Wildlife Habitats – Friends of Clark County in SW Washington

March 4, 2025

Fighting for the Destiny of the Dabbler

in Climate Change, Farmland & Forests, Parks, Trails, & Open Spaces, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

Photos courtesy of Joshua Wright of Legacy Forest Defense Coalition If you’re a regular FOCC supporter and/or you attended our recent forum on forests, chances are you know all about the Dabbler legacy forest timber sale. But, for those of you who don’t know, here is the long and short of it: For months, FOCC […]

December 2, 2024

FOCC Supports Friends of the Columbia Gorge Against 356th Public Road Dedication Request by Zimmerly Mining

in Accountability, Climate Change, Mining, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

(Photo from Friends of the Columbia Gorge) For a brief background on this issue, read the Columbian’s coverage here. Read Friends of the Columbia Gorge’s history of Zimmerly’s egregious and illegal behavior here. Continue reading to review Friends of Clark County’s public comment submitted for the 356th Avenue road dedication decision: Friends of Clark County, […]

October 23, 2024

Friends of Clark County and Farmers Support NO on 2117: Help Us Defend Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act

in Climate Change, Farmland & Forests, Parks, Trails, & Open Spaces, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

With just two weeks until Election Day and ballots already in your mailbox, there is no doubt that you’ve heard some rumblings about a slate of initiatives that were purchased by a single hedge-fund millionaire from California, Brian Heywood, sponsor of the Let’s Go Washington campaign. One of the most frightening of these is Initiative […]

October 22, 2024

Don’t Dabble with Dabbler: FOCC Needs Your Help Saving The Dabbler Forest

in Climate Change, Farmland & Forests, Parks, Trails, & Open Spaces, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

What is it? “Dabbler” is a name given by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to three forested units it manages in Clark County comprising 156 acres of legacy forest that are slated to be auctioned off at a timber sale set for November. FOCC opposes this timber sale and you can read our […]

June 10, 2024

Our Comments for Clark County’s Environmental Impact Scoping on the Comprehensive Plan Update

in Climate Change, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Farmland & Forests, Local Food Systems, Mining, Parks, Trails, & Open Spaces, Railroad, Responsible Development, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

FOCC agrees the comprehensive plan, and the development it could authorize, is likely to have many different and significant probable adverse impacts on the environment and, thus, agree with the County’s determination that an EIS is required. FOCC agrees with Futurewise that building for growth cannot take precedence over the need for maintaining, protecting, and […]

April 8, 2024

Our Responses: Stormwater Survey

in Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Responsible Development, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

Clark County Public Works recently released a Stormwater Survey – due by April 22nd: https://clark.wa.gov/public-works/stormwater If you are concerned about clean water, healthy fish populations, and water management, we highly recommend that you fill out the survey! When we took the survey, we found ourselves putting a lot of comments in the “other” category. We […]

April 3, 2024

Consolidated Report: Chelatchie Bluff Mine and Surrounding Industrial Plan

in Accountability, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Farmland & Forests, Mining, Parks, Trails, & Open Spaces, Position Statements & Policy Recommendations, Railroad, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

Over the past 18 months, experts in the fields of hydrology, fish and wildlife, forestry, geology, and hydraulic engineering have collaborated to consolidate a report on the proposed surface mining on Chelatchie Bluff and the surrounding areas. The author and contributors conclude that should the Chelatchie Bluff mine be able to expand, it would mean […]

March 15, 2024

Preserving Farming and Local Food in Clark County: March 2024 Forum

in Climate Change, Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Act, Events & Fundraising, Farmland & Forests, Local Food Systems, Position Statements & Policy Recommendations, Responsible Development, Wildlife Habitats

Thanks to all who attended our March 2024 Forum on Preserving Farming and Local Food in Clark County! And thank you again to our knowledgeable panelists! In case you missed it, or in case you want to go back and review all the great information that was shared, you can view the recording here: And […]

February 27, 2024

Freight Rail Dependent Uses (FRDU) Update – February 2024

in Mining, Position Statements & Policy Recommendations, Railroad, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

Quite a bit has happened regarding the railroad since our last newsletter that included a background on the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR), and the Freight Rail Dependent Uses (FRDU) controversy, as well as FOCC’s position on the matter. You can read up on those here before reading on for the latest […]

February 26, 2024

Camp Bonneville: Safety, Transparency, and Accessible Parks

in Parks, Trails, & Open Spaces, Position Statements & Policy Recommendations, Rivers, Lakes & Aquifers, Wildlife Habitats

Camp Bonneville is a 3,840-acre property located in the foothills of the Cascade Range about 7 miles north of the Columbia River in East County that was used as a military training camp for 85 years. Currently, it is not open to the public, is largely undeveloped, and over half of it is forested. After […]