Advocacy in the Blog
Current issues affecting trails and hikers.
Current issues affecting trails and hikers.
- Open House for Accessible Trails
- To better inform people with disabilities about what to expect of a trail in Oregon and in SW Washington, a committee called Access Recreation is in the process of developing guidelines so that land managers can provide useful information to users with disabilities to better decide if a particular trail or a portion of that is suitable for them.
- Last Chance To Comment On Suiattle Repairs!
- If you haven't commented on the Suiattle River Road Repair Environmental Assessment (EA), now is the time! The closing date for comments is tomorrow, and if you care about this area you should make sure your voice is heard.
- Discover Pass: Now Transferable
- Today, Governor Gregoire signed HB 2373, which makes the Discover Pass transferable between two vehicles. An emergency clause in the legislation makes it take effect immediately and makes it retroactive. It also creates a new $50 universally transferable pass.
- Federal Judge Orders Removal Of Green Mountain Lookout
- On March 27, Federal District Judge John Coughenor ordered that the recently restored Green Mountain Lookout be removed.
- Suiattle Road Environmental Assessment Released
- Landslides in 2003 and 2006 have closed 11 miles of the Suiattle River Road (FR 26) to hikers and campers wishing to access the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Now more than 8 years after the road was damaged, an Environmental Assessment has been published, kicking off a 30-day public comment period.
- WTA in the Other Washington
- WTA Executive Director Karen Daubert and board member Jeff Chapman visited Washington's congressional delegation in Washington, DC last week, stressing the importance of the Recreation Trails Program and park and forest funding.
- Senate Passes Discover Pass Transferability Bill
- Today, the state Senate passed a striking amendment that made changes to the House-passed Discover Pass legislation - inching the transferability bill closer to final passage.
- Discover Pass Bill Passes House
- The Discover Pass bill that would allow for transferability between two vehicles, HB 2372, has passed the state House of Representatives.
- Repairs to Index-Galena Road Delayed
- Repairs to Snohomish County's Index-Galena Road have been put on hold while the county and Federal Highway Administration perform a full Environmental Assessment on the remainder of the the project.
- WTA Meeting Elected Officials in Washington, DC this Week
- WTA's Executive Director, Karen Daubert, and board member, Jeff Chapman are in Washington, DC meeting with our state's elected officials this week advocating on behalf of the Recreation Trails Program, which helps fund critical trail maintenance projects in Washington and other states.
- Act Now To Help Protect Trails!
- The Recreation Trails Program (RTP) - the grant program in the federal transportation funding bill that provides essential support for trail maintenance all over Washington state - is in jeopardy and we need you to call your senators to support an amendment that would restore RTP to the Senate bill (MAP-21).
- DNR Starts Planning For Snoqualmie Corridor
- The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has kicked off its recreation planning process for the Snoqualmie Corridor. A 12-member planning committee will help inform the decision-making process and is currently taking applications.
- Trails Activists Hike in Olympia Today
- Program that Helps Fund Volunteer Vacations on the Chopping Block
- Dueling federal Surface Transportation Funding bills create uncertainly for the Recreation Trails Program that helps fund Washington Trails Association's Volunteer Vacations, Backcountry Response Teams and Youth trail work.
- SB 5977 Passes Senate!
- SP 5977, the bill that would allow two license plates to share a Discover Pass, passed the Washington State Senate by a vote of 44-0 on January 27, 2012.
- The Impacts of Ranger Layoffs
- In the week between Christmas and New Year's, 83 Washington State Parks rangers were handed pink slips in the first wave of layoffs spurred by agency revenue shortfalls. Maintaining and patrolling State Parks in the absence of full-time rangers will be a major challenge in the coming year.
- Planning For The Future Of Recreation in the Snoqualmie Corridor
- The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is launching a planning process that will culminate in a plan to manage DNR recreation, conservation and trust lands. This is a great opportunity to get involved the long-term outlook for some of our most prized hiking lands!
- State Legislative Session Kicks off Today
- Special Session Adjourns
- The Washington State legislature adjourned its special session during the hearing that was taking up vehicle transferability for the Discover Pass. We expect that this bill will move in 2012.
- Legislation Would Make Discover Pass Transferable Between Vehicles
- Senator Kevin Ranker has introduced a bill that would allow each purchaser of a Discover Pass to use it on two vehicles, effective immediately. The legislation applies to current pass holders as well as future ones.
