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COMMUNITY HISTORY Native Americans inhabited Liberty Lake when the first settlers arrived in the Spokane Valley. As early as 1815, one of these camps was located on the banks of Liberty Lake (Brereton and Foedish, 1951). The name Liberty was adopted from a young man whose original name was Etienne Eduard Laliberte. He later changed his name to Steve Liberty, and in 1871, homesteaded on the west side of Liberty Lake, just one year before Spokane’s first settlers arrived. His wife’s name was Christine, and they were the parents of nine children. He cut and supplied lumber for part of the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and sold supplies to the army of Fort Sherman. Steve Liberty and his family lived at Liberty Lake until 1889 when he sold his homestead. He died in the Sacred Heart Hospital in 1911, and is buried in Fairmont cemetery in Spokane (Brereton and Foedish, 1951).
By the late 1800s and early 1900s, Liberty Lake became a popular recreation and resort community for many Spokane area residents. Boating businesses, hotels, resorts, restaurants, dance pavilions, and a railroad depot made Liberty Lake one of the most popular recreational areas in the vicinity. In fact, one of the biggest known crowds that were at the lake was on the 4th of July, 1924, when 14,000 people came out to enjoy the celebration (Brereton and Foedish, 1951). This irreplaceable resource had once been a beautiful clean, clear lake heavily used by area anglers, boaters, swimmers, and picnickers. However, the natural eutrophication process of the lake was being sped up by human’s activities, and the water was starting to lose its clarity. In the 1960s, residents noted that nuisance water quality conditions were occurring earlier in the summer and fall and were becoming more aesthetically displeasing and noticeable each year. By late 1968, tons of decaying aquatic weeds and dried algal mats were being removed from the lake. This prompted the residents to become concerned about the lake’s health and quality of water, and they turned to the Property Owner's Association to help remedy the problem. The association educated itself about lakes and water quality problems, and then requested assistance from Spokane County to protect the lake by constructing a sewer system around the entire lake. When help was not forthcoming, the Property Owner’s Association determined a sewer district was needed, and spearheaded a petition drive to form a sewer district to accomplish lake restoration. In 1973, the people voted to form a special purpose sewer district and elected three commissioners to be their representatives. The district was formed by the residents of Liberty Lake with assistance from the Liberty Lake Property Owner's Association for the express purpose of restoring Liberty Lake (Kaun, 1986). Liberty Lake today is still a popular recreational lake for the greater community and residents. Fortified by its history of active involvement, the community has a strong affinity to protect it. Today’s Liberty Lake community melds the strength of history with the addition of new perspectives and interests. As properties change hands, and the last available lots begin to develop new homes, new families on the lake join existing residents and together they form a common relationship. These unified residents all share a love of this unique ecosystem, and by working together can maintain the legacy of good stewardship.
WATERSHED ADVISORY COMMITTEE Throughout its history, the Liberty Lake community has demonstrated its commitment to preserving the health and recreational quality of the lake and the environment. To support the process of watershed protection, the Liberty Lake Watershed Advisory Committee became active in 2001. This committee is now comprised of 29 members from various backgrounds, including watershed and community residents, scientific professionals, WSU personnel, and LLSWD personnel. Since its formation, some of these residents have volunteered to assist in distribution of educational materials, volunteer monitoring, newspaper write-ups and articles, the Watershed Watch biweekly newspaper advertisement, annual trash and dock clean up, beach and leaf clean up, monitoring the lake level and precipitation, Secchi transparency, water temperature, algae, and bird observations. Community participation has also been an integral part of the environmental protection activities undertaken by the LLSWD, including but not limited to lake protection, aquifer and groundwater protection, and the Spokane River. In addition, community participation has been a fundamental part of the development of scientific publications such as the Liberty Lake Aquatic Weed Management Plan. The Watershed Advisory Committee usually meets on a monthly basis on the last Wednesday of every month. Meetings are scheduled to take place at the Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District Administration Building in Conference Room #105. Meeting dates are scheduled and displayed on the Calendar page of this web site. There is no membership fee, and everyone is invited to attend meetings and/or be a member of the committee.
WATERSHED WATCH
Bi-weekly the Watershed Advisory Committee runs a watershed advertisement in the Liberty Lake Splash called the Watershed Watch. The purpose of this newspaper clip is to raise public awareness and attention to some of the problems or concerns in the watershed, while offering advice on to how to individually or collectively minimize these problems. For information, or to provide suggestions on the Watershed Watch, please contact BiJay Adams at 922-5443 ext. 30.
2007 COMMITTEE MEMBERS Frank L. Boyle, Harley Halverson, Steve Skipworth, Tom Agnew, Dr. F. Lee Mellish, BiJay Adams, Dr. Barry Moore, Karin Divens, Tom Brattebo, Brook Beeler, Don & Eleanor Limmer, Beth Cocchiarella, Keva Monson, Karen Toreson, Bruce Andre, Stan Chalich, Heather Chalich, Bryant Robinson, Lori Willard, Bob Martin, Paul Humphreys, Tonie Fitzgerald, Gary & Shirley Branson, Sam Kinard, Gary Wolf, Rex Harder, Al Isaacson, Erin Cunningham-Rudders, Dean Fanara, Jacob McKann, and Marianne Barrentine.
Contact BiJay Adams at 922-5443 ext. 30 to join or for information on how to become a member We encourage your support in protection of our environment
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