Riser Lake, a popular destination near Winthrop, may get a new spelling to honor Jack Rizeor, who homesteaded at the lake in the late 19th century.
Methow Valley resident —– and avid birder and hiker — Scott Stluka proposed the change last year after some historical research. He learned that Rizeor farmed and raised fruit and melons that he irrigated with the lake.
The Washington State Committee on Geographic Names accepted the name change for final consideration at its meeting on July 26. The committee is soliciting additional comments for the next phase, when it forwards its recommendations to the Washington State Board on Geographic Names. The board makes the final decision for the state on new place names.
If the board approves these recommendations, the approved names are added to the Washington Administrative Code and then passed along to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for federal review.
The committee also gave final approval to five proposals from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to rename peaks and creeks in Okanogan County and in other counties.
For more information, go to https://www.dnr.wa.gov/about/boards-and-councils/board-natural-resources/committee-geographic-names. To comment, email bogn@dnr.wa.gov.
