Federal Funding

Mount Adams in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. By David Hogan.

Washington state is home to three national parks and six million acres of national forest land.  Trails traverse high country meadows, deep river valleys and high desert country all over the state.  Many of these trails have been used for thousands of years by Native Americans as trading routes or paths to hunting grounds.  Others are old mine-to-market or timber cruising routes.  Still others are more recently built, expressly to provide public recreation opportunities.

This legacy is crumbling in too many places due to a combination of long-term neglect by Congress, which has never adequately funded the national forest system’s recreation needs, and recent damage from severe weather and fires have only exacerbated the problem.

Washington Trails Association's Position

WTA works actively with our congressional representatives and senators to ensure that the U.S. Congress:

• Adequately funds national forest recreation for both ongoing maintenance, large capital projects, and backlog maintenance.
• Turns back attempts to raid recreation programs to pay for firefighting.
• Returns the recreation fee program to its initial purpose—preserving trail opportunities rather than heavy recreation facility development.

What You Can Do

Please write your Member of Congress and both of Washington’s Senators and let them know how much you care about our trails and forests.  Go to the Action Center for more information on how to write your legislators and how to get more deeply involved.