Municipal Achievement Awards 2003
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Captain William Clark Park at
Cottonwood Beach Master Plan
Washougal, Washington
Monte Anderson, City of Washougal
Planning & Development Director
Purpose of the Study
Creating the Captain William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach is a rare opportunity to bring into being a
one-of-a-kind regional park-where visitors can enjoy diverse kinds of recreation, learn about our area’s history,
and appreciate an environment rich in wildlife and natural landscape.
This Legacy Park is of regional importance and interest because of:
Its historical significance-the Lewis & Clark Expedition camped here for six days on their return to the
East in the Spring of 1806.
Its natural setting and wildlife appeal-the site is on the shore of the Columbia River and adjoins the
627-acre Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Its closeness to our urban population centers--Clark County now has more than 345,000 residents.
To develop this regional asset, four local government entities (Clark County, the Cities of Washougal and
Camas, and the Port of Camas/Washougal) formed a new partnership in late 2001 to sponsor and fund the
creation of the master plan. The JD White Company, Inc. of Vancouver, Washington, prepared the $125,000
planning study. The six-month master planning effort was completed successfully on schedule and adopted
unanimously by all four partners on May 30, 2002.
The Partnership
The Captain William Clark Park partners four local public agencies in the creation and support of a common
vision: a true legacy park. Although the site had been envisioned as a potential park for better than 20 years, no
single entity had both the mission and the funding necessary to develop the park. It took a new and visionary
combination to bring the dreaming into reality. As the first step, the partners-Clark County, the Cities of
Washougal and Camas, and the Port of Camas/Washougal-met in early 2002 and subsequently throughout the
sixth-month master planning process to act as the study’s Steering Committee. The effort also called on
environmentalists, recreation user groups, historians, educators, public agencies, and community residents to
craft a park master plan that balances the region’s needs with the natural environment.
Vision for the Park
The development of Captain William Clark Park represents a significant addition to Clark County’s regional
parks, recreation, and open space system. This new regional park will expand the opportunities for residents and
visitors to enjoy the shoreline and will simultaneously preserve the natural systems of the lower Columbia River
environment-all close to Washougal, Camas, and Vancouver. The park will provide unique opportunities for
recreation, historical interpretation, and environmental education.
The parks timely development is a high priority because:
Along the Columbia River-perhaps our area’s greatest natural asset--Clark County has only one regional
park and it is almost 40 minutes away from this site. As our population continues its rapid growth,
Captain William Clark Park is of critical importance to meet our needs for water access and recreation,
especially those in southeast Clark County.
Surveys indicate that recreational camping is increasingly popular, and the Vancouver/Portland
metropolitan area has just a few public campgrounds—the one closet to the park site is at Battle Ground
Lake State Park, about 30 minutes away. Captain William Clark Park will be the first non-state operated
campground in Clark County.
The bicentennial commemoration of the Lewis & Clark Expedition began in early 2003 in Virginia.
Interest in the bicentennial is expected to increase over the next three years. Because the Expedition’s 6day provision camp at Cottonwood Beach is the most significant Clark County bicentennial event, the
park likely will get considerable attention from people following the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Implementing the recommendations of the master plan will help to accommodate the expected demand
from Lewis and Clark tourists who will want to camp at a designated Lewis and Clark campsite.
Project Background
The Captain William Clark project will be developed on approximately 80 acres of property commonly referred
to as Cottonwood Beach. The project site is owned and managed by the Port of Camas/Washougal and is
situated on the northern shoreline of the Columbia River within the city limits of Washougal. Park
improvements also will be made to Washougal’s existing Steamboat Landing City Park and to the dike trail
access easement across property owned by the Pendleton Woolen Mill. The existing Index Street and Port of
Camas/Washougal Industrial Park border the northern edge of the park site.
Used for many years as an informal and undeveloped park, the site lacks adequate restroom facilities, parking,
security, accessibility, and maintenance to meet the needs of the ever-increasing number of users. Many boaters,
campers, picnickers, and trail users frequent the site, especially in the late spring, summer and early fall. Over
recent years, the site has suffered from vandalism and other irresponsible behavior by unauthorized visitors.
