Palouse Prairie trip

[bill london <london@moscow.com>]

>
>
> SPECIAL FIELD TRIP TO PARADISE RIDGE
>
> Come see the ecological impacts of the proposed new
> highway
>
> On Sunday September 22, the Palouse Prairie Foundation
> and Palouse Group of the Sierra Club will be leading a
> field trip to nearby Paradise Ridge, site of the
> controversial proposed new 4-lane highway connecting
> Lewiston and Moscow.  Paradise Ridge is one of the
> last remaining islands of wild nature left in the
> Palouse.  The goal of the trip is to educate ourselves
> on the potentially serious ecological implications of
> the new highway if it is allowed to happen.
>
> We will visit several key sites along the proposed
> highway route, including areas where the highway will
> take out several wetlands, a wooded stream, and one of
> the last Ponderosa Pine forests left in the Palouse.
> These areas represent some of the best wildlife
> habitat left on the Palouse.
>
> Perhaps most importantly, we will also examine the
> effects of the proposed highway on one of the last
> remaining fragments of native Palouse Prairie.
> Palouse Prairie is now recognized as one of the most
> endangered ecosystems in America, and this highway
> would seriously jeopardize one of best remaining
> examples of this ecosystem. In fact, roads have been
> identified as one of the greatest future threats of
> Palouse Prairie as a source of disturbance and vector
> for invasive weeds.
>
> During this field trip, we will also hear from several
> key people knowledgeable about the environmental and
> safety issues involved with the proposed new highway.
> At the end, we hope everyone will have enough
> information to evaluate for themselves whether a new
> 4-lane highway running down the base of Paradise Ridge
> is a good idea for the future of the Palouse.
>
> We will meet at 1:15 on Sunday September 22 at
> Waterman's Carpet One on Palouse River Drive (101 E.
> Palouse River Dr.).  We will carpool from there.
>