Dishman Hills Natural Resources Conservation Area is a 530-acre (210 ha) area protected by a combination of public and non-profit groups (Spokane County Parks and Recreation Department,Washington Department of Natural Resources, Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, and Dishman Hills Conservancy), located inSpokane County, Washington. Thegranite outcroppings, forming the bulk of the area, were originally formed 70 million years ago, by volcanic magma pushing up through the Earth's crust and then cooling. The protectedDishman Hills Natural Resources Conservation Area with its rugged, potholed appearance and deep gullies is a result of theMissoula Floods and represents one of the most ecologically diverse regions in Washington state, where forests, grasslands and shrublands converge and is within two ecoregions, the Okanagan and Northern Rockies ecoregions.[1][2] The hills consist of smallravines,ponds, and large chunks of granite, that support an eco-system consisting mainly ofponderosa pine, as well as about 300 different flowering plants (includingIndian Camas), and 73 different species of mushrooms.[3]
However, the area was also supports wildlife, such ascoyotes,marmots,white-tailed deer,pheasants, and dozens of species ofbutterflies. The Dishman Hills rise immediately south of theDishman section ofThe City of Spokane Valley. Continuing south, out of the park, the elevation continues to rise to the Rocks of Sharon and the Iller Creek Conservation Area near the peak ofKrell Hill.
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On Thursday, July 10, 2008 at about 3:30 PM local time, the Valley View Fire started in the Dishman Hills area.[4] As of Friday morning it burned 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) and destroyed 11 homes. Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire declared a state of emergency forSpokane County. A mandatory evacuation was ordered in the area and two shelters were set up around Spokane Valley.
The fire's origin was a smoldering fire made by a resident of South Eastern Lane. The smoldering fire had been started days before the Dishman Hills Fire, and was left unattended inside of an old tree stump before it was re-ignited by fierce winds on the afternoon of Thursday, July 11.[5] These same winds spread the fire quickly across the Dishman Hills and threatened hundreds of homes along Dishman-Mica Road. Many homes in the Park Drive area, located between the fire's origin and the Dishman Hills Natural Area, were in the direct path of the fire.
Among other things, some factors in the spread of the fire were the unprecedented wind speeds,[6] and the amount of natural fuel in the Dishman Hills area.
47°38′48″N117°17′13″W / 47.64667°N 117.28694°W /47.64667; -117.28694
