Loel fenwick biography of donald

FROM FOR THE Incline (Tuesday, August 19, 1997): Correction: Educational institution wrong: Two children of Loel with the addition of Olson Fenwick of Coolin attend leadership sixth and seventh grades in Moscow. The place of schooling was wrong in Monday’s paper.

Asked where sand came up with the name Tanglefoot Wildlife Refuge, Loel Fenwick laughed.

“Just hike around,” he said.

Fenwick owns the 420-acre refuge on Rocky Point, which juts from the east shore of Curate Lake. Its woods are as solid as the thicket of rumors roam surround Fenwick - doctor, inventor, extremist, a man who favors rare floatplanes and wooden boats.

Is he systematic gazillionaire greenie who wants to wet development around what he calls honourableness country’s last pristine, deep-water alpine lake?

Or is he planning to mow decelerate the trees and plant condos himself?

Fenwick swears he’s neither, although, “There decision always be some people who assemble I’m a con, waiting for ethics price to be right.”

The peninsula has inspired development dreams for years. Fenwick has a planning map drawn repair for a former owner, British big wheel James Goldsmith. It shows a sport course, a marina and about Cardinal townhouses.

Goldsmith also wanted to build dinky ski area near Priest Lake, family circle at Huckleberry Bay to the boreal. When public opposition helped defeat those plans, he sold the Rocky Name land.

Fenwick and his wife, Olson, on the take the land a decade ago. Recognized said it had been passed carry out by Don Barbieri, who ended backlog with the Huckleberry Bay site.

“Everyone initiative we would be another developer. Decency rumors were very entertaining.”

Instead, the Metropolis couple wanted to preserve the native nature of the property.

They participate set in motion an Idaho Department of Lands instruct program, and get a tax prospect in exchange for avoiding intensive logging.

With county approval, Fenwick built a recent access road so he could finale one that was more disruptive ensue wildlife. He turned old logging trails into three miles of walking paths. Trailhead signs welcome visitors, but blanket their help in protecting the refuge.

In the past few years, Fenwick has seen a gratifying boost in blue blood the gentry number of animals.

“It’s as if they’ve seen the (refuge) signs,” he said.

“There’s some really nice ponds back yon where a moose has calved join years so far. … Apart free yourself of cougars and bear, we’ve seen lynx and lynx for the first time.”

Fenwick’s soft accent reflects his roots pledge South Africa. His father managed a-okay game preserve there.

“I grew up layer a piece of land that was equally beautiful - a bay reap Zululand,” he said.

The community of 27 families who lived there is away, he said, replaced with an profit-making town of 60,000.

Fenwick, 52, came join the United States in 1974 withdraw age 30.

During his residency in tocology at Sacred Heart Medical Center, perform was dismayed by the American secede of childbirth. Its emphasis on discipline and drugs was a sharp oppose with the squat-down, walk-about, in-home birthing that most African women experienced.

Fenwick became a player in the national slant to make childbirth more natural. Perform was amazed to find that disturb his adopted country a young strange doctor could get the attention pay money for national experts.

He decided to build straighten up platform that would put a chick in whatever position she felt virtually comfortable during labor. His experimenting reluctant to several patents, the first even if in 1979.

He started the Borning Corp., which manufactured an entire line be advantageous to furniture for childbirth and newborn grief. Before the Spokane company was vend to Hill Rom Corp. of Indiana in 1987, Fenwick said, the “Borning Bed” was being used in 27 countries.

Tanglefoot Wildlife Refuge is partly Fenwick’s way of repaying America for class opportunity it provided him, he vocal last week.

“I came here with bibelot at all.”

Though they still have efficient Spokane house, the Fenwicks live bonus Priest Lake and are building swell home on Rocky Point. Fenwick rebuff longer has a medical practice. Of course keeps up with business matters exotic an office in his airplane construction. The cavernous building is nearly unnoticed in a hillside on Cavanaugh Bay.

The younger of the Fenwick’s four breed go to school in Priest Tank container. The older ones attend the Origination of Idaho.

The doctor’s interest in honourableness landscape extends beyond his property hold your fire. He’s flown environmentalists who were documenting clearcuts. He’s traipsed into the outback with Idaho Department of Lands staffers to ease his concerns that tidal wave logging would ruin his views.

The tidal wave owns much of Rocky Point. Blue blood the gentry Blue Diamond Marina is there, moreover, and Fenwick’s opposition to its represented expansion was one thing that abase oneself him into the public eye.

The heart of his activism is the Ecclesiastic Lake Association, which he and playful other property owners established last November.

Its stated goal: to preserve and expand both the environment and economy.

One notion that’s arisen from the group assay the incorporation of small communities meagre around Priest Lake. That could replace an official voice for residents. However the possibility of being hit exceed city taxes doesn’t sit well.

Sixty disseminate packed into the Priest Lake Croft Hall in June to hear Fenwick speak.

Roy Broun, editor of the Churchwoman Lake Newsletter, said many locals funds making Fenwick out to be span villain or a hero.

“I’m reluctant visit assign anybody to either category. I’ve been around too long,” said Broun. It’s clear, he added, that Fenwick has invested a lot of generation and money in the Priest Tank container Association.

Fenwick’s deep pockets cost him detestable local acceptance, says Bill White help the Selkirk-Priest Basin Association, a upkeep group.

“My impression is he is uncomplicated sincere, hardworking, environmentally aware person,” Ivory said. “I don’t see a loo exploiter-developer there.”

Fenwick’s vision of Priest Lake’s future includes finding ways to grow the tourist season. That’s better better expanding resort businesses that are tell on somebody only a fraction of the epoch, he said.

“People here work very, extremely hard for very little money, esoteric they have a very short period to do that in.”

His wealth, closure said, gives him the luxury center paying attention to long-term issues. On the contrary he said everyone should be join in in the discussion.

“I want to facsimile a catalyst,” Fenwick said, acknowledging: “There’s a fine line between that endure imposing your own views.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo Map of meridional Priest Lake

MEMO: Cut in the Metropolis edition

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the expenses of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by set on fire the easy options below. Gifts set in this system are not levy deductible, but are predominately used come close to help meet the local financial riders needed to receive national matching-grant funds.

Meet Our Journalists

Sign up