trails and greenways

Have fun, learn, and help out at Columbia Springs! This family-friendly event is a great opportunity for community members to participate in environmental restoration and projects that improve Columbia Springs' 100-acre natural area and the historic Vancouver Trout Hatchery. Projects may include gardening, painting, trail maintenance, and more. Every Stewardship Saturday includes a lesson about local ecology to start the day and concludes with a fun activity like a craft or nature hike. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome! Children under 14 are welcome with parent or guardian supervision and teens under 16 with parent or guardian permission. Snacks and tools provided. Please bring sturdy shoes, appropriate outdoor work clothing, a water bottle, and your enthusiasm for helping the community! To sign-up or for more information, email volunteer@columbiasprings.org. 

Join Clark County staff at Whipple Creek Hollow, one of our key urban wildlife areas in the heart of Salmon Creek, for a volunteer work party.  Join a team to help restore trails and trailheads throughout the site. This 40-acre site hosts a variety of upland trees, flowers and wildlife.  Enjoy a hike through the site after the work party is complete and learn about the restoration efforts along Whipple Creek.  Light refreshments will be provided but bring a water bottle.  RSVP suggested.

Mother's Day Presentation: Native Woman's Views on Lewis & Clark Expedition, Presented by Pat Courtney Gold

Where:  Cathlapotle Plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge:  28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642

When: May 10, 2015
12pm - 4pm: Plankhouse Tours and Children's Activities
Tour the Plankhouse on your own or guided by our experienced volunteers. Children's activities will be available as well.

2pm: Presentation: Native Women's View of Lewis and Clark Presented by Pat Courtney Gold

All the books written about Lewis and Clark were from a white man's perspective.  In this presentation, you will learn about the Native People's view of Lewis and Clark. Pat will explore questions like: How did the Columbia River matriarchal society see Lewis and Clark? What did they think of the smelly bearded men who ignored the sacred salmon in preference for dog meat? This talk will present a point of view not often talked about in regards to the expedition, and one that deserves to be heard.

Cost:   Refuge admission is $3 per vehicle

Take mom for a walk, a talk, and wildlife watching at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge this Mother's Day! At 2pm in the Cathlapotle Plankhouse Pat Courtney Gold, member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and accomplished weaver and artist will be speaking about the perspective that Native Women had of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. There will also be activities for families to connect with the culture and wildlife at the plankhouse, hiking trails, in addition to ample wildlife watching opportunities on the River 'S' Unit Auto Tour Driving Route. Check the Friends website ridgefieldfriends.org for maps of Refuge trails, or contact Plankhouse Director Sarah Hill at sarah_hill@fws.gov, or call (360) 887-4106.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Cathlapotle Plankhouse, and the house will now be open weekends from 12pm-4pm. Every second Sunday of the month the Plankhouse will host a special event with speakers, guided hikes, and children's activities. For more information on the upcoming events, visit www.ridgefieldfriends.org/plankhouse/programs . 

Funding for these programs has been generously provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, the Community Foundation for SW Washington, and Umpqua Bank.  

For wheelchair access to this event, please contact Sarah at Sarah_Hill@fws.gov or (360) 887-4106 prior to the event date.

Join the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership for a nature hike along the scenic trails of the La Center Bottoms Wetlands along the East Fork of the Lewis River. Learn about the river as it flows through floodplain wetlands and stewardship projects at the site. Meet at the trailhead off of 3rd St. east of La Center Road in La Center, Washington. Wear sturdy walking shoes and dress for the weather.

2pm: Spring First Foods Hike

Cathlapotle Plankhouse at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
28908 NW Main Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642

Plankhouse Director Sarah Hill will be leading a walk on the Oaks to Wetlands Trail discussing traditional springtime foods of Chinookan Peoples and the seasonal cycles they live by. Participants should be prepared for a 2 mile hike on uneven terrain.  Meet at the Plankhouse. 

This hike is one of several activities that will be happening this day to kick off the Spring Opening of the Cathlapotle Plankhouse, including a family nature hike at 1pm, and from 12-4 Plankhouse tours and other Children's activities. 

The Cathlapotle Plankhouse is a contemporary Chinookan style Plankhouse located on the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The house was built in 2005 as a partnership with the Chinook Indian Nation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Its mission is to share the lifeways, culture, and history of Chinookan Peoples of the Lower Columbia, and the natural resources of the Refuge. 

Plankhouse programs are coordinated by the Friends of The Ridgefield NWR. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to providing access to this event for all participants. Please direct all requests for sign language interpreting services, closed captioning, or other accommodations needs to Eric Anderson, 360-887-4106, Eric_Anderson@fws.gov. TTY 800-877-8339 with your request by close of business one week before the event. For wheelchair access arrangements for this program, please contact Sarah Hill (360) 887-4106 or Sarah_Hill@fws.gov.