is taking steps to protect these new plantings, installing deer fencing to give the vegetation a chance to establish itself.
“We’re installing deer fencing right now where we’re planting because we know as soon as those plants go into the ground, the deer are going to find them. So we want to give those a fighting chance,” Macaulay said.
After the native plants are established, the trail running through the preserve will reopen to the public.
“We just want to keep the public very safe. We expect the area will open back up again in the next week and a half to two weeks. But this is a very publicly accessible area. We hope that people will stay out of the new wetlands because those are sensitive areas,” Macaulay said.
The land conservancy expects the process of fully restoring the nature preserve to take years. The organization’s partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are pleased with the progress already being made, and everyone involved with the project is hoping wildlife will return to the area quickly.
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