Evergreen Reporter

Public invited to Feb. 22, 23 public meetings

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and its partners are inviting the public to join them in Toppenish on Feb. 22 and Goldendale on Feb. 23 for a series of public meetings to gather feedback on a draft management plan for the Department’s Simcoe Mountains Unit, located in the Klickitat Wildlife Area. 

Public meetings are scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Yakama Nation Agency, 401 Fort Road, in the Selatsee Auditorium in Toppenish and 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, at the County Services Building, 115 W Court Street in Goldendale. 

The plan will help to guide public access and outdoor recreation, habitat enhancements, and forest and range management, among other elements, for the Simcoe Mountains Unit. The plan will be an addendum to the Klickitat Wildlife Area Plan, which is updated every 10 years. 

The draft plan is a result of a Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) process, which involved a broad spectrum of state, federal, tribal, county, and private entities in a long-term partnership for land management in the unit. The CRM is committed to pursuing compatible grazing and forestry; continued watershed, wildlife, and habitat management; and long-term habitat protection through the development of the collaborative plan. 

CRM participants include the Eastern and Central Klickitat Conservation Districts, Yakama Nation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Klickitat County, Western Pacific Timber, Columbia Land Trust, WDFW, grazing permittees, neighboring landowners, and representatives of local outdoor recreation partners. 

“As we envision the future of land management for the Simcoe Mountains Unit, it’s important to CRM participants that we hear from visitors, community members, and others who cherish it most,” said Cynthia Wilkerson, Lands Division Manager with WDFW.   

More information about the Feb. 22 and 23 public meetings and the draft plan is available on WDFW’s website. The public can also comment on the draft plan by submitting comments online through Monday, Feb. 27. In addition to this public review, a future environmental review of the draft plan will provide additional opportunities for public involvement. 

The Simcoe Mountains Unit consists of about 10,314 acres of working forest and rangeland. It’s managed through the CRM process to ensure long-term protection of fish and wildlife habitat within a working lands framework. Located in eastern Klickitat County southeast of Mount Adams, the unit provides a matrix of habitat, including conifer forests and mixed pine-oak woodlands, that benefit fish and wildlife. 

More information about the Simcoe Mountains Unit is available on WDFW’s website. 

All members of the public are invited to share their perspective and participate in WDFW public feedback opportunities regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, language proficiency, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, veteran status, or basis of disability.

WDFW manages more than a million acres of land and hundreds of water access areas throughout the state. By actively managing lands, restoring habitats, and preserving wild places, the Department serves as stewards for Washington’s natural places, protecting the state’s land and water for its human and wildlife. 

Individuals who need to receive this information in an alternative format, language, or who need reasonable accommodations to participate in WDFW-sponsored public meetings or other activities may contact the Title VI/ADA Compliance Coordinator by phone at 360-902-2349, TTY (711), or email (Title6@dfw.wa.gov). For more information, see https://wdfw.wa.gov/accessibility/requests-accommodation.

Original source can be found here.