WDFW mulls buying land for public fishing

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is looking to buy land in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties to improve fishing access, the department announced recently.

The smaller, local proposed purchases are part of a group of 21 sites included in the department’s 2025 Lands 20/20 Initiative announcement. The purchases total 60,483 acres.

The proposals come as hunters and fishers have become increasingly angry about shrinking recreation opportunities in the state — and the growing cost of pursuing them.

“We’ve recently seen how much the public values access to our shared outdoor spaces, and WDFW is focused on responsible stewardship of land that promotes outdoor opportunities and conservation of fish, wildlife, and habitats,” said Kevin Connally, the department’s lands division manager, in a press release.

In Cowlitz County, the department is proposing to buy about 4 acres along the Cowlitz River near Vader at the intersection of Imboden Road and Trinity Drive for fishing access.

In Wahkiakum County, it is looking to buy 75 acres off the Elochoman River, just west of its Beaver Creek Hatchery, for direct river access from a nearby department parking lot.

WDFW is also looking to buy 100 acres of private land off Skamakawa Creek in Wahkiakum County to use for conservation purposes for salmon habitat. Recreation would not be allowed there.

In other parts of the state — like Kittitas, Asotin and Garfield counties where land is less expensive — the department proposed thousands of acres of purchases to expand hunting and fishing access.

The department is accepting comments on the proposed land purchases through emails to [email protected] until Nov. 26.

About the project: The Murrow News Fellowship is a state-funded journalism project managed by Washington State University. Local partners are The Columbian and The Daily News. For more information, visit news-fellowship.murrow.wsu.edu/