River views hard-won

Conservation Futures is a tax the majority of Spokane County voters have supported every year it has been on the ballot. Purchases with these funds have been large and small and have all had the benefit of acquiring and protecting sites of value to the environment, wildlife and water resources.

That there is a Riverfront Park adjacent to the falls, which were in large part why the city began, is no small miracle. Civic leaders, businessmen and women, ordinary citizens worked together in the late 1960s to acquire land covered with railroad lines, trestles and businesses to uncover the islands that form our park.

Since 1974 one business, the YMCA, remained. Now it has outlived its usefulness in its Riverfront location. Purchasing this piece will not only further the work of the YMCA but it will also complete the goal of Expo ’74 to open and preserve the view to the Spokane River for thousands of people who use the park.

The Spokesman-Review editorial board needs to brush up on its history. I strongly urge citizens to speak up on behalf of Conservation Futures being used to acquire this site. This is a fund we have already voted to support.

Carol S. Barber

Spokane