Priest River Boy Scouts help Priest Lake Memory Gardens

Priest River’s Boy Scout Troop 604 recently spent two days at Priest Lake Memory Gardens to complete a special project to identify and mark plants and trees. In all, they discovered about 26 native plants, ferns and trees on the garden’s grounds.

Troop members initiated the plan, donated the funds for the markers and provided all the labor to complete the project. At each location, a marker was displayed identifying the particular species.

“These Boy Scouts have done a lot of work at the Priest Lake Memory Gardens over the years,” said board Member Bob Stutz. “This most recent project shows their determination to make the Memory Gardens a special and meaningful place to visit. We appreciate their time, effort and donation.”

Leader John Linch said anyone interested in joining the Boy Scout Troop to call him at 208-428-8006.

The goal of the Priest Lake Memory Gardens is to provide everyone with a quiet, comforting place for remembrance of those who have held Priest Lake as a very special place in their lives.

Board members said the project was first proposed in 2014. Ideas and planning took quite a while to materialize but the site has grown each year since a grand opening was held in August 2019.

Progress on the new welcome shelter at is well underway and more than 120 people have joined the Founder’s Circle to fund the structure, Ron Hardin, Priest Lake Memory Gardens executive director, said. Every donation of $250 or more to the Founder’s Circle is recognized with each donor’s name permanently displayed in the new welcome shelter when construction is complete.

In addition to the Founder’s Circle, features such as alcoves, benches and a fireplace as memorials for family members are now available for purchase donations.