Cabinet View Nature Area opens

SANDPOINT – On June 21, members of Kaniksu Land Trust (KLT) staff and board along with area neighbors joined together to officially dedicated the Cabinet View Nature Area, a community access property on the Montana/Idaho border. This 76-acre property is owned by KLT and is open to the public for walking, picnicking and enjoying nature. At the gathering in June, Executive Director Katie Egland Cox spoke to attendees about the value of places where all people can get outside, and thanked the youth crew from Montana Conservation Corps who had spent the week improving walking trails on the property.

Cabinet View Nature Area is a beautiful place where the public is invited to walk and explore. Trails provide access to the active beaver pond and a timber-framed picnic shelter. As part of the dedication, a new interpretive sign was unveiled which includes trail information and teaches visitors about what types of birds and animals they may encounter on their visit. "This diverse piece of nature so close to both Heron and Clark Fork will hopefully become a well loved destination for all residents. The bird and wildlife habitat provides a continuous nature show that will be enjoyed by all." said Cox.

KLT was once again grateful to have the help of a youth crew from the Montana Conservation Corps to work on projects at Cabinet View Nature area. Last summer, a crew began trail building and constructed a simple bridge over the small creek on the property. This work was complimented by this year's efforts, which expanded and cleaned trails to the pond and beaver dam. These groups of service minded high school students spend four weeks working on trail and conservation projects throughout the state of Montana as a part of the larger Montana Conservation Corps program. To learn more about this wonderful organization, visit http://www.mtcorps.org.

To visit Cabinet View Nature Area from Heron, take Railroad Ave/Harker Road west for about 4.5 miles, until you see the parking area and sign on the right side of the road, the road turns to pavement just past the parking area. From Clark Fork, turn right onto Stephen Street and then turn left on to River Road, follow it for 8 miles until you see the parking area on the left side of the road, just past the end of the pavement.

This unique property was protected through a partnership with Avista, The North American Wetlands Conservation Act and Judith Hutchins, who all worked to provide Sanders County with this place to enjoy nature and dramatic views of the Cabinet Mountains.

KLT is a not-for-profit organization that promotes healthy communities and healthy lands in north Idaho and northwest Montana. KLT facilitates voluntary land conservation by working with landowners to keep valuable lands intact, connects the community to nature so they can enjoy the health benefits of time outdoors, and uses innovative educational programs to encourage a love of nature and an ethic of long-term conservation and stewardship. For more information on this project, or what KLT does, visit http://www.kaniksu.org, or contact (208) 263-9471 or [email protected].