Clark County has a Mitigation Opportunities web page to help developers, environmental groups, outdoor advocates and others understand how to lessen impacts of development on wetlands and important habitats.
The new page can be accessed at www.clark.wa.gov/mitigation. The site offers the following tools:
Parcel information center. Identify the soils, slope, watershed and other environmental features of any parcel in Clark County. Learn about conservation covenants that run with the land. The features can be mapped and printed.
Permits process. Learn how the county processes habitat and wetlands permits. Find links to the county code and application forms. Information about the city of Vancouver’s permit process will be added soon.
Watershed plans. This section links to documents that help you understand watersheds. Your parcel is part of a large environmental system. Preserving wetlands and habitats is more than a requirement for a development permit; it also protects fish, such as salmon and trout, and preserves the quality and clarity of our streams.
Mitigation marketplace. You can learn how to prevent or reduce negative impacts by using best management practices for your development activity or the species on your site.
You can also identify other sites in your watershed that might be suitable for off-site mitigation or register your parcel as a mitigation area for others to use. Registration places your site on a map so others know you are interested in selling, leasing or developing a conservation covenant for mitigation.
The Mitigation Opportunities web page is a joint project of Clark County and the city of Vancouver. It is funded by the Washington Association of Counties, Association of Washington Cities, the Washington Department of Transportation and the Fish and Wildlife Division of the Department of Ecology.
