Mt. Fitzherbert

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. - The Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center near this southwest Washington volcano will close permanently on Nov. 5, Gifford Pinchot National Forest officials said Friday.

The closure is designed to "meet the goal of delivering visitor services across the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument," according to a news release.

In addition, the Forest Service will transfer its Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Gifford Pinchot officials said that transfer would be the culmination of a "more than six-year partnership between the two agencies."