News Briefs

Cheney Clean Sweep this Saturday

Cheney’s ninth annual community clean up day is this Saturday, April 16. Cheney Clean Sweep runs from 9 a.m. – noon for most services and volunteer opportunities.

Dumpsters for large items are available at Amazing Grace Fellowship Church, 416 Betz Road, and across from the Spokane County Fire District 3 headquarters on Presley Drive from 9 – 11:30 a.m. Service is limited to Cheney utility customers only, proof of residency required. Furniture or appliances not accepted.

Old unmounted passenger car tires and batteries can be dropped off free at Les Schwab Tire Center, 7 Spokane St. Fees for larger unmounted and mounted tires vary.

Personal document shredding – up to three bags – is available at Cheney Federal Credit Union. Recycling of most electronic items is also available for the first time at the City Hall parking lot, with large tube TVs and monitors requiring a fee.

Household hazardous waste, including paints, solvents and oil, can be dropped off at the Recycling Center at 100 Anderson Road.

Finally, volunteers are still needed for fanning out around the city and picking up items left in the right of ways. Volunteers will meet at Veterans Memorial Park at 8:30 a.m., and return to the park at noon for a lunch provided by local business sponsors.

To volunteer, contact Brett Lucas at 498-9221 or online at [email protected].

Turnbull Refuge planting party on April 30

Turnbull Wildlife Refuge and Spokane Audubon Society are hosting a community work party Saturday, April 30 from 9 a.m. – noon at the refuge. This is part of an ongoing effort to restore native riparian habitat that benefits area wildlife species, with volunteers planting native saplings and building fencing to protect trees from animals.

Everyone is welcome to participate. Refuge officials ask that groups register in advance in order to assistance them with planning details.

Participants are encouraged to wear long-sleeved shirts, work pants and sturdy work boots or shoes and to bring gloves and if possible, shovels and pliers.

The refuge will host a potluck lunch, with hamburgers provided by the Friends of Turnbull. Please feel free to bring a favorite dish as well. Contact Sandy Rancourt at 235-4723, extension 228, to coordinate.

Turnbull is located five miles south of Cheney on Cheney-Plaza Road. Work party participants should meet at the refuge headquarters, located two miles from the entrance to the beginning of the auto loop.

State parks offers ‘free day’ on Earth Day, April 22

OLYMPIA – In honor of Earth Day, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is offering a free day at all state parks Friday, April 22. Visitors will not need to display a Discover Pass for day-use visits to state parks.

The “free days” are in keeping with legislation that created the Discover Pass. The pass costs $30 for an annual pass or $10 for a one-day permit and is required for vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources.

The Discover Pass legislation allowed the designation of up to 12 “free days” when the pass would not be required to visit state parks. The free days apply only at state parks; the Discover Pass is still required on WDFW and DNR lands.

The remaining 2016 free days are May 8 – A springtime free Sunday, June 4 – National Trails Day, June 11 – National Get Outdoors Day, Aug. 25 – National Park Service 100th birthday, Sept. 24 – National Public Lands Day and Nov. 11 – Veterans Day. 

The Discover Pass provides daytime access to parks. Overnight visitors in state parks are charged fees for camping and other overnight accommodations; day access is included in the overnight fee. For information about the Discover Pass, visit http://www.DiscoverPass.wa.gov.