Simcoe Mountains Unit Management Plan

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Photo by Alan Bauer

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and partners are developing a draft management plan for the Simcoe Mountains Unit, located in the Klickitat Wildlife Area, to ensure long-term protection of fish and wildlife habitat within a working lands framework.

Reference the draft plan. Learn more in our recent news release. 

Coordinated Resource Management process 

The draft plan is a result of a Coordinated Resource Management (CRM) process, which launched in 2016 and involves a broad spectrum of state, federal, tribal, county, and private entities in a long-term partnership for land management in the unit. CRM participants include the Eastern and Central Klickitat Conservation Districts, Yakama Nation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Klickitat County, Western Pacific Timber, Columbia Land Trust, WDFW, grazing permittees, neighboring landowners, and representatives of local outdoor recreation partners. Anyone is welcome to participate in the CRM process at any time.

The CRM planning process was designed to provide a collaborative approach to the development of an adaptive property management plan that considers outdoor recreation; fish and wildlife habitat and management; hydrology; cultural resources; infrastructure and working lands, including grazing and forestry. The plan will help to guide public access and outdoor recreation, habitat enhancements, and forest and range management, among other elements, for the Simcoe Unit. The plan will be an addendum to the Klickitat Wildlife Area Plan, which is updated every 10 years.

Public meeting

To inform the development of the finalized plan, WDFW and CRM participants held two public meetings to share information about the draft plan and take feedback. 

Public feedback 

WDFW accepted public feedback on the draft plan in winter 2023. Reference our comment responses (PDF) for more information. 

In addition to this public review, a future environmental review of the draft plan will provide additional opportunities for public involvement. 

The Simcoe Mountains Unit consists of about 10,314 acres of working forest and rangeland. It’s managed through the CRM process to ensure long-term protection of fish and wildlife habitat within a working lands framework. Located in eastern Klickitat County southeast of Mount Adams, the unit provides a matrix of habitat, including conifer forests and mixed pine-oak woodlands, that benefit fish and wildlife.