[{"_1":2,"_93":-5,"_94":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,73,83],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":-5,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":66,"_70":71,"_72":71},"mediaId",6095121,"mediaKeyId","2840419-5d6e3e884b1aa123b339a0edd48df629","parentId",2840419,"title","Commissioners reassign Columbia Gorge Museum appointment and adjourn meeting","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",5021000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2840419-5d6e3e884b1aa123b339a0edd48df629&start=5021&end=5021","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6095121/Skamania-County/Washington/Commissioners-reassign-Columbia-Gorge-Museum-appointment-and-adjourn-meeting","mediaUrl","author","Skamania County, WA","date","2025-03-18T00:00:00Z","article","During the March 18, 2026 Skamania County commissioners meeting the board approved a change to commissioner assignments and then adjourned.

The board voted to amend the 2025 commissioner assignments by reassigning the Columbia Gorge Museum appointment to Commissioner Licki. The motion was made by Commissioner Brian Nichols and seconded by the commissioner representing District 3 (name given in the meeting only as the District 3 commissioner). The motion carried by voice vote with all commissioners recorded as voting \"aye.\" No commissioners recorded a \"no\" vote.

After the assignment vote, a motion to adjourn the meeting was made and seconded; the board voted and the meeting was adjourned.

","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","Skamania County meeting 03-18-25 PM","oneSentenceSummary","The board voted to reassign the county's Columbia Gorge Museum appointment and subsequently adjourned the March 18, 2026 meeting; both motions passed unanimously.","taxTitle","Skamania County, Washington","taxId",68745,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":74,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":75,"_41":76,"_43":77,"_45":78,"_46":79,"_48":49,"_50":80,"_52":-5,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":81,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":82,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":66,"_70":71,"_72":71},6095125,"Forest Service and county discuss Good Neighbor Authority, plantation thinning and SRS uncertainty",106,1705000,1811000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2840419-5d6e3e884b1aa123b339a0edd48df629&start=1705&end=1811","/articles/6095125/Skamania-County/Washington/Forest-Service-and-county-discuss-Good-Neighbor-Authority-plantation-thinning-and-SRS-uncertainty","Forest Service planning staff told Skamania County commissioners on March 18 that the agency plans environmental decisions and collaborative sales over the coming months, and that the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) has become an important tool for implementing timber and restoration projects.

Mount Adams District and forest-level staff said a decision on the Little White environmental assessment is expected in late spring, and the final plantation-thinning programmatic environmental assessment should be released for public comment in the next month. The plantation-thin EA would cover treatments across existing plantations and creation of fuel breaks adjacent to roads.

\"We have really gotten pretty efficient with using the GNA authority, and implementing sales,\" a Forest Service official said, describing hand-offs in which the Forest Service turns sale administration to the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Why it matters: commissioners and county leaders said they are concerned about revenue flows from federal timber activity. Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding remains in limbo, county officials said, so timber receipts and the distribution of Good Neighbor Authority revenues are a pressing local fiscal issue.

Key points from the briefing

- Little White and plantation-thin EAs: Forest Service staff said the Little White EA decision is expected late this spring. The plantation-thinning programmatic EA will be released for public comment in the coming month and would authorize treatments and fuel-break work along roads and potential control lines.

- Good Neighbor Authority: Staff described success using the GNA to assign sale administration and restoration work to the state DNR. Forest Service speakers said GNA receipts are managed under state accounts and are intended to fund restoration in the area where harvest occurred; county leaders said they want further discussion about how counties receive or share timber receipts when GNA sales replace traditional federal sales.

- SRS and Title II/III concerns: Commissioners requested a county workshop to assess how a possible SRS gap year or changes to Title II and Title III would affect local projects, community partners and the distribution of receipts.

- Northwest Forest Plan and executive orders: Staff said the forest’s current large projects align with a new executive order on timber harvests; the Forest Service will review implications as guidance is finalized. Commissioners and staff discussed the programmatic options being considered for the Northwest Forest Plan and how outcomes could affect harvest levels and fuel-resilience work.

What commissioners asked for

Commissioners asked for a workshop-level briefing covering timber tools, receipts and the potential fiscal impacts to Skamania County if federal funding streams change. Forest Service staff said they would coordinate with county staff and suggested a separate presentation by resource manager Josh Chapman to walk through the plantation-thin proposal.

