English Pit no longer ‘viable’ due to increasing development along 192nd Avenue
VANCOUVER – Following a discussion with the Clark County Council, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) announced this week that its shooting range facility will be moving from English Pit to Camp Bonneville, effective Jan. 1, 2021.
The current location of the Sheriff’s English Pit shooting range on Northeast 192nd Avenue has become less viable due to increased development in the area.
CCSO’s second range facility at Camp Bonneville, located in east Clark County is an ideal facility for law enforcement training, due to its rural location. The site of the current firing range is a good distance away from the main gate and homes.
The location also currently serves as a shooting range facility for FBI training. The remainder of the site, which is managed by Clark County Public Works is still closed to the public, though development of a regional park and other outdoor facilities is planned within the next decade..
Camp Bonneville was originally used as a U.S. Army training facility from 1910 until it was decommissioned in 1995. Ownership of the 3,840-acre property was ultimately transferred to Clark County.
The Camp Bonneville reuse plan, approved in 1998 and revised in 2003 and 2005, includes firing ranges in one of nine approved elements. The reuse plan specifically offers the use of the site by CCSO and, if needed, additional range construction when the English Pit range site becomes unavailable due to increased development.
CCSO, FBI and Clark County Public Works are working together to coordinate the move.
While the Sheriff’s firing range at English Pit will be closed, a second firing range on the site will remain open to the public.
For more information, go to the county’s website at https://clark.wa.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/2020-10/101420_CCSOShootingRange_0.pdf.
