WDFW Looking to Buying Land in Cowltiz & Wahkiakum Counties to Improve Local Fishing—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing to buy land in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties to improve local fishing access. The purchases are part of the agency’s 2025 Lands 20/20 Initiative, which includes 21 proposed sites totaling more than 60,000 acres statewide.

The Murrow News Fellowship reports that in Cowlitz County, WDFW plans to acquire about four acres along the Cowlitz River near Vader, at Imboden Road and Trinity Drive. In Wahkiakum County, the department is looking to buy 75 acres along the Elochoman River west of the Beaver Creek Hatchery to create direct river access. A separate 100-acre site along Skamokawa Creek would be reserved for salmon habitat conservation, with no public access.

WDFW says the purchases are intended to balance recreation with conservation. Public comments on the proposed acquisitions are being accepted through November 26 by email at lands@dfw.wa.gov.