Cathlamet Strategic Plan

Each Community's journey through the Horizons Program focused on Community Leadership to Reduce Poverty. To view your Community's Stratecic Plan, visit Horizons II Community Information page. Once there, click on your community's link and then on the link for a copy of the Community Strategic Plan.

Paula Carlson Authors a Citizens Handbook

Paula Carlson, the Horizons Steering Committee co-chair, has written a handbook for the citizens of Wahkiakum County. The handbook focuses on how the County budget works. Paula's intent is to inform her neighbors on how their taxes are used to run County Departments and fund County projects.. Simplifying the budget process is essential for citizen involvement in how County services and opportunities are provided.

Donna Beegle Speaks To Cathlamet

On November 29th 2007, Dr. Donna Beegle told her story to a full house. Dr. Beegle's inspiring story moved both young and old. Her thoughts brought into focus the power of the Horizons Community Leadership Program and what folks can do when they seek to build community assets to reduce proverty....

Cathlamet Horizons is gaining a leg up on Poverty Reduction

Value of Local Businesses

Seven Wahkiakum community members, traveled to White Salmon April 15th to learn more on the value of supporting and building local businesses from author Michael Schuman. Schuman is an economist, lawyer and entrepreneur, as well as author of “The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition.” The day included a presentation from Schuman, networking with other rural Southwest Washington communities, and our own community members working together to identify how concepts learned that day would apply in Wahkiakum County. We identified multiple county assets, such as timber, talent and natural beauty; and discussed how we could add value to them locally and create jobs and wealth at home. Future plans from the day include sharing what we learned via conversations with neighbors and perhaps offering a “Buy Local” presentation or workshop locally. For more information on Schuman and “The Small-Mart Revolution, ”go to http://www.small-mart.org/.

This is a community with many flavors in nationality such as Finnish, Indians and Norwegians . Our Indian Heritage and background is very solid and is reflected in the community amongst many of its inhabitants and the county has been named for Chief Wahkiakum. Cathlamet is located 25 miles west of longview, Washington and is a very old town built in the 1880s.

Cathlamet has a very rural and quiet setting and many areas for fishing and hunting but these are not the only assets that Cathlamet does possess, it also has agricultural land that is very fertile for growing a number of produce products and has had a large background in farming. It is situated along the Columbia River bordering the Oregon Coast and is a historical point along the highway leading to the beautiful Lower Columbia Basin.

Doreen Hauser-Lindstrom, Horizons Program Director, visits Cathlamet