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.
This legacy is crumbling in too many places due 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.
In February 2010 the Obama Administration proposed cutting the Forest Trails line item by $2.3 million, from $85.4 million to $83.1 million. This may sound like a small cut, but Forest Service recreation has suffered from years of neglect, and the agency is in a deep hole that it is only beginning to dig itself out of. A cut like this could be a major setback for the Forest Service and the trails they manage.
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.
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