Residents voiced strong concerns that expanding urban growth boundaries, particularly Battle Ground's proposed 450-acre annexation, would destroy critical wetlands, animal habitats, and fish-bearing streams like Mill Creek. They emphasized the importance of protecting these ecosystems and riparian vegetation from the environmental impacts of encroaching industrial and residential development. Conversely, one landowner argued that existing habitat constraints and poor soil conditions actually make some of this land unviable for farming and better suited for urban growth.
Wildlife_habitat
Clark County Council · Apr 27, 2026 · 2:01:11–2:01:23 · Watch on CVTV ↗
Keywords: wetlands watershed Wildlife wildlife corridors Salmon environmental impact habitat
What was said
2:00:09 I've lived in Vancouver since 1960, so I've seen a lot of changes. For 16 years, I lived along the Washougal River. We got a development across the river from me, turned down 16 or 18 acres because it was in a floodplain. He got the, the developer got the change from a 100-year floodplain to a 500-year floodplain. In the time that I lived there, it flooded three more times in that less than 500-year period or however you want to look at it. When they were developing the lots, the Fish and Wildlife had said they weren't supposed to remove any vegetation along the river. I would call them up and say the backhoe was down there, taking all the trees away. I was told, well,
2:01:05 that was the Fish and Wildlife's recommendation. You need to talk to them. I talked to the Fish and Wildlife. They say that was Clark County. Clark County needs to, they adopted that. Called Clark County, they said, well, that's been annexed into the city of Washougal, so now you need to talk to the city of Washougal. So it was kick the can here, here, there. So I'm here talking about, we need clean water. We've got forever chemicals in one of our wells here in Vancouver, or maybe two, I'm not sure. You guys want to take wetlands and develop it. We just, we need to have some clean water and jurisdictions that'll stand behind what's supposed to happen. I don't have a lot of time left. I'm not gonna be around that long,
2:02:02 but it'd be nice to have people with kids and grandkids, their kids be able to fish, drink clean water. I used to be able to play along the Columbia River as a kid, good luck trying to find a spot to even get down to the river other than a small park. That's all I got, thank you. - Thank you. Stephen McCulloch?
Evidence (1 match)
direct keyword 2:01:11–2:01:23 wetlands, watershed, Wildlife, wildlife, corridors, Salmon, environmental impact, habitat
posed to remove any vegetation along the river. I would call them up and say the backhoe was down there, taking all the trees away. I was told, well, that was the Fish and Wildlife's recommendation. You need to talk to them. I talked to the Fish and Wildlife. They say that was Clark County. Clark County needs to, they adopted that. Called Clark County, they said, well, that's been annexed into the city of Washougal, so now you need to talk to the city of Washougal. So it was kick the can here, h