Master plan implementation will eliminate these problems, while providing for public use, enjoyment and
access.
The Naming of “Captain William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach”
In early 2001, local historian and Washougal resident Roger Daniels approached the Port of Camas/Washougal
to remind Port Commissioners of the historical significance of a piece of property they owned: an undeveloped
shoreline park in Washougal commonly known as Cottonwood Beach. Based on his research, Daniels informed
the Commissioners that the Lewis and Clark Expedition, on its return trip upriver, established a provision camp
at or near Cottonwood Beach. Their 6-day star (March 31 to April 5, 1806) was their longest camp in the Clark
County area. They used Cottonwood Beach as a base of hunting and exploration along the Washougal, Sandy
and Willamette Rivers. By resolution of the Port Commissioners, on May 14, 2001, Cottonwood Beach became
the “Captain William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach”.
Master Planning Process
The master planning process was structured to provide periodic input and feedback to the planning team as the
concept for the park was developed and refined during a 6-month effort in creative planning. The planning team
worked closely with the Steering Committee to establish the initial concepts, priorities, and guidelines. These
initial park program elements then were discussed with an Advisory Committee and shared at an open house
with the public. This sequence-Steering Committee, Advisory Committee, and Public Open House were
repeated for the master plan alternatives and for the recommended master plan. The master plan benefited from
the direction and guidance of 1) the eight-member Steering Committee of funding partners, 2) the 20-member
Advisory committee, 3) the many people who attend community open houses and commented on the plan and
alternatives, 4) the Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation planning staff, and 5) the master planning consulting
team.
During this 6-month process, the planning team developed three options that described and illustrated a range of
potential development, from minimal and least cost, to more intensive and costly. People who came to the
committee meetings and open houses voted for their choice and the planning team used their comments and
suggestions to create the recommended master plan.
Steering Committee
An Advisory Committee was established early on in the master planning process. This committee included a
diverse range of interests and perspectives. Environmentalists, recreation user groups, public agencies (federal,
state, and local), business and property owners, and local residents were included. This committee held three
meetings with the planning team during the course of the master plan development and provided valuable input
to the planning team and the Steering Committee.
Open House Meetings
Three open houses were held in Washougal during master planning. The planning team solicited community
input about the proposed potential park elements, the three master plan alternatives, and the recommended
master plan.
At the first open house, March 6, 2002 at the Washougal Community Center, the planning team presented its
initial ideas and the input received from the Advisory Committee on potential park elements. The program
elements were used to create three alternative conceptual layouts of the master plan.
The second open house, on April 3, 2002, at the Washougal High School, presented the Preliminary Master
Plan for public review and comment.
The final open house was held on May 1, 2002, at the Port of Camas/Washougal meeting room. The planning
team presented the Recommended Master Plan and received comments and suggestions from interested
community residents.
Partnering and Funding Success
Any master plan will sit on a shelf unless strong community support and financial commitment exist to make
the plan happen. Fortunately, this master plan has benefited from tremendous support and commitment from
many leaders and supporters from Clark County, Washougal and Camas, and the Port of Camas/Washougal.
The master plan has received approval and support from the local level and from two state grant funding
sources. When the four local funding partners unanimously approved the master plan on May 30, 2002, they
also agreed to collectively contribute $1 million towards the development of this park-an amazing financial
commitment, especially in these difficult economic times. Soon thereafter, grant applications were submitted to
the state’s Inter-Agency Committee for Outdoor Recreation for $854,000 and to the Department of Natural
Resources for another $700,000. Both agencies approved the grant requests. In addition, two grants totaling
$20,000 for Lewis and Clark interpretation has been approved by the Natural Park Service under its 2002 Lewis
and Clark Cost Sharing Challenge Grant Program.
Through local, state, and federal partnering efforts, $2.57 million has been raised for this park project.
The master plan provides a solid foundation for the next phases of final park design, permitting, and
construction. The master plan will move the project forward and make the Captain William Clark Park at
Cottonwood Beach a reality for its dedication in 2005 and commemoration of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial
in 2005 and 2006.