homeWelcome, sign in or click here to subscribe.login
     


 

 

Environment


print  email to a friend  reprints add to mydjc  

June 21, 2016

Donor wants to preserve a ‘bit of Palouse prairie'

  • Elinor McCloskey donated an acre of land to the city of Pullman under the condition it remains in its natural state.
  • By GARRETT CABEZA
    Daily News

    PULLMAN — Many open fields eventually turn into businesses and houses, but the tall grass on the southeast side of Sunnyside Park in Pullman will not be developed anytime soon.

    Elinor McCloskey donated that acre of land, which sits behind the houses on Skyline Drive, to the city of Pullman this past fall under the condition it remains in its natural state, The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported.

    Residents gathered recently for an ice cream social at Sunnyside Park to celebrate the conservation easement. McCloskey, Palouse Land Trust Executive Director Amy Trujillo and Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson said a few words, and Johnson presented a plaque to McCloskey thanking her for her generosity to Pullman and the future generations who will enjoy the park.

    “So much land goes away by development or whatever else,” Johnson said. “But we try and preserve as much as we can around here too, and this is just a great addition to Sunnyside Park.”

    McCloskey said she started thinking about conserving the land about 10 years ago, but she did not put those thoughts into action until more recently.

    Trujillo said McCloskey reached out to Palouse Land Trust about a year and a half ago. Since the land is next to Sunnyside Park, Trujillo said she told McCloskey it seemed to make more sense to incorporate the land into the park.

    After thinking about it, McCloskey decided to donate the land to the park.

    “I think what prompted me to really worry about preserving that little bit of Palouse prairie was thinking this morning about the Farr Cemetery over there (just south of Sunnyside Park) that used to have camas flowers and a lot of other wild flowers, and the camas just suddenly disappeared one year because it was up by the pen where everybody walks,” McCloskey said, addressing the small crowd who came out. “And I thought, you know, if this local kind of thing is disappearing, you better really make sure you keep this field.”

    McCloskey said she noticed how interesting the field was when she was in her “mature years.”

    “Her mom and dad wanted to have that land preserved so the kids could be out there and play and see the wildlife,” Johnson said. “Well, that wildlife is still up there and, by giving that to the city and the land trust, we're going to preserve that so that wildlife is there for future generations to see.”



    
    Email or user name:
    Password:
     
    Forgot password? Click here.