Washington State's Outdoor Recreation Economy Generates

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Malcom Dunston’s handshake is a bone-crusher. The strapping 19-year-old works full-time at CSR Marine in Ballard and has climbed the ranks of the boatyard since he was hired the same day he turned 18. “Last year, I started out and I cleaned boats and took out the trash, and now I paint bottoms of boats,” said Dunston. Proudly wearing his CRS white (okay, white with dirt and stray paint) coverall uniform with his name emblazoned on it, Dunston sat down recently to talk about his background, his current position and his long-term plans. “Some of my friends were in jail for murder, and some were in college playing sports. I’m not sure where I was going to go after high school, but the CSR job meant that I have a way to build upon something I love to do, which is to work with my hands and to hopefully make a lot of money doing it,” he said.

From mountaintops to kayaks, the Pacific Northwest is heaven for outdoor enthusiasts. That bounty means there is no shortage of outdoor stories.This year, those stories ranged from the inspiring to the concerning. Stories published in The Spokesman-Review’s outdoor sections highlighted the brilliance of human adventure and dove into the politics and details of environmental policy, conservation and wildlife management. Below is a recap of some of the year’s most important stories starting with everyone’s favorite subject: recreation.

Hello to all Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition members! Thank you for your participation to-date in the Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition! In a short amount of time, your organization has had tremendous results and we are just getting started. As we look ahead to 2019, the Coalition’s priorities are in place and we are ready for the Legislature to get back in session on January 14. You can bet that our board members will be there throughout the intricacies of their budget process, popping our head up from time to time to remind them of our $20 billion sector.

Governor Inslee released his budget, which includes $115 million in funding for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP). His proposal is a huge step toward meeting the outdoor recreation and conservation needs of our growing state. The WWRP, funded through the capital construction budget, is the state’s premier grant program for habitat conservation and outdoor recreation opportunities. The program has played a significant role in our state’s landscape and quality of life, investing over $1.4 billion into state and local parks, trails, wildlife habitat, working lands, and other community priorities across the state.