Steptoe Butte sections sold

STEPTOE - Three sides around the Steptoe Butte State Park were sold to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The 437 acres is considered the largest area of native Palouse prairie.

Ray and Joan Folwell, of Pullman, and Kent Bassett, of Bellevue, spent two years working to sell the land to the state to help preserve the unique environments – Palouse prairie, canyon grasslands, and forest land. They bought the property in 2016.

"Our goal in purchasing this and bringing ownership to the state was simply to preserve it as it is, to make it look no different than it was except for perhaps better control of invasive species," Bassett told The Lewiston Tribune. "We are trusting the state will maintain it in perpetuity."

The Washington Recreation and Conservation Office provided $1.2 million to the DNR to buy the land.

On the property are cellphone towers, which can remain with the revenue generated being dedicated to combating invasive species of weeds.

The DNR plans to manage the land as either a natural area preserve or a natural resources conservation area. A preserve restricts access to education and research. A conservation area allows more public access and makes conserving environmental values the priority.