Columbia Land Trust

1351 Officers' Row, Vancouver, Washington 98661
360.696.0131 voice, 360.696.1847 fax

In Our View: March 17, 2006 Managing Growth: Columbia Land Trust is doing great work to help region grow responsibly     It comes as no surprise Clark County's population has surpassed 400,000. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 403,766 people were living in the county as of July 1, 2005.     This can be good news. People and businesses like this place and want to move here. That's that true in some other places. But this can be bad news. Rapid growth (the local population has doubled since 1981) brings challenges such as crowded roadways and schools, pollution and overburdened public services.     Today, it's a mixture of good and bad news in Clark County. Where the needle moves from the middle of the growth gauge depends on how well the growth is managed.     An example of poor management is the county commissioners' ongoing effort to blow the doors off a perfectly good plan adopted in 2004. That plan was formulated after several years, millions of dollars and countless hours of public participation. It allows a steady and reasonable growth to a population of 518,000 by 2003. Misguided efforts to change it should be abandoned.     But there's also good news in this issue, countering the down sides of rapid growth. An example is what's going on at the Columbia Land Trust. In Thursday's Columbian, atop Page A1 was a story about the soaring population. Atop Page C1 was a story about Columbia Land Trust's desires to but land near Lacamas Creek. The second story describes one solution for problems depicted by the first story.     Columbia Land Trust wants to partner with Clark County and spend about a half-million dollars to acquire about 120 acres on Lacamas Creek near Green Mountain Gold Course, north of Camas. The land would be used to preserve vital plant and wildlife habitat.     Through the years the Vancouver-based (on Officers' Row) Columbia Land Trust has built a great track record for conserving spectacular views and valuable lands along and around the Columbia River, from the east flank of the Cascades to the ocean, including many areas in and around Clark County.     Using public grants and private donations, the trust acquires valuable acreage from willing landowners, paying market prices. At great expense and effort, natural values of the sites are restored, then the areas are set aside for protection or given to public agencies for management.     The Columbia Land Trust's numerous conquests should partly answer widespread concerns about rapid growth in Clark County. There's no way to reverse rapid development, but by conserving valuable lands, recognition of nature's value can be established and promoted. That's more than just one of the best friends an endangered species can have; it's also a big boost to the local quality of life.     The trust has worked harmoniously with the Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Department to buy key sites, even long in advance of building the parks.     Beyond Clark County, the trust's conservation victories stretch from 1,500 acres around the lower Klickitat River to several hundred acres near the mouth of the Columbia River. Much of the success is achieved in the middle of busy urban centers; the Wood's Landing area near the interstate 205 bridge is a good example.     In all, 60-plus sites and more than 7,000 acres have been rescued from rendezvous with bulldozers, backhoes, and paving machines, thanks to the Columbia Land Trust. If you'd like to join the group's 1,350 members and 115 volunteers, visit the Web site: www.columbialandtrust.org.

More News...