Farm viability, agricultural land preservation, healthy forests
RE: Turnover Timber Sale and DNR-managed Clark County Public Lands Dear Clark County Council, My name is Mary Goody and I am a board member of Friends of Clark County, a non-profit environmental advocacy organization that has been working collaboratively with Clark County since 1996 to protect our quality of life and economic viability for […]
For those who could make the live session, we deeply appreciate your attendance at our forum about Clark County and the City of Vancouver’s Comprehensive Plan updates. It is a hopeful sign that we had such a great showing of local residents who took the time out of their evening for this discussion. Now, let’s […]
Help us advocate for our vision for the future of sustainable agriculture in Clark County and meaningful climate action! What’s at stake? The loss of 519 acres of prime agricultural lands in Clark County’s Comprehensive Plan Update and the delayed implementation and potential loss of funding for urgent climate, transportation, housing, and parks policies. What’s […]
The Clark County Council recently gave unanimous direction to move forward with repealing the Chelatchie Bluff surface mining overlay (SMO) over environmentally sensitive forest land in response to the Washington Court of Appeals ruling in FOCC’s favor on the matter, which would bring the county back into compliance with state law. To learn more about […]
What’s at stake? The loss of 519 acres of agricultural land in Clark County’s Comprehensive Plan Update to sprawling development, the delay (6 months to a year or more) of passing urgent climate, transportation, and housing policies, noncompliance with state law, and ineligibility for grants and low-interest loans from the state that could be lost […]
Do you care about local farms, healthy forests, clean water, clean air, the climate crisis, parks, walkability, housing and transportation, fish, wildlife, and creating vibrant and equitable communities? So does Friends of Clark County! That’s why advocacy around the Clark County Comprehensive Plan update process in accordance with the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) is […]
It has been a LONG road to get here, but the inaugural Agricultural Advisory Commission is kicking off this spring! The initial commission will include the following representatives: Zorah Oppenheimer representing the Clark County Conservation District Amy Treasure representing the Cowlitz Tribe. Amy is also the owner of C&R Treasure Farms. Ruud Van Der Salm […]
Dabbler photo courtesy of Joshua Wright The Latest We are very sad to report that on March 28th, 2025, Judge Derek Vanderwood of the Superior Court of Washington denied Legacy Forest Defense Coalition and FOCC’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction (PI) of the Dabbler forest Units 1, 2 and 3 in eastern Clark County. However, we […]
Challenges of Small-Scale Farming in Clark County By Justin Burger, owner of Burger Family Farms and Friends of Clark County board member Farming in Clark County is already tough, but for small farmers like me, the biggest challenge isn’t just the work, it’s navigating the complex, overlapping, and often contradictory regulations that make it nearly […]
Background In our last update, the Clark County Council had adopted the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) alternatives for the Comprehensive Plan Update. Alternatives are options for the Comp Plan that the cities and county put forward to be studied for environmental impacts in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), which requires that […]