Loomis-Nighthawk-Pine Creek-Horse Spring Coulee
Advisory Group

“Northwest Okanogan County contains vast expanses of real estate that has been changed only by minimal rural residential improvements, by agriculture in the irrigated portions of the valley floors and by the maintenance of resource-based activities.

 

Land that is presently irrigated needs to be carefully protected from loss of water rights, erosion and incompatible uses, and should be designated for agricultural and residential usages as the markets for those two usages may dictate. New residential or commercial development should be limited to, and conditioned upon, the availability of roads, power, water and fire protection, and permitted only where the impacts of such development on the aesthetics of sight and sound, and on the need for regular wildfire fuel control are specifically addressed and satisfied.

 

Commercial facilities for tourist and recreational support should be encouraged, but limited to the Loomis and Nighthawk town vicinities or the recreational jump-off sites such as lake access or trail heads. Much of the area is rugged, arid, and at risk of wildfire, erosion and degradation of water supply and quality, and those characteristics should always be addressed in planning and should continue to define and limit new development.

 

It is likely that the lack of available new water rights will prevent new growth of irrigable agricultural land. In the long term, protection of the non-irrigable land as the resource base for timber, grazing, wildlife, mining, recreation and tourism will maximize the aggregate economic usefulness of the area.”

​

Adopted 09.17.08