The Mountaineers
Earlier this year, we shared our funding priorities for state lands and outdoor programs (along with information about how our state budget is created). In a few short weeks, the final state budget will be on the desk of the Governor to sign. In the current proposal, state lands are underfunded, and we need you to advocate for better support for these places and recreational opportunities.
Concerns with the current Senate budget:
- The Senate budget takes $1 million from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources's (DNR) Discover Pass revenues and redirects them to the state’s general fund. In large part, the Discover Pass was created to help fund recreational access to state lands. This budget diverts the funds we - as recreationists - pay via purchasing the Discover Pass to support recreational infrastructure.
- The current proposal would further shrink DNR’s budget, making closures to recreation sites on DNR lands likely. Since 2008, DNR has closed 30 recreation sites due to lack of funding.
- The Senate budget leaves Washington State Parks $5 million short, without the needed funds to provide the experiences its visitors expect.
The proposed budget puts our state land agencies at major risk of having to close recreation sites and operate with inadequate maintenance resources and staff. As Washington State’s population grows, more people are spending time outdoors and funding for state public lands needs to reflect this increasing demand.
With that in mind, we're asking you to write your state lawmakers and let them know that funding for our state public lands is critically important. Our state's public lands are chronically underfunded, and we cannot afford to make this shortfall even worse.
Tell your state legislators about the importance of investing in state land management agencies so that our state lands can stay open, accessible, and properly maintained.
