Whitman County Gazette - Serving Whitman County since 1877

STEPTOE - Three sides around the Steptoe Butte State Park were sold to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The 437 acres is considered the largest area of native Palouse prairie.

Ray and Joan Folwell, of Pullman, and Kent Bassett, of Bellevue, spent two years working to sell the land to the state to help preserve the unique environments – Palouse prairie, canyon grasslands, and forest land. They bought the property in 2016.

"Our goal in purchasing this and bringing ownership to the state was simply to preserve it as it is, to make it look no different than it was except for...