What Is a Spirit Easement?
Creating a Spirit Easement on Your Own Property
Want to Learn More?
A Spirit Easement is a legally recorded document that acknowledges a property as part of the spiritual homeland of the Methow People. It affirms, in perpetuity, that the land is open and welcoming to the spirits of Methow ancestors.
Just like any other legal easement, a Spirit Easement is filed with the county and becomes part of the land title. It “runs with the land,” meaning future owners will see and inherit it when they purchase the property. Though largely symbolic, this gesture is deeply meaningful to the descendants of the Methow Tribe.
Homestream Park’s Spirit Easement is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.
Why It Matters
Phil and Cathy Davis invite others in the Methow Valley to follow their lead and place Spirit Easements on their land. With help from attorney Travis Thornton, they have created a template you can use to do so.
Here’s how:
Customize the document with your property and personal information. We strongly recommend consulting with your own legal advisor before proceeding.
Sign and have the document notarized.
Record the easement with the Okanogan County Auditor’s Office. (Recording fee is approximately $100.)
Once recorded, the Spirit Easement becomes part of your land’s official title—forever.
While legal in form, the Spirit Easement is spiritual in essence. It is a gesture of remembrance, respect, and healing; a quiet way to say:
We know this land has a deeper story. We welcome it, and we carry it with a good heart.
To the Methow People and their descendants, it matters. And to the land itself, it’s a step toward belonging.
If you're interested in placing a Spirit Easement on your land, or would like a copy of the template, please contact us at mvinterpretivecenter@gmail.com, or visit us in person at the Methow Valley Interpretive Center.
Spirit Easements: A Permanent Welcome for Ancestral Spirits
In the fall of 2019, during the grand opening of Homestream Park, Methow descendant Mark Miller stood before the community and shared something powerful: he felt the spirits of his ancestors were at home here. His words planted a seed.
Moved by that moment, park founders Phil and Cathy Davis asked themselves a question: What if this welcome could last forever? What if there were a way to make the park not just physically accessible, but spiritually open to the Methow People—always?
That spark became what they now call a Spirit Easement.