Vancouver, WA – With spring in the air, it is a great time to head outdoors. Clark County has many recreational sites, including scenic properties and habitat conservation areas within the Legacy Lands program. To encourage visits, Clark County will feature areas open to the public while celebrating the program’s 30th anniversary this year. Two events will showcase Legacy Lands this month: • Salmon Creek Greenway, 1112 N.E. 117th St.: More than three miles of paved and nature trails provide excellent wildlife and bird watching opportunities.

Vancouver, WA – Clark County residents will have ample opportunity to safely dispose of household hazardous waste and other materials during nine free collection events.

Residents can drop off household hazardous waste, including pesticides, paints, solvents, thinners, motor oils and cleaners. Block foam, electronic equipment, old tires without rims, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioning units and scrap metal also will be accepted.

In addition, each event will partner with local food banks to collect nonperishable food donations.

STEVE is an acronym for Signal Timing, Evaluation, Verification and Enhancement. It is a project to collect data to further refine and improve signal timing and coordination on the county’s busiest streets. The Board of County Councilors today accepted a $920,000 federal grant to build upon the county’s ongoing traffic signal optimization program. Clark County will provide the remaining 20 percent of the project’s estimated $1.15 million cost. The grant will be administered by the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council.

Doug Lasher, Clark County Treasurer, announced that first-installment 2015 property tax statements have been mailed. Property tax statements include property tax levy amounts, special assessments, and certain fees. There were 94,852 statements mailed, 73,846 postcards mailed for those taxpayers whose mortgage company pays their taxes, and 881 e-statements sent.

Vancouver, WA – The Board of County Councilors will hold a work session at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 11 to discuss rural options in the ongoing effort to update the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan. The work session will be open to the public on the sixth floor of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. Three alternatives are included in an environmental analysis nearing completion. The councilors are considering whether to expand the environmental study to cover a fourth alternative introduced during a work session last week. The fourth alternative has not been finalized.

Vancouver, WA – Age-friendly housing will be the topic of a Tuesday, Feb. 17, meeting of the Commission on Aging. The meeting will be 4:30-6 p.m. in the sixth-floor hearing room of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. It is open to the public, and a chance for Clark County residents to share concerns about needs of local residents. Speakers will be Howard and Sharon Johnson, co-founders of the nonprofit Age-Friendly Innovators, which teaches building professionals and homeowners about aging in place.

Vancouver, WA – The Board of County Councilors will hold a work session at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, to discuss an additional alternative analysis as part of the environmental review for the state-mandated Comprehensive Growth Management Plan update. The work session will be open to the public on the sixth floor of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. Four open houses on the scope of the environmental review were held in August 2014, and the board approved three alternatives the following month. Two open houses to provide more detail on the alternatives were held in October 2014.

Vancouver, WA – The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office is taking applications for at least four retail fireworks permits to be assigned by lottery Friday, Feb. 13. Fireworks cannot be sold in Clark County without a permit. Four permits will be issued through the lottery and more could become available if they are not retained by current holders, said Fire Marshal Jon Dunaway. Applications for the permit lottery can be obtained at the Fire Marshal’s Office, 505 N.W. 179th St., Ridgefield or on the county website.

Vancouver, WA – Up to $3 million in federal funds will be used to improve pedestrian and cyclist access to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Last summer, Clark County and the city of Ridgefield jointly applied for funding to improve Northwest Main Avenue, from 300 feet inside the city limits north to the wildlife refuge headquarters at 28908 N.W. Main Ave. Western Federal Lands Highway Division, part of the U.S.