Washington State Conservation Commission

Clark County residents may soon have a new opportunity to help protect and enhance their region’s water, soil, and wildlife habitats. If, in July, the Clark County commissioners decide to approve a proposal from the Clark Conservation District, a special assessment of $5.00 per parcel will be put into place to help fund the conservation work of the District. 

If adopted, the assessment would generate about $724,000 each year, allowing the Clark Conservation District to double its capacity for assisting private landowners with projects that conserve natural resources.

The Clark Conservation District began in 1942, primarily to help farmers conserve soil. In recent years, the District has operated on a annual budget of $300,000 to $350,000 provided as grants from government agencies.

The Clark Conservation District encompasses about 64 percent of Clark County, and includes the cities of Battle Ground and Vancouver. Not all lands in Clark County will be assessed.  Areas zoned by Clark County for forestry will not be assessed. Areas within the incorporated boundaries of Ridgefield, Yacolt, Camas, Washougal and La Center (as they existed in 1942) are not part of the District, so those areas will not be assessed.

The assessment proposal comes at a time of significant change to Clark County’s historically rural character. “We’re seeing an increased need for conservation activities in the county,” said Denise Smee, the District’s paid coordinator. “Landowners, city officials, and county officials have all expressed a desire for a higher level of service from the District.”

Dave Howard, a Vancouver resident and volunteer for Clark Conservation District, said a stable base of funding will help the district improve the environment overall while boosting its outreach to rural and urban landowners alike. One of the district’s priority programs is the preservation of farmland in the face of market pressure to develop property for urban uses. “As an urban dweller, I want sustainability here,” Howard said. “I want food produced locally, and I also want to make sure salmon are coming back to the streams in this county.”