Urban agriculture and greenspace: Katrina Berman Easement
Twenty-five years ago, Katrina Berman came to Palouse Land Trust with a dream: protect the property she and her family had lived on and loved since the 1950s; moreover, ensure that the land could be enjoyed in its natural state by the community forever.
From Katrina’s vision sprung Moscow’s Berman Creekside Park on the south end of town. This April, more open space was permanently added to Berman Creekside Park, and a larger 4-acre piece of land adjacent to the park is forever protected to provide a natural greenspace and urban agricultural ground. While not publicly accessible, the land is and will be one of the remaining areas of open space of significant size within city limits to provide relief from growing urban development nearby.
From left to right: Karl Meyer, Hoey Graham, John Norton, Janice Smith-Hill and Lovina Englund on the newly completed Katrina Berman conservation easement. Hoey, John and Janice have been working on this easement since the early days of PLT, and it also happens to mark Karl’s first completed project during his time at PLT. Cheers!
As for Katrina Berman, she was known as a quiet, humble person. “What a remarkable community-minded vision she carried. Without her foresight, the park and Paradise Path would never have come into existence. It’s an incredibly well-used parkway, especially during the pandemic year when everyone was struggling and looking to get out in nature. The ripple effect of her vision that started more than 30-years ago continues today, and will last forever,” remarks PLT Executive Director Lovina Englund.
Right now, Idaho is the fastest growing state in the country. “We’re seeing thousands of acres of some of the most fertile farmland in the world rapidly changing hands locally – some of it concentrated into the hands of agribusiness corporations and investors, and some of it into residential housing and commercial development.”
John Norton and PLT President Janice Smith-Hill adding their official signatures to conservation easement, fittingly signed in the shelter at Berman Creekside Park. This easement was almost a decade in the making!
“The exciting thing about the mission of the Palouse Land Trust is that we are giving local landowners voluntary options to have their land come under the stewardship and care of next-generation farmers producing food in the context of a sustainable, regional economy.”
As our community continues to grow, small-scale urban agriculture plays an important role in access to healthy, locally grown food options. “We’re committed to finding collaborative local solutions that play a role in allowing the next generation of family farmers to stay with the land.”
Thank you for your commitment to the land, and to our community - this project would not be possible without your continuing support of local land conservation.