Pair preserving Latah Creek property

A relatively undisturbed stretch of Latah Creek in south Spokane County is being turned over to permanent conservation land by a pair of owners who believe in living green.

Paul Bryant and his wife, Carolyn Sayre, of Seattle, have granted a conservation easement on their 322-acre piece of land to the Inland Northwest Land Trust in Spokane.

The easement involves more than two miles of shore on both sides of the creek northward from a bridge at North Kentuck Trails Road. The site is located about midway between Spangle and Fairfield.

Vicki Egesdal, of the Land Trust, said the creek through the Bryant property is in good condition and its riparian areas remain largely intact. The property features native vegetation, basalt cliffs, ponderosa forest and grassland.

Under current zoning, the property could hold as many as a dozen homes, but the easement prevents such development, she said.

Bryant, a businessman who went to school in Spokane and has family living here, said the decision to grant a conservation easement stems from his and his wife’s commitment to environmentalism. The creek through his property is possibly the most pristine section of the stream, he said.

“I like the land as it is,” he said. “It is in pretty good condition.”

Latah Creek over the years has suffered severe environmental degradation as a result of vegetation removal, farm practices and erosion, and conservation agencies are working with landowners to repair the damage and restore the health of the creek.

Bryant and his wife were married at the property, and use a small, environmentally designed house there as an occasional retreat. The house was built after Bryant bought the property in 1997. Three sides were built into an earthen embankment to increase energy efficiency. The house is powered with solar energy and propane for heating water. There is no electrical utility connection to the house.

The couple is so committed to environmentalism that they get around Seattle mostly by bicycle; are considering their “carbon footprint” from energy consumption; and wear hemp clothing, which is considered to have a lower impact on the environment, he said.

Bryant said he was originally seeking a subdivided piece of the property, but when a developer’s plans for the land faltered, he ended up buying the full 322-acre parcel.

“It was never my intention to develop it,” he said.

He quickly stopped cattle grazing along the creek, a practice that is detrimental to both the shoreline and water quality. Wheat continued to be farmed for a number of years on just a small portion of the land that is arable.

Bryant has worked with government agencies over the years to restore the landscape with plantings of grass and trees.

West Valley School District’s outdoor learning center uses the property for field trips to study the environment.

Jami Ostby Marsh, the district’s environmental education coordinator, said students sample water quality and conduct nature mapping. “We’ve actually seen the water quality improve,” she said.

Bryant said wildlife is abundant and includes black bear, cougar, deer, otter, moose, fox, coyote, elk, eagles, songbirds and owls.

The creek is sometimes used by anglers as well as kayakers.