Central Vancouver, Minnehaha and The Heights
West Minnehaha: The Dogtober Fest hosted by DOGPAW on Oct. 24 at the Ross off-leash area attracted some 400 visitors for a day of doggie-themed fun, including a dog fashion show, a costume contest, doggie Olympics, adoptable dogs, vendors and free nail clipping. Dog Owners Group for Park Access in Washington, or DOGPAW, raised more than $2,000 for its dog parks and collected more than 150 pounds of dry dog food, a huge tub of canned food and treats as well as $47.50 in cash for the Second Chance Companions Animeals program.
Bagley Downs: Sixteen citizen volunteers graduated from the Vancouver Police Department’s Neighbors on Watch Academy Oct. 28. That brings to 54 residents, from 23 neighborhoods, the number of people who have taken the six-week course. They learned reporting skills, police radio communications and etiquette, the phonetic alphabet (“Alpha Bravo Charlie”), CPR, crime prevention information and other policies and procedures. Last year, NOW volunteers contributed just under 2,000 hours in eight months to law and order in the city of Vancouver.
Ridgefield and Fairgrounds
Ridgefield: A quarter-mile section of Gee Creek Trail has been completed by Vancouver-based home builder Pacific Lifestyle Homes. The new section of trail is within the Osprey Pointe neighborhood, cost close to $100,000 and took several months to construct after years of planning and permitting. The Gee Creek Trail is planned to run 3.5 miles along the Gee Creek corridor, connecting Ridgefield High School with the trail system located in the Carty Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The opening of the trail was celebrated Nov. 7 at the trail head on South 13th Circle in the Osprey Pointe neighborhood and includes a large wood-plank bridge that spans a ravine.
North Clark County and Woodland
La Center: The city has really excellent soil — compost, that is. So excellent, in fact, that it was recognized as a runner-up in the 2009 Excellence in Biosolids Management Awards, announced recently at an October conference of the Northwest Biosolids Management Association in Blaine. Boulder Park was the winner, and La Center shares runner-up status with Port Angeles.