🛑 Trail Parking Bans, State Tax Tensions & Drano Lake Access - Skamania BOCC 3/3 & 3/10

🏛 March 3, 2026 Meeting

🗣 Public Comment

• Bob Fallon: The former commissioner reflected on his decades of service starting in 1961 on the county mosquito spray team, thanking the current board for their work.
• Philip Watness: Announced free local tax preparation dates and the Lions Club's upcoming shred event.
• Mary Repar: Announced her candidacy for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Board, championing intellectual freedom and First Amendment rights.

🏘 Housing & Community Safety

• Housing Insecurity Risk: The Mid-Columbia Housing Authority (MCHA) reported new federal guidelines where mixed-status households will now be entirely disqualified from certain programs, rather than receiving prorated support. The immediate plan: The county has alerted Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) to prepare to support displaced families.
  • The public has until April 21, 2026, to submit formal comments to HUD regarding this change.
• Wildfire Plan: The board officially approved the 2026 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), a critical prerequisite for securing federal wildfire defense grants to protect local homes.

For residents looking to prepare their properties ahead of fire season, the fully adopted 2026 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) includes detailed neighborhood fire-risk maps and actionable guidelines for creating defensible space around your home.

⚙️ Day-to-Day Government & Personnel

• Vouchers & Payroll: Approved multiple cycles to keep vendors paid and staff compensated.
• Court Staffing: Approved the creation of an on-call bailiff position.
• Executive Session: The Board entered executive session under RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) to discuss potential litigation. No formal action was taken publicly.

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🏛 March 10, 2026 Meeting

🗣 Public Comment

• Mary Repar urged the board to support the Gorge Commission and pivot toward innovative economies like carbon sequestration rather than hoping for a return to a vanished timber economy.

⚠️ Editor's Note: Broader Context: The Reality of a "Carbon Economy" in Skamania

While the idea of pivoting from traditional timber harvests to selling carbon offset credits is a growing topic in rural policy, implementing it in Skamania County faces massive structural and economic hurdles:

• The Land Ownership Barrier: The Board of Commissioners cannot unilaterally preserve trees for carbon credits because roughly 80% of the county is federally or state-owned (primarily the Gifford Pinchot National Forest). The U.S. Forest Service dictates how that land is managed, and it is generally excluded from carbon credit structures.
• The Federal Revenue Trap: Historically, the county funded its roads and schools by receiving a 25% share of federal timber revenues. Following the steep logging decline in the 1990s, the county now relies heavily on volatile federal Secure Rural Schools (SRS) grants to keep basic services functioning. Interruptions in these grants have already had severe impacts on our community.
• The Missing Legal Mechanism: Currently, there is no legal framework for the U.S. Forest Service to generate and sell carbon credits on federal land and share that revenue with local counties. Until Congress creates a revenue-sharing model for carbon, the county cannot simply replace lost logging funds with sequestration revenue.
• The Revenue Gap: Even if revenue could be shared, the math falls short. Carbon offset programs typically pay just $5 to $30 per acre, per year. A recent analysis by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) estimated that carbon credits generate only about one-third of the revenue of traditional timber sales.
• The Century-Long Lock-In: Entering these markets requires legally locking the land into "no-touch" conservation agreements that can last for up to 100 years.

For a county already starved for buildable commercial and residential land, and facing immediate budget shortfalls for schools and emergency services, tying up acreage for a century for a low annual return is likely not the county's best or most innovative path to financial sustainability.

🛑 Trail Parking & Right-of-Way Enforcement

Public Works and the Sheriff's Office held a workshop on escalating parking hazards at trailheads (Salmon Falls, Canyon Creek) and nuisance vehicles on the east end (Cook-Underwood Road).

• The issue: Hikers are blocking travel lanes, and individuals are dodging 24-hour towing rules by moving junk vehicles a few feet and returning them to the county right-of-way.
• The immediate plan: Rather than waiting months to pass a new ordinance, Public Works will install strict "No Parking" signs using existing Title 10 codes (prohibiting parking over the white line).
• Next steps: If signage fails to change behavior by mid-summer, the board will pursue a targeted tow-away ordinance.

🚤 Drano Lake & Wind River Management

Public Works reported that the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) approved the county's use certification for Drano Lake.

• Recreational Priority: The certification explicitly mandates that recreational boaters must have priority over commercial guides if conflicts arise.
• Data Collection: Traffic counters are being installed at both Drano Lake and Wind River to differentiate between standard cars and vehicles with boat trailers. QR code surveys will also gather real-time data from users.

💰 State Tax Bills & Local Impacts

Commissioners expressed deep concern regarding state legislative bills that could introduce an income tax and alter county funding mechanisms. Officials cited potential cuts to the county's sales tax base and concerns that new state-level tax burdens will reduce charitable giving to local nonprofits. Commissioners warned this creates a "mechanism of chaos" between state and local governments.

🚧 Public Works & Capital Projects

• Wind River Road: Pavement preservation and slide stabilization projects were awarded, with construction set for Spring 2026.
• Hegewald Center: Demolition of the old front desk area is actively underway.
• Fairgrounds: New liability-grant-funded bleachers have arrived, and an Eagle Scout project was approved to rebuild planter boxes.

⚙️ Day-to-Day Government

• Software Migration: The Finance Department is mid-way through a six-week data migration to Tyler Technologies accounting software.
• Title III Funds: The county received $179,047.73 in reauthorized federal timber funds, which will be distributed to emergency responders.

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🔎 What Changed

• 🚤 Drano Lake received its state use certification, bringing new priority rules for recreational boaters and new data collection methods.
• 🔥 The Community Wildfire Protection Plan is now officially adopted, unlocking future grant funding avenues.
• 🛑 New Public Works enforcement: Strict "No Parking" signs will be installed near congested trailheads to target chronic right-of-way violators.

⚠ What Escalated

• 🏘 Housing insecurity risks increased due to new MCHA rules disqualifying mixed-status families from assistance.
• 💰 State vs. County financial friction grew over sweeping tax legislation that threatens county sales tax revenue and local nonprofit funding.

🧭 What’s Next

• 💰 The county will finalize $179,047.73 in Title III funding awards for emergency responders next week.
• 📊 Traffic data collection will begin at major boat launches to inform future access management.
• 🚧 Spring construction prep continues for Wind River Road and fairground upgrades.

🏛 How to Join the Next Skamania County Commissioners Meeting

📅 Tuesdays at 9:30 AM

📍 Courthouse Annex, Room 18 (Lower Level) 240 NW Vancouver Ave, Stevenson

💻 Zoom:https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6276698258

📞 Phone (audio only): 1-346-248-7799 | Meeting ID: 627 669 8258

🗣 Public comment is taken at the beginning of the meeting

✉️ Written comments: emerson@co.skamania.wa.us (by noon the day before)