News From Your Friends

What’s on our Radar – Week of March 2nd, 2026

March 1, 2026 in General

Happy Monday! Welcome to Friends of Clark County’s Weekly Radar, where we break down what we are following in Clark County government for the week and highlight opportunities for you to engage. You can take action this week regarding irresponsible railroad expansion, get engaged with the Agricultural Advisory Commission, climate change policy, the Comp Plan update, parks, Heritage Farm, and more.

URGENT CALLS TO ACTION 

📣 Help us over the finish line to protect Clark County resource lands from irresponsible railroad expansion!

Background: SB 5517 carved out a special exception that allowed industrial development on resource lands and critical areas near a short-line railroad in Clark County — something no other county is allowed to do. There is no valid reason for Clark County to be exempt from protecting farmland, forests, and mineral lands simply because they are “adjacent” to a railroad. SB 5820 repeals that exception and requires Clark County to follow the Growth Management Act, just like every other county in Washington.

Update: Our support has helped move this bill to the House Rules Committee, but a new amendment has been proposed to delay the repeal until 2035. This is effectively a 10-year “permission slip” for the railroad to continue its pattern of environmental destruction and fiscal drain on our county. Other harmful amendments have also been proposed. With the March 6th (this Friday!) cutoff looming, we must flood legislators’ offices with calls and emails immediately to ensure they reject any amendments and pass the bill in its original, clean form. SB 5820 gives us a real chance to permanently protect Clark County’s resource lands — but lawmakers need to hear from us now.

More information and resources are available in our full Call to Action on our website: URGENT: Help Protect Clark County Resource Lands from Irresponsible Railroad Expansion

THIS WEEK’S RADAR

Our weekly radar is intended to highlight Clark County meetings and events relevant to Friends of Clark County priorities. This list is not exhaustive. For a full list of Clark County meetings, please visit Clark County Council and Clark County Community Planning on the Clark County website.

TUESDAY, MARCH 3RD

Clark County Council meeting at 10am: Meeting information

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4TH

Council Time at 1pm: Meeting information

THURSDAY, MARCH 5TH

LAST WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Council Time

  • The Council passed the Unity Resolution that was drafted in collaboration with NAACP Vancouver and the Southwest Washington Equity Coalition (SWEC). Of note, it states, “The Council commits to reviewing the county’s code of conduct for County Council members and members of Clark County Boards and Commissions that affirms and prioritizes dignity and respect for all community members. The council will also make efforts to ensure that county boards and commissions reflect the community they serve to hear broadly from all parts of Clark County.”
  • Read notes from the League of Women Voters’ Observer Corps
  • Watch the full Council Time meeting

Clark County Work Sessions

Commission and Advisory Board meetings

  • Agricultural Advisory Commission meeting. Items of note:
    • Per Council invitation, the Commission selected representatives to attend the upcoming March 18th work session to discuss (once again) the Planning Commission’s recommendations on the Preferred Alternative for the Comp Plan Update, including Transfer of Development Rights (TDR’s) and interlocal agreements. Speaking of TDR’s, check out FOCC’s just-published newsletter article on the topic:

      Read Preserving Farmland in Clark County: Transfer of Development Rights Are Not The Answer

    • Climate crisis: The Commission received a presentation from county staff on the draft Clark County climate policies (now required under the Growth Management Act) developed by a combination of community members, community groups, and representatives of private industry interests. Note: the project area is only unincorporated Clark County, as the cities must develop their own climate policies. These climate policies are recommendations that the Planning Commission and the Clark County Council will ultimately hold hearings on and vote on adopting as part of the Comp Plan Update. County staff noted that more climate funds for implementation are being distributed through the state, and they expect some funding but have no further details.
  • Charter Review Commission meeting, including first reading of proposed charter amendments.
  • The Clark Communities Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (CCBPAC) meeting recording from last week is unavailable at this time.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Parks and Nature ADA Transition Plan Open House

Watch Parks and Nature ADA Transition Plan Open House

Friends of Clark County
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Friends of Clark County
Clark County Calendar of Land Use Activities
This great public resource compiled by FOCC’s own Jackie Lane tracks Clark County’s land use activities in a publicly available document. Make sure to bookmark it! 

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