State Parks will conduct meetings on Steptoe parks

A CAMP process meeting put on by the State Parks’ will be held in Colfax Monday, Feb. 26, from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. at the Whitman County Library’s main branch as part of the second phase of a public planning process for Steptoe Butte. State Parks is considering buying land on the butte from private individuals to maintain as a park and public area.

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission staff will host two Whitman County workshops next week in a second phase of a public planning process for Steptoe Butte and the Steptoe Battlefield Heritage site.

The first will be held in Colfax Monday, Feb. 26, from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. at the Whitman County Library’s main branch. The next meeting will be during the same hours the next day, Feb. 27, at Rosalia Elementary School.

The Colfax workshop will primarily focus on Steptoe Butte while the evening in Rosalia will focus on Steptoe Battlefield, a four-acre site in Rosalia.

The initial workshop in this process was last March 7, 2017, when parks staff provided background information on the two parks and explained State Parks’ Classification and Management Plan (CAMP) process.

This second phase of the public planning process now considers options for future management of the parks.

Steptoe Butte discussions will include the subject of rare species of plants associated with Palouse prairie habitat. The land also includes an orchard of rare apple varieties once thought to be extinct and are considered a cultural resource. Planning would include classifying existing park lands or lands that could be acquired in the future with a thoughtful balance of recreation and conservation.

Planning for Steptoe Battlefield will consider partnerships with local governments and organizations as a way to improve its operation as an interpretive site. Parks staff also will want to hear from the public about ways to update interpretive signs and panels at this historic park.