I am an avid horsewoman, living less than one-quarter mile from Riverside State Park. I seldom park there. I happily rushed out and bought a Discover Pass anyway.

Without the money from the pass, we all stand to lose access to 7 million acres of prime recreational land. Think beyond “I hardly go there” or “Why should I have to pay to use a public park?” You breathe the air that is made cleaner by all the open green area. Your property values are increased by having these resources close to home. You’re preserving pristine lands for your grandchildren.

Back to the money issue. I pay $1,800 annually in property taxes. I save all of that in fuel. We can easily save $30 a year for the pass by giving up 10 lattes, four packs of cigarettes, or five six-packs of beer.

Buy the pass even if you don’t use it often. Multiple cars? If you can afford the cars, you can afford the pass. Do you use the same license on all cars? Please support our parks. If we lose them they are gone forever.

Sheryl Blake

Spokane