Supporting Our Parks and Trails in Clark County
It’s no secret that Clark County residents love their parks and trails. We cherish our time at any of the 111 parks that lure us into the open space on a sunny afternoon. We appreciate and utilize our many trails that take us along Clark County’s waterways and through its pristine forests.
On January 15th at our most recent Friends of Clark County forum, we learned about Clark County’s Parks and Nature and the City of Vancouver’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. We were pleased to have as panelists Councilor Glen Yung (District 1), Parks and Nature Division Manager for Clark County, Ross Hoover, and City of Vancouver’s Parks, Director of Recreation and Cultural Services for the City of Vancouver, David Perlick. Each of the panelists gave an inspirational picture of the value that our parks and open spaces provide for us all, and shared the challenges of operating 7,166 acres of parks and 4,300 acres of legacy lands.
Parks and trails throughout the County are facing funding challenges. This translates into operational shortfalls, such as graffiti and vandalism that stay on park benches longer than we would like, or bathrooms which must be closed more frequently, or general maintenance being deferred.
Additionally, these operational shortfalls don’t include funding for new parks, upgrading of existing parks, or the discovery of new trails.
Currently, Clark County’s Park and Nature division is seriously underfunded due primarily to budget cuts made in years past. At the same time, we are facing an increase in use of parks and open spaces due to population growth. As explained by Ross Hoover, county staff is currently working on a robust systemwide review of its parks system to address these challenges. This includes developing a regional parks funding mechanism, carrying out parks condition assessments, updating Clark County’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS), Plan, and more—all of which was discussed in depth at our recent forum! Watch our January 2026 forum, Bridging the Gap: Funding Our Parks and Trails here.
It is clear, however, that County Councilors need to be giving more attention to our parks and opens spaces, including:
- Taking a close look at operational needs
- Considering the popularity of these spaces among the residents of the County
- Thinking about critical mitigation that open spaces provide in climate change events
- The value of playgrounds and open areas for our children and grandchildren
- The preservation of Clark County’s beauty
We encourage you to contact your Clark County Councilor to let them know of the importance of parks and natural spaces in our lives and in our future. We need the Council’s support to resolve the significant funding challenges that threaten the existence of our parks and trails system.