by Harla Jean Biever
Friends of the Little Spokane River Valley is a non-profit corporation licensed October 14, 1996.
The primary focus that launched this group was concern over high-density development on perimeter areas where run-off could ultimately affect our river valley.
I can remember attending a meeting at Covenant United Methodist Church in the summer of 1996. There was a crowd of maybe 30 people and one of the leaders asked if there was anyone in the group that would like to be a board member. I volunteered and have been on the board ever since.
The early meetings centered around limiting the above mentioned problems with housing developments. An attorney was hired and all of a sudden we had bills that no one had anticipated. One of the members loaned the money to pay the attorney and we started looking for ways we could raise money and pay him back.
One of the first things we did was have a dinner/auction and through the following years we did raise enough money to re-imburse the donor. Since I had some experience with keeping books I volunteered to keep track of our money and became treasurer. I?ve held that position ever since. Each year a qualified accountant checks our books to be sure all is in order.
More and more the emphasis on FLSRV has moved to preservation of our environment and developing our resources. One of the greatest ventures we have undertaken has been the Trails Development; continuing to impact us more each year. Some day we will link with the Centennial Trail along the Spokane River. We have worked with the County in planning and expanding the walk-ways. Spring Clean-Up of our valley has become a yearly tradition.
We have 80 member families this year and the dinner/auction has expanded into an annual meeting. Nine of your friends constitute a well-functioning Board of Directors, each taking initiative and responsibility for various areas of concern.
In each subsequent newsletter we hope to high-light members of the board and a bit of the history of their association with our group.
Comments