Victory for Local Public Lands! Spokane’s Thorpe Property Sale Canceled, Opening Door for Conservation Future

We’re thrilled to share some incredible news that marks a major win for conservation and community voices in Spokane! This evening we received word from Washington State Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove confirming that the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR) and Blue Fern Management LLC have mutually agreed to cancel the sale of the Thorpe Property.

Photo: Phil Larkin

This decision follows a powerful outpouring of support from nearly 100 local elected officials, businesses, organizations, and community leaders who spoke out against a proposed land exchange that would have transferred the land to a private developer. Instead, this coalition championed an alternative vision: protecting the land through Washington’s Trust Land Transfer program.

Thanks to that effort, the WA DNR has now committed to a two-year window for the Spokane community to chart a new course for this beloved 200-acre property.

“From early days of my administration, the community has asked for more time to find another plan for the property. We now have that chance,” said Commissioner Upthegrove. “With this development, the community has ample time to find a different use for the property that will also meet the needs of the Trust.”

A Vision for the Future

One of the most promising paths forward is a revived proposal from the City of Spokane to receive the land through a Trust Land Transfer and manage it as a public park and environmental education center. Under this model, the state legislature would compensate trust beneficiaries with funds to acquire more economically viable lands elsewhere—ensuring both conservation and fiduciary goals are met.

wildflowers blooming in the Thorpe/Westwood Natural Area, Ken Lower

The Thorpe Property isn’t just any piece of land. It’s a rich urban habitat and beloved space for outdoor recreation with great potential to support environmental education.

Home to three distinct ecosystems: a ponderosa pine–bunchgrass savanna, a north–south basalt cliff, and seasonal wetlands and bogs. These wetlands support diverse native plants like camas, biscuitroot, and bitterroot, and contain Mima Mounds—a unique geologic feature found nowhere else in Spokane.

Thorpe lies within a key wildlife corridor stretching from Turnbull to the Spokane River, recognized by the WA Department of Fish & Wildlife in the 2022 Parks Master Plan. It supports a wide range of wildlife, from small mammals to migrating moose, elk, and deer. Bird habitat here is exceptional, attracting both resident and migratory species, including the state-endangered sandhill crane and candidate species such as northern goshawks, golden eagles, and white-breasted nuthatches.

A Collective Conservation Win

This marks the second major conservation victory this year in Washington State. After months of back-and-forth, a harmful budget provision was removed from the state Senate’s budget bill that would have required the sell-off of over one million acres of national forests and Bureau of Land Management lands across the West. That win—like this one—was powered by a bipartisan coalition of advocates and organizations, including Washington Wild.

We’re deeply grateful to all who played a role in this grassroots effort: from Spokane-based conservation leader Jeff Lambert to our own board member Brian Muegge and countless others who submitted public comments, wrote letters, and raised their voices.

Together, we’ve helped protect a special place—and opened the door to a future where the Thorpe Property continues to serve the public and the planet.

Stay tuned as we work closely with Commissioner Upthegrove, the WA DNR, and local leaders to secure a permanent conservation outcome for this treasured land.