Lacamas Prairie Natural Area

Lacamas Prairie Natural Area
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Coordinates	45°38′33″N122°27′31″W / 45.6425°N 122.4586°W / 45.6425; -122.4586
Area	211 acres (85 ha)
Established	1974
Owner	Washington Department of Natural Resources
Website	https://dnr.wa.gov/natural-areas/natural-area-preserves/lacamas-prairie-natural-area

Lacamas Prairie Natural Area is a Washington Natural Area in Clark County, Washington. It encompasses the 211 combined acres of Lacamas Prairie Natural Area Preserve and Lacamas Prairie Natural Resources Conservation Area. ^[1]

The natural area serves to protect the Willamette Valley wet prairie ecosystem, as well as the Oregon white oak and Oregon ash forests surrounding the prairie. ^[1]

Conservation

Lacamas Prairie Natural Area is administered by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR aims to conserve the total 1,622 acres of prairie in the area. In addition to the DNR owned lands, 244 acres are owned and protected by Clark County, and an additional 14 are owned by Columbia Land Trust. The remaining land is privately owned. Between 2019 and 2021, DNR was granted $6.3 million by the state of Washington for the purposes of land acquisition and stewardship for Lacamas Prairie. ^[2]

DNR periodically performs prescribed burns to maintain the prairie ecosystem and reduce populations of invasive species. ^[3]

Ecology

The prairie is home to one of the largest known populations of the endangered Bradshaw's lomatium. ^[1] It is the location of one of only five known populations of tall western penstemon, and represents the sole population in Washington. ^[4] Other sensitive species of the prairie include Oregon coyote-thistle, Hall's aster, dense sedge, Nuttall's quillwort, and small-flowered trillium. ^[1]

References

1. "Lacamas Prairie Natural Area". Washington Department of Natural Resources.
2. Middlewood, Erin (May 10, 2022). "Lacamas Prairie slowly returning to life". The Columbian. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
3. Phiel, Shari (June 16, 2025). "Prescribed burn at Lacamas Prairie Natural Area part of larger plan to protect against wildfires". The Columbian.
4. Read, Quinn; Clinch, Jason (December 3, 2020). Petition To List The Tall Western Penstemon (Penstemon hesperius) Under The Endangered Species Act And Concurrently Designate Critical Habitat (PDF). Center For Biological Diversity/Native Plant Society of Oregon. p. 11. Retrieved June 27, 2025.