On Tuesday, May 5, kayakers and supporters of the future gorge whitewater park will get a rare chance to see a kayak competition and meet one of the nation’s foremost experts on whitewater parks.

Both opportunities - a freestyle “Hydrotherapy Session” on the Spokane River near Liberty Lake, and an evening benefit dinner - involve a visit from Gary Lacey, an expert kayaker and designer of the Spokane whitewater park. Mr. Lacey will help judge the day’s competition, award prizes, and answer questions about Spokane’s future whitewater park.

The “Hydrotherapy Session” will begin at 6:00 pm on the river near Liberty Lake, and offer residents a taste of the action the whitewater park will soon bring to downtown Spokane. Admission is free for Friends of the Falls members; for non-members a $10 donation is suggested. The specific location for the competition will depend on river flows, so check the Hydrotherapy Session website for updates on location and logistics.

At 7:30 pm, all are invited to the benefit dinner at the Bitterroot Lodge in Liberty Lake’s River District, where Mr. Lacey will give a brief update on the Whitewater Park and award prizes for the day’s kayak events. Admission is just $25/plate, with complementary beverages. Proceeds will benefit Friends of the Falls.

Dinner seating is limited. RSVP today to Steve at FOF via . Folks that join or renew their Friends of the Falls membership by April 30 will receive dinner for free!

Don’t miss the chance to see what whitewater kayaking is all about - played out on the Spokane river, with insights and conversation with one of the best in the field - on Tuesday, May 5.

FOF thanks event sponsors Greenstone Homes, Coeur d’Alene Brewing Company, and Mountain Gear.

Join FOF today! (weblink)

Heard about the drive to fund a statue for Chief Garry? The story is tied back to one that used to grace Chief Garry Park in Spokane, but that due to age and vandalism, was removed two years ago.

A grass-roots movement to create a replacement honoring one of the Spokane Tribe’s most recognized and important leaders has been underway ever since. Recently, word arrived from a former FOF Board member that a benefit concert is planned - headlined by solo artist and Colville Tribal member Jim Boyd.

Saturday, April 25th, 7:00 pm at the Bing, tickets are just $15, with all proceeds going toward Garry’s statue. Very worthwhile.

A copy of the event poster is linked below. For more info, call 509-458-6586.

Concert poster (890 Kb, Acrobat® file)

Should a “Dog Park” - a grassy and fenced area where dogs can play off-leash - be located in High Bridge Park?

For several years now, residents have wanted the City to provide such a feature, and the under-utilized land immediately west of “A” Street and south of West 2nd Avenue near Hangman Creek has become a focus for the proposal. (Google Map)

On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 7 and 8, the Parks Department will host public hearings on the concept. Both hearings will begin at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers, 808 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard.

Have an opinion or just want to learn more? Be sure to attend one of the two hearings and voice your thoughts or pose questions. To help explain the scope of what’s being considered, we’ve included a copy of the conceptual site plan provided by the City below.

The Gorge Master Plan calls for the development of area-specific planning for the High Bridge Park site - a very large, diverse and important component of lands acquired as part of the 1908 Olmsted plan. The plan also recognizes that something substantial needs to occupy and help activate the under-utilized public lands where the dog park is being proposed. Is this the answer? Learn more, pose questions, and voice your opinions!

Concept site plan (1.4 Mb, Acrobat® file)

One (of many) initiatives Friends of the Falls has been working on over the past few months concerns care and access issues along the entire stretch of the Spokane River - a proposed river-oriented “greenway district” functioning much like downtown and public facilities districts do statewide.

Efforts to fund research on such a proposal are ongoing, and Executive Director Steve Faust has been busy making presentations to numerous groups and organizations on the concept, including what State law allows and how it might be applied to the Spokane. It’s an exciting concept, and feel free to with Steve if you’d like to know more.

But first, check out Steve’s article on the idea, presented in this month’s Out There Monthly. Follow the link below to the OTM website below; we’ll add a hard-copy link to the content at the end of the month.

As Steve argues in the article, the experience of our river doesn’t end or begin at City lines. It’s a regional asset, and deserves a regional approach to access, maintenance and facilities planning. “By not addressing these challenges as a region,” Steve writes, “We’re missing a fabulous opportunity. It’s time to consider a new approach.”

“Modest Proposal” article (Weblink, Out There Monthly)