Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center and Fish Hatchery

The Columbia Spring Environmental Education Center is an 82-acre facility located on the site of the Vancouver Trout Hatchery on the banks of the Columbia River. When the hatchery was slated to close because of budget cuts in 1997, Clark Public Utilities and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife partnered to keep the facility open and start the environmental education center. Evergeen School District, the City of Vancouver, Clark County, and Clark College have joined in to advance the Center’s mission 'to engage the community in environmental education within an historically significant urban setting.' The Center works closely with local schools on education programs for kindergarten through college age students. They offer activities on-site and in the classroom. Its interpretive displays, self-guided nature walk, bird blinds, and working fish hatchery are also open to the public. Volunteers are encouraged to help with invasive species removal, native species planting, and trail maintenance on monthly Stewardship Saturdays.