At a time of changing theories in fish and wildlife management and conservation and the funding thereof, Washington Governor Jay Inslee has a new senior natural resource policy advisor and hunters and anglers as well as close watchers of WDFW and its oversight commission should take notice.

The state legislative session has just come to an end, and WTA is excited to celebrate game-changing wins. With the help of hikers, partner advocates, and legislative champions like Rep. Cindy Ryu and Sen. T’wina Nobles, both WTA-led budget proposals were fully funded in the 2022 operating budget. This is a huge win for the outdoors and those who care for and recreate on public lands. WTA focused on two key goals this session: securing $15 million in annual funding ($5 million per agency) for maintenance needs on recreation lands managed by Washington State Parks, Department of Natural Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife and creating more opportunities in the outdoor recreation industry for underrepresented communities through a pilot program between WTA and Washington State Parks.

With a short session, we are focused on engaging on the highest priorities amongst members of our coalition and the Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition community. This legislative agenda reflects the platform of Big Tent's members. We hope that the legislature will consider the following policy priorities as it works to pass bills and a supplemental budgets during the 2022 legislative session.

Washington State’s Recreation and Conservation Office is asking people to help determine how funding should be spent by taking a survey about what kind of outdoor recreation they do. The State is updating its statewide recreation and conservation plan, which includes a state trails plan, to unlock grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This federal fund provides $6 million to Washington State to build parks and trails and to conserve wild areas.

As April drew to a close, the Zoom squares of the weekly Big Tent policy call were full of smiles. Advocates were thrilled to see strong support for outdoor recreation during the 2021 Washington State Legislative session. After a roller coaster of a year where we expected budget cuts to outdoor programs, the strong support for outdoor recreation was a welcome surprise. Legislators clearly saw the need to invest in outdoor recreation and education following the pandemic, and as a result, our priorities saw near record support.

Join for a celebration of the outdoor recreation community’s resilience and successes during legislative session. We’ll salute those who have driven our community forward and enjoy an evening with each other and those working hard to support our outdoor spaces. And hang around for some trivia, prizes, and a night away from the hustle of quick zoom check-ins. [2021 Sponsor Fact Sheet] Free to attend. Save the date and [R.S.V.P. HERE.]

More than 50 people attended the first meeting of the Outdoor Recreation Caucus, hosted by Representative Andrew Barkis, and held via Microsoft Teams, but moving to a Zoom platform for future meetings. The Caucus meets weekly during session on Thursdays at 7 a.m. so that stakeholders can share emerging information on active legislation. On the agenda this week was a welcome and introduction to the 2021 Caucus and review and discussion of the Bill Report. Contact Wendy Brown, Policy Director/Legislative Liaison, Recreation & Conservation Office to join the notification distribution list.

The Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition is hosting weekly policy calls open to all interested to inform and answer questions about pending and emerging legislation impacting outdoor recreation. Calls are scheduled weekly on Fridays from 8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., January 15 - end of April: Join Zoom Meeting: https://redbarncommunications.zoom.us/j/86820688671 / Meeting ID: 868 2068 8671 or by phone: 1 253 215 8782.  The zoom and call information stay the same throughout session.