Stories by Shari Phiel

Columbian staff reporter

@Shari_Phiel

(360) 735-4546

Shari.phiel@columbian.com

Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership ecologist Kari Dupler, left, and restoration program lead Chris Collins talk about the East Fork Lewis River restoration project Thursday, April 17, 2025, near the site in Battle Ground. Lower Columbia Estuary PartnershipÄôs floodplain restoration project for the river begins this year.

Habitat restoration project on East Fork Lewis River breaks ground

April 22, 2025, 6:09am Clark County News

After a decade in the making, crews broke ground last week on Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership’s major habitat restoration project on the East Fork Lewis River. Read story

Railroad maintenance to close Lucia Falls Road

April 21, 2025, 2:08pm Clark County News Free

Clark County Public Works will close part of Lucia Falls Road while maintenance work on its short line railroad is completed. Crews will perform maintenance on the rail line and also trim trees and clear brush and vegetation. Read story

A pedestrian walks past a pond near homes in Battle Ground on Wednesday afternoon. Some local residents are unhappy with the county’s plans for the Gordy Jolma Family Natural Area. They argue the project will destroy — not repair — the ecosystem.

Clark County wants to restore fish habitat at former Cedars golf course; neighbors are leery of plans

April 21, 2025, 6:10am Clark County News

Clark County’s parks department is hosting a Thursday open house to discuss future plans for the Gordy Jolma Family Natural Area. Some residents living along the natural area’s border are worried the county’s plans will drastically impact their access to and use of the property. Read story

Driver Natalya McAleer looks over the inside of a Tesla Plaid, which is an electric vehicle, in Vancouver on Tuesday afternoon. McAleer is part of the roughly 20 percent of new car buyers switching to electric or plug-in hybrid electric cars.

Washington wants 35% of new vehicles to be electric by 2026; the state and Clark County have a way to go

April 17, 2025, 6:07am Business

As enthusiastic as electric car owners are about their vehicles, Washington still has a long way to go to meet its requirement that 35 percent of new passenger vehicle sales be electric by 2026. Read story

Clark County seeking youth volunteers

April 15, 2025, 1:58pm Clark County News Free

Clark County is seeking young volunteers to fill at least 10 positions on the Clark County Youth Commission for the 2025-26 program year. Read story

Legal complexities in alternative housing: A cautionary tale from Clark County

Nate Brinton sits outside Vancouver Community Library, where he spends a lot of time now that he’s homeless. Brinton thought he had found the solution to his housing problem in Lake Merwin Campers Hideaway, but that didn’t work out.

When Vancouver resident Nate Brinton began looking for a place to live last year, he quickly realized Clark County’s skyrocketing home prices and high interest rates had put traditional homebuying beyond his modest budget. Read story

‘Animals are important to us’: Clark County approves 3-year contract with Humane Society amid rising costs for care

Animal control officer Zach Sandoval says goodbye to a German shepherd surrendered by its owner, after dropping off the animal at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington on Dec. 17, 2024. Clark County’s animal control costs are going up now that the county council has approved a new three-year contract with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington.

Clark County’s animal control costs are going up now that the county council has approved a new three-year contract with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. The council unanimously approved the new contract Tuesday. Read story