If birds could talk….the ones that congregate on the Peone Prairie and the foothills of Mount Spokane would tell you that Ron Dexter is a tireless and unforgettable advocate for nature, and especially birds.

You meet all kinds in this business – noisy, quiet, flamboyant, understated, ephemeral, persistent. Ron is one of the quiet, insistent, persistent people. Off and on, ever since I met Ron, I’ve felt like a shade tree with a horse leaning against it. His inspiration rubbed off on me.

I remember when this lanky retired steelworker first sat me down about ten years ago with a sheaf of maps, pictures, handwritten notes, and birding lists. He had mapped out the Peone Prairie. He knew where the wild things were, in daunting detail. He knew who owned what, who might be willing to protect their land, and how big the protection needed to be. He spoke in an unhurried manner but he conveyed the urgency of protecting the Wild Lifeline running through the Peone Prairie, from the Little Spokane River to Mount Spokane. From his years of birding and traveling he had seen the changes in the land and was determined to protect the wild heart of the Prairie.

Ron nominated and lobbied behind the scenes on the two Feryn properties that Spokane County bought in the Conservation Futures program. He kept the landowners on board during lengthy deliberations and he leaned on my counterpart at Ducks Unlimited, as well as at Spokane County. Ron and INLT also did our best to keep the Heglar farm intact. When it was given to the Shriners and sold to developers we worked hard to shape the development to maximize protection of the most vital habitat. In the end, the easement language we drafted turned into protective covenants on the lots. To this day, Ron is trying to find ways to further protect the habitat on that land.

The Wiltzius property was on Ron’s radar at that meeting ten years ago. Ron had birded the property for years with permission from the Wiltzius family. Ron handed me a map he had drawn of what land needed to be protected. He said “You and the land trust have to go save this. Find a way to work with the family.” As with most land projects, it wasn’t that quick or that simple. But after some years of back and forth—and with Ron calling or visiting me periodically to put a little pressure on—eventually the time was right for the Wiltzius family to protect their whole mile of Deadman creek with its surrounding wetlands and uplands. I haven’t even gotten to all the tours that Ron led to show INLT and DU, and then INLT members and guests what a jewel the Wiltzius land is.

And now, Ron and Pat have “walked the talk” – they have protected their own home place for wildlife and from unwanted development.

Thank you Ron and Pat for being Habitat Heroes!

Chris DeForest
Executive Director
cdeforest@inlandnwlandtrust.org