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Wind River Trust outlines restoration, tourism and nursery plan for historic Wind River site; seeks partnership with county
Summary
Wind River Trust presented a phased plan to restore buildings, start a nursery and develop low-impact visitor amenities at the historic Wind River site; the trust said it holds a 10-year lease on two buildings and is seeking cooperative investment and permits with the county and federal partners.
The Wind River Trust told Skamania County commissioners on March 25 that it is pursuing a phased program to rehabilitate the historic nursery and ranger-house area at Wind River and to create revenue through a combination of nursery production, low-impact camping, vacation rentals and educational programming.
"We're calling this historic Wind River," Jeff DeBell, vice president of Wind River Trust, said during a presentation that walked the board through photos of the site, historic nursery fields and early community events. The trust currently holds a 10-year lease on two buildings and a 2.7-acre corner of a historic field, DeBell said.
Trust board members said the county-conveyed property includes a cluster of Civilian Conservation Corps-era buildings and an arboretum with historic plantings. The trust described three potential revenue lines: a native-plant nursery that can produce seed and container stock, small-scale vacation rentals and events in rehabilitated buildings, and recreational and educational experiences that would attract more overnight visitors to the corridor.
DeBell framed the lease as a public-private partnership tool. "The lease provides a mechanism where we transfer revenue that is collected to the county," he said, adding that the trust and county can "turn a dial" between returning revenue to the county and reinvesting proceeds into site improvements.
Since the trust took occupancy it has focused on building repairs, volunteer rehabilitation of the ranger's house and weekend visitor information efforts. DeBell told the board the trust has also coordinated tree work funded by an urban forestry grant and small plant sales with Underwood Conservation District as a pilot retail test.
Trust leaders requested continued partnership with county staff on permitting, visitor services and design for parking and restrooms; they also flagged the need to coordinate with the U.S. Forest Service, which retains property and infrastructure in nearby fields and controls some road access and water rights.
Next steps the trust proposed include a more detailed site plan, cooperative grant applications and further coordination with county public-works staff for infrastructure and permitting.
