Help Sustain Friends of Clark County into the New Year
Hey Friends,
We are immensely grateful for your support and involvement over this past year. As we come to a close of 2025, Friends of Clark County looks forward to the new year with hope and renewed determination. There are many needs facing our community right now and we need your help to address them.
2026 will be a critical time in Clark County comprehensive planning. FOCC holds public forums and organizes with community members to generate resident engagement during this process.
We need your help now to continue this important work. Please consider a donation, either monthly or one time, of $25, $50, $100, $500 or $1,000.
This year, we are especially pleased to be working with community organizations representing those who historically have not had a seat at the table on land use issues in understanding the comprehensive planning process in order to advocate for themselves. Heidi Cody, SW WA Field Manager for Washington Conservation Action (WCA) and Coalition Manager for the Alliance for Community Engagement (ACE), said this about us: “FOCC is an invaluable advisor and partner in our coalition work on comprehensive planning. They have helped me better understand urban growth areas and the importance of retaining agricultural lands. FOCC’s educational and advocacy work is indispensable.”
Friends of Clark County is also proud of these accomplishments from 2025:
- Mining: We WON our legal appeal to stop Chelatchie Prairie from becoming a gravel wasteland—a crucial step in protecting our climate, water, fish and wildlife, and resident health and well-being.
- Agriculture: After years of advocacy with our partners, we saw the successful launch of the Clark County Agricultural Advisory Commission. We also were heavily engaged in providing feedback on the Clark County Agricultural Lands Study, as well as informing the community about the study and advocating directly to the Clark County Council to remind them of their obligations under the Growth Management Act (GMA).
- Legacy Forests: We have expanded our partnership with Clark County residents and the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition (LFDC) to push back against the WA Department of Natural Resource’s assault on our precious remaining legacy forests in eastern Clark County. While there is more work to do, we have put this issue on the Clark County Council’s radar, successfully encouraging them to write four letters to the DNR opposing timber sales, to set up a public meeting with Commissioner Upthegrove, and to nominate a broad swath of biodiverse forest on Larch Mountain for conservation funds from the legislature.
- Community Engagement: Speaking of radar, this year we launched Friends of Clark County’s Weekly Radar, where we explain in plain English the important issues facing land use in Clark County and let you know how to get engaged. This has become a vital resource for many community members and local organizations—and couldn’t be done without our dedicated staff! In addition, we put on two very well-attended virtual forums on The Future of Forests and Trees in Clark County in Light of Climate Change and Planning for Our Collective Future: The Final Stretch of the Comprehensive Plan Update. We also continue to build our social media presence to reach and inform even more Clark County residents.
We are excited to see what opportunities 2025 will bring for policy change that departs from business-as-usual and centers the collective well-being of Clark County residents now and into the future.
We hope you’ll support our efforts by making a donation to Friends of Clark County today. Your contribution will allow us to continue this labor of love through organizing, including research, community outreach, comment/testimony, and taking legal action, when necessary, to protect and enhance Clark County for all of us.
Our goal with this letter is to raise the $14,000 needed to meet our fundraising target for the year and set us on solid footing for the work ahead. We hope we can count on your support and thank you for your consideration.
Warmest regards,
Ann Foster
President,
Friends of Clark County Board of Directors