State Funding
Washington Trails Association advocates for state funding of hiking trails at the state level.
- Little Greider Lake. By Bob Cofer.
Funding the places that we hike is vital to their preservation. Yet funding issues go beyond the reach of the federal budget. Many hikers don’t realize that some of their favorite places to hike are managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
DNR manages most of their land to provide revenue for new school construction. That means timber and tideland harvest, as well as agricultural uses. But some special landscapes of ecological and scenic importance are protected as Natural Area Preserves (NAP) and Natural Resource Conservation Areas (NRCA). From Greider Lakes and Gothic Basin to Table Mountain in Southwest Washington, these NRCA lands provide scenic hikes that are every bit as wild and beautiful as national forest hikes.
Washington Trails Association's Position
Like national forest lands, these areas have been historically underfunded. During the 2007 legislative session, WTA convinced the budget committees in the House and Senate to double funding for new trail and facility development on these lands.
In the 2008 session, the state legislature must finish the job by appropriating $2.4 million to pay for trail stewards on these critical DNR lands. Trail stewards will be an important interface between DNR and the many recreation organizations like WTA who volunteer on public lands.
How You Can Help:
Please go to the Action Center to find out how you can get more involved in WTA’s advocacy efforts and help increase these critical funds for DNR.
