One of the things most missing in my opinion in this beautiful gem of the PNW that we live in is areas to legally take our dogs off leash. A conveniently located dog park would be a start and a great asset to our community. It would serve as both a safe place for dogs to socialize and get exercise, but also for us humans to engage with fellow Camas residents. I've met many dog owners in the area who have told me their dog(s) have never played with any other animals. This type of socialization really benefits dogs and provides them with an outlet to engage and behave like the pack animals they are.
Additionally, the benefits of having dedicated off-leash trails is a vital part of healthy dog ownership. Dogs that frequent off leash trails behave better around other dogs and humans, it is safer and easier for both dogs and owners to hike/walk if they are not tethered to each other. The benefit here is also that those that don't want to walk/hike around off leash dogs or have young children around dogs or are simply afraid of dogs will know what trails they should and should not use.
Washington overall seems to be a very non-friendly dog state and I firmly believe we can do better, at least in Camas. There are countless trails in Camas and we could easily designate 2 or 3 for this purpose. I would love to know if these ideas are supported by others in our community. Thanks for listening :)
Carolyn Kjerting
Great ideas Carolyn and I'll be happy to bring things like this up in meetings whenever I'm able.
For those that don't know, I'm actually a newly elected member of the Camas Parks and Recreation Commission.
Meetings are regularly held on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 5pm in City Hall (I know that 5pm timing is a bummer for regular working folks, hoping we get that changed eventually).
That said, all board/commission meetings (not clear on council meetings) are cancelled for the time being. In normal conditions, it would be great for you and any like-minded friends to attend meetings in person and share great ideas like this with the commission through public comment.
So, back to your question, before this unique moment in the world the commission actually was discussing the idea of a dog park in Camas. No firm details or location, but the general concept was being discussed. If you have any specific ideas on locations or amenities, I'd love to take them back to the commission for discussion. Did find this reference from 2019 about a partnership for development of a dog park in fern prarie - not sure where that stands though?
On the trails idea, I don't recall specific discussions this year, but again that's a great thing to come and address the council with, especially if you have specifics.
To anyone reading along, please feel free to drop a message to me in a post or a private message if you have any parks and recreation concerns that you're having trouble getting addressed through normal channels.
I do this work for your families and mine and it's easiest when you reach out and share. Camas can be as great as we want it to be. We have great people, great resources and we pay some of the highest taxes in the area :)