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Nearly 70 residents attended a public meeting last week regarding U.S. Forest Service land known as "The Orchard." The consensus among most residents was that they want the land left alone.

Kaniksu Land Trust, Sanders County Community Development and the Plains/Paradise Ranger District presented the meeting, asking for input on what to do with the 150-acre parcel of public land off of Columbia Street north of Thompson Falls. The land borders the current mule pasture trail system. The Orchard project's goal is to develop multi-use recreational space for the community.

In 2020, Thompson Falls was chosen to participate in the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) planning assistance program that helps communities identify strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economy and revitalize their main streets. Community members worked to identify recreation needs in a collaborative workshop and how Thompson Falls might see economic benefit from recreation opportunities. From that EPA programs came a community action plan which identified projects, including the mule pasture and recreation opportunities there.

Heather Berman with the Forest Service said the Orchard area was previously a plantation for the agency. "We want to see if the community wanted to use it for recreation or for another opportunity," she told participants. "Whether we do anything or not is still certainly on the table," she assured them. "We're looking for your thoughts as a community."

Community members were split into small groups to answer questions about what they liked about the area, why it was special and what they wanted to see done with the area.

Suggestions included cleaning up trees in the area, reforestation, education opportunities and extending the trail system. However, the majority of the comments from members of the public were focused on not developing the area.

"Why does everything need a defined use?" resident Chadd Laws asked. "We have wildlife that go through there. Why change what you have when you probably can't get that back."

"Once it's touched, people want more," Walter Borgmann said.

Katie Cox with Kaniksu Land Trust said they were looking to come up with a plan for how to take care of the Orchard. "You all care about the area and would love to help support keeping it the way it is."

A community survey was completed last year asking for public input regarding the Orchard. The survey received 187 responses, as was reported in The Ledger in September 2022, and more than half of the respondents supported constructing hiking trails on the land. Residents also strongly supported biking trails and cross-country trails. Suggestions such as a skate park, disc golf course and visitor center did not receive positive response from the survey.