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STATE PARKS — With the governor’s budget proposal leaving now General Fund money for Washington State Parks and Recreation, officials have called a special meeting for Wednesday, 10 a.m., at parks headquarters in Olympia.
The agenda includes discussion of the plan to merge parks and rec with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Recreation Conservation Office into a mega-agency called the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Consolidation could eliminate the citizen commissions and relegate them to advisory status, while a single director of the new agency would report to the governor.
The governor’s budget also proposes removing General Fund tax support from the State Parks budget, which would force the agency to raise operating revenue through user-based fees.
Currently, most fees are paid by the 7 percent of visitors who camp and stay at overnight lodgings in state parks.
Under the proposed system, the public might have to shell out $5 or $10 just to enter a state park.
Public comment can be sent by e-mail to public.information@parks.wa.gov.
News, field reports and insights on the Great Outdoors.
Rich Landers – hunter, animal lover, hiker, paddler, angler, naturalist and conservationist – has been covering the outdoors beat for more than three decades. His versatility and field research as a trails and waterways guidebook author help him connect issues to a wide range of interests.
Rich Landers writes, photographs, and gathers information for a wide range of Outdoors coverage, with a special feature package in the Sunday Sports section. Landers' outdoors column runs Thursdays in the Sports section.
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sierras49 on December 25 at 7:26 a.m.
I would be happy to pay for a yearly entry pass to help State Parks. Mt. Spokane, Riverside State Park and Little Spokane Natural Area provide close to city outdoor recreation very valuable to Spokane.