Clark County Wants Your Take on Its Parks. The Survey Closes Nov. 1.

Clark County is asking what you think of its parks, trails, and natural areas, and the survey closes Sunday, November 1.

That’s not a deadline most people have circled on a calendar. It’s also a rare chance to tell the county, in about 10 minutes, what’s working near you and what’s missing. Here’s how it works, why it’s worth a few minutes of your week, and one way to get outside and help this Saturday.

The survey takes about as long as a coffee break

The county is updating its Parks and Natural Areas System Plan, the document that guides how it cares for and invests in parks, trails, and natural areas. The current plan was adopted in 2022, and the update runs through 2026 and 2027.

The survey asks how often you visit, what you do when you’re there, and why you use county trails. It takes about five to 10 minutes, it’s available in multiple languages, and anyone who finishes by November 1 can enter a drawing for one of five $50 gift cards. You’ll find it on the Clark County Public Works parks plan page. Here's the link to their survey.

Your answers shape where the county puts its attention

The plan helps set priorities for park improvements, trail expansion, new recreation options, and the long-term care of natural areas. That covers county-managed places like Salmon Creek Regional Park and Klineline Pond, Whipple Creek Regional Park, and Lewisville Regional Park, among others.

Parks and trails are part of how people choose a neighborhood, so what the county invests in affects daily life more than a plan document might suggest. A survey doesn’t decide those priorities on its own. It is one of the inputs, and the more varied the answers, the more accurate the picture. If you only hear from the people who attend public meetings, you miss the family that uses the greenway every morning and never says a word.

A way to help this Saturday

If you’d rather do something with your hands, Clark Public Utilities lists a Make a Difference Day planting this Saturday, October 24, from 9am to 1pm at Columbia Springs, 12208 SE Evergreen Highway in Vancouver. The StreamTeam is planting native trees and shrubs to support local habitat.

Columbia Springs also lists a Stewardship Saturday the same morning, 9am to noon, so check which session you’re signing up for before you go. We couldn’t confirm whether registration is required or what to bring, so the Clark Public Utilities event page is the place to look.

The honest tradeoffs

Neither of these is instant. The survey feeds a plan that won’t be finished until 2027, so you won’t see a new trail next month because you answered a few questions. It’s a long game, and the payoff is gradual.

The planting day is outdoor work in late October in the Pacific Northwest. Expect mud, maybe rain, and a few hours of kneeling and digging. For some people that’s a good Saturday morning. For others, the survey from the couch is the better fit, and that counts too.

What this really comes down to

Where you live is more than the house. It’s the trail you walk, the park where your kids play, and the green space that was still there ten years later because enough people spoke up. Ten minutes on a survey, or a morning with a shovel, is a small way to have a say in that.

If you’re weighing neighborhoods in Clark County and want to know which ones put you closest to the parks and trails you’d actually use, we’d be happy to talk it through with you.

Thinking of making a move to Clark County? Download our Relocation Guide today and reach out with any questions!