State Senators, Representatives Highlight the Importance of Outdoor Recreation Economy Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition Wednesday, February 18, 2015 Olympia, WA - The Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition, a 501 (c)(6) umbrella organization made up of several dozen individual organizations and state natural resource agencies, will be in the State Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 24, for its third Annual Rally Day to highlight the importance of outdoor recreation to our state. The Rally Day will include a press event featuring legislative leaders speaking about the economic impact of outdoor recreation and its role in the state budget process. Read more
Guest: Our state parks are heavily used but underfunded Seattle Times - Published January 27, 2015 Friday, February 13, 2015 State parks get 33 million visitors a year, yet funding cuts have them operating with “bailing wire and duct tape,” write guest columnists John R. Floberg, Mark O. Brown and Jim van Loben Sels. STATE parks need everyone’s support this legislative session. Years of underfunding and layoffs have left the state with one of the most awesome park systems in the country that is held together, as Gov. Jay Inslee says, “by bailing wire and duct tape.” The equivalent of 200 positions out of 595 at state parks were lost in the recession, and the condition and hours of operation for park facilities have continued to decline. Read more
Washington State Parks - Legislative Update By Daniel Farber, Policy and Governmental Affairs Director Monday, January 26, 2015 The legislative session is of course off and running and a number of State Parks-related bills are already being considered. See the links below for a summary of the most significant bills and the basic analysis of each bill by State Parks staff. You can read any of the bills by going to http://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ and typing in the bill number in the block provided. If you have any questions or comments on the bills, feel free to contact me at any time and I’ll be happy to provide you whatever information I can and hear any thoughts you have about each bill. Read more
Outdoor Recreation in Washington Generates $21.6 Billion Each Year The Olympian Monday, January 26, 2015 Washingtonians love to play outdoors, especially in local parks and public waters. That is the basic conclusion of a report released earlier this month that studied the effect outdoor recreation has on the state’s economy. The study was done for the State Recreation and Conservation Office by Earth Economics in Tacoma. Requested by state Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas Island), this is the first comprehensive look at the state’s recreational economy. Read more
Veteran of Idaho Wildlife Agency Named to Lead Washington's Fish and Wildlife Department The Olympian Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Jim Unsworth, who has spent more than 30 years with Idaho’s wildife agency, was chosen Saturday to head Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. The 57-year-old Unsworth, who has been the deputy director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, was chosen from four finalists by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission. The commission had interviewed eight candidates to take over for Phil Anderson, who announced in August he was resigning. Read more