","Forest Service officials briefed commissioners on upcoming environmental assessments and use of the Good Neighbor Authority; county leaders raised concerns about Secure Rural Schools funding and urged a workshop on timber receipts and fuel‑break strategy.",{"_33":84,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":85,"_41":86,"_43":87,"_45":88,"_46":89,"_48":49,"_50":90,"_52":-5,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":91,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":92,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":66,"_70":71,"_72":71},6095130,"Forest Service says staffing cuts have reduced visitor services; Johnson Ridge road repair targeted for 2026 construction",1185,108000,1293000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2840419-5d6e3e884b1aa123b339a0edd48df629&start=108&end=1293","/articles/6095130/Skamania-County/Washington/Forest-Service-says-staffing-cuts-have-reduced-visitor-services-Johnson-Ridge-road-repair-targeted-for-2026-construction","Mount Saint Helens District Ranger John Gellings told the Skamania County Board of Commissioners on March 18, 2026, that recent federal staff reductions have reduced the district’s capacity to staff visitor centers and support some field operations.

Gellings said the Johnson Ridge Observatory and other visitor services are affected because State Route 504 has been closed since a landslide in May 2023. Staff who normally rotate between Johnson Ridge and the Coldwater Science and Learning Center are currently operating out of the science and learning center while the district and partner organizations create a shared staffing schedule.

The staffing shortage is the immediate operational issue. \"We lost here at Mount Saint Helens 3 of our permanent year round staff,\" Gellings said. He told commissioners the district is also uncertain about several permanent-seasonal hires and that national staffing decisions have created additional hurdles for hiring seasonal and temporary personnel.

Why it matters: reduced visitor-center hours and fewer on-site staff can affect public access, interpretive services and fee collection. Gellings said interpretive services are a requirement under the monument authority the district manages and that fees collected at staffed sites flow into a recreation-fees account the Forest Service can use for future staffing and site maintenance.

Details and local impacts

- Staffing: Gellings said the district had 48 staff at the height of the last summer season. He confirmed the loss of three permanent, year-round positions at Mount Saint Helens: the front-desk position, the front-desk backup and a maintenance position that supported visitor centers. He said the district has roughly five permanent-seasonal non-fire positions under review, and four of those had previously held red-card wildfire qualifications.

- Visitor operations: Because SR 504 remains closed, staff are operating out of the Coldwater Science and Learning Center; the district is working with at least five partners — including Mount Saint Helens Institute and Discover Your Northwest — to build a schedule that could allow seven-day-a-week coverage, but Gellings said the district cannot guarantee that level of service yet.

- Emergency operations and logistics: Commissioners pressed how lost front-desk staff affect wildfire and logistics support. Gellings confirmed some front-desk and interpretive staff held red cards and supported wildfire response or equipment tracking; losing those positions complicates purchasing and equipment logistics but does not mean the district cannot respond to wildfire incidents.

- Facilities and local options: Commissioners asked about using Pine Creek or other local compounds as interim sites. Gellings said Pine Creek is an option under discussion but that the district must balance where to place limited staff and how to maintain required interpretive and fee-collection services. He also discussed coordination with local EMS and sheriff’s offices around using the Pine Creek compound as a hub.

Road repair timeline

Gellings said design and permitting for repairs to the Johnson Ridge access on State Route 504 should be complete this summer. He said contract procurement is expected after design and permitting, with construction slated for summer 2026 and a target window to reopen for public use around the eruption anniversary in May 2027. He cautioned that state funding uncertainty and construction-season limits could affect that schedule.

What’s next

Gellings offered to provide more detailed staffing counts to the commissioners. Commissioners said they will pursue a face-to-face meeting this spring with the Forest Service, local emergency services and other partners to coordinate communications, frequencies and pre-season planning.

","Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams district rangers told Skamania County commissioners that recent federal staffing reductions and the May 2023 State Route 504 washout are limiting visitor-center operations, prompting interim plans using partners and uncertainty about summer coverage.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commissioners reassign Columbia Gorge Museum appointment and adjourn meeting

Forest Service and county discuss Good Neighbor Authority, plantation thinning and SRS uncertainty

Forest Service says staffing cuts have reduced visitor services; Johnson Ridge road repair targeted for 2026 construction