Clark County is seeking about $1.35 million in grant funding to build improvements for people and salmon in Daybreak Regional Park.
Clark County is applying for two grants to build trails and salmon rehabilitation facilities in the 77.3-acre park northwest of Battle Ground.
The Clark County council last week approved applications for a $603,666 Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account grant to build trails.
The trails grant will allow the county to build nearly three-quarters of a mile of paved trail along the East Fork of the Lewis River near a boat launch, Legacy Lands Director Patrick Lee said. There also will be a shorter, gravel nature walk added along the trail, and small paths down to the river for easy access to fishing.
“There’s an informal trail along the river that people have used for dog walking and fishing access,” Lee said. “But now, there’s no physical improvements such as these.”
The proposed improvements also include improved landscaping, picnic tables, benches and improvements to the trailhead near Northeast Daybreak Road and 82nd Avenue. If approved, the changes will be the first of a number of improvements planned throughout the park in the coming years.
Lee said the county likely won’t know whether it received the grant until July next year, after the state’s legislative session.
Salmon grant
Clark County is also seeking funds to give another northwesterner better access to the river.
The council approved an application for a $754,770 grant from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board to provide for salmon rehabilitation facilities along a 13-acre stretch of the East Fork of the Lewis River.
Clark County has proposed placing wood in the river to give fish a shelter from the current and reduce sediment into the river. The county also will excavate the eroding riverbank, allowing native plants to reestablish in the area.
Five different endangered salmon species make the East Fork of the Lewis River, Clark County’s largest free flowing river, home. That increases the need for improvements along that stretch.
“In terms of various sections along the East Fork (of the) Lewis River, this particular section is designated as … the most important for salmon recovery,” Lee said.
The county likely will know if it can move forward with the salmon recovery projects in December.
