WA DNR Refuses to Reconsider Controversial Sell Off of State Public Land in Spokane to Developer
Spokane’s Thorpe property, courtesy of Nicole White
In response to the passing of a May 24, 2025 deadline for the Washington Board of Natural Resources to step back and review new information around the controversial sale exchange of the state Thorpe Property in Spokane’s Latah Valley to a private developer, Washington Wild’s Executive Director Tom Uniack made the following statement:
“WA Wild is disappointed that the WA Department of Natural resources has decided to not take action to protect the Thorpe Natural Area, a beloved green space of high ecological and recreational value to the Spokane community. By choosing to not stop the sale to developers, the WA DNR has set a course for the loss of this important ecosystem.
A coalition of nearly 100 local elected officials, businesses and other stakeholders oppose the land exchange to a developer in favor of a Trust Land Transfer proposal for the Thorpe property from the Spokane Parks Department that had previously cleared a year long transparent process by the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
We now pivot to working with out our local coalition partners in Spokane and local elected officials to identify any opportunity to realize the locally supported vision of keeping this public land in public lands as a city park.”
Spokane’s Thorpe property is rich in biodiversity, popular with birders and botanists alike. Photo: Nichole White
BACKGROUND
In fall 2024, the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) approved a proposal by the Spokane Parks Department to designate the 200-acre Thorpe/Westwood Natural Area as a Trust Land Transfer candidate to be managed as a city park with plans to build a nature center and trailhead to improve recreational access. In exchange, the state trust would be compensated, enabling DNR to acquire more economically profitable timberland elsewhere.
However, Thorpe’s future grew uncertain when DNR later announced it was fast tracking a proposed sale to a developer, a decision approved by the DNR Board on January 7, 2025. Leading up to the board’s vote, strong opposition emerged from within the local community and across the state. Washington Wild coordinated several letters building a coalition of nearly 100 elected officials, local businesses and conservation and recreation groups, generated more than 150 public comments and generated more than a dozen local news stories on the issue.
The coalition urged the Washington Board of Natural Resources to reassess the exchange agreement in favor of the Trust Land Transfer option before a May 24 deadline but they, and the incoming Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove, refused to even put the request on their meeting agenda.
