Farm viability, agricultural land preservation, healthy forests
As Clark County enters the final months of its Comprehensive Plan Update, farmland preservation has become a flash point—particularly in proposals from the Cities of Ridgefield and La Center that would de-designate agricultural land. De-designation of viable agricultural land contrasts sharply with methods used elsewhere in Washington that actively maintain or grow the agricultural land […]
Over the past 2 years, we have worked to enlighten folks to the plight of Washington State legacy forests–those areas of forest which have grown into peaceful, moss-covered diverse ecosystems where spotted owls, endangered western gray squirrels, marbled murrelets, and many other species cohabit among the huge trees. If left undisturbed, the trees will soon […]
Support SB 5820 Dear Friends and Neighbors, SB 5820, introduced by Senator Adrian Cortes (D-18th District), is a bill that fixes a serious problem created by SB 5517 in 2017 related to irresponsible railroad expansion. SB 5517 carved out a special exception that allowed industrial development on resource lands and critical areas near a short-line […]
Watch the video explainer from the Center for Responsible Forestry, read FOCC’s letter to legislators, and then take action using CRF’s call to action! Take Action on the Ecosystem Services Bill FOCC’s Letter Dear legislators, I am writing on behalf of Friends of Clark County, a 501(c)(3) non-profit advocacy organization representing its thousands of supporters […]
20251215 Heritage Farm Survey E&S
For more background on this issue, you can review our last legacy forest update or previous articles on the Dabbler. Big sigh, deep breath…Friends, we faced our last yearly Board of Natural Resources (BNR) meeting this December 2, 2025. FOCC has written and submitted three pages of comments, which you can see here. Accompanying our […]
Clark County’s Community Planning recently submitted to the public for review a draft of an Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which considers the impact on various elements of our environment of the three alternatives under consideration in the Comprehensive Plan Update. Found in a small section of the DEIS (in the sections on Land Use and […]
To Commissioner Upthegrove and the members of the Board, In September, we wrote to you with concerns about the Turnover timber sale and requested that you deny the harvest plan as it was written. We have been attempting to convey with urgency that Clark County’s remaining naturally regenerated forests such as Turnover, Dendrophobia, Copper Head, […]
Hey Friends, The 2025 Clark County Agricultural Lands Study, conducted by independent consultants hired by the unanimous determination of the Clark County Council, reached two important conclusions that should guide decision-making related to our agricultural resource lands in the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update. First, the study found that all currently designated agricultural resource lands provide […]
Friends of Clark County is a non-profit organization representing its thousands of supporters who are residents of Clark County, Washington. We reiterate our opposition to the Turnover timber sale and urge the Department of Natural Resources to respect the wishes of the people of Clark County and its elected representatives by rescinding the Determination of […]