Securing the Future of Washington's State Parks

WTA Looks for Solutions

 Some of Washington’s most iconic places are on the chopping block. If you’ve driven up the Columbia Gorge, you’ve no doubt seen Beacon Rock anchoring the north side of the river. Likewise, Wallace Falls is a constant veil of white in the foothills as you travel along Highway 2. Mount Spokane, Lake Wenatchee, Flaming Geyser, and many more are also on the list. 
Facing an $8.5 billion gap in the 2009-10 biennial budget, the Governor’s office has asked Washington State Parks to plan for a nearly 25 percent budget cut.  After a great deal of analysis, State Parks staff suggested “mothballing”—or temporarily closing—between 25 and 35 parks.  You can find a full list here. 
WTA is deeply saddened by this prospect, and if these closures comes to pass, we’d like to make sure that mothballed parks don’t fall prey to vandalism and other illegal activities and that park buildings and trails don’t deteriorate as a result of our rainy, windy northwest weather. We’re asking the legislature to set aside nominal, but important, funds to support law enforcement and maintenance for mothballed parks.
While it is highly unlikely that State Parks will emerge from this session unscathed, a crisis like this can be an opportunity. With the right action today, we can lay the groundwork to place State Parks on stable budget footing in the long run.  Specifically, our state parks need a dedicated and predictable source of funding to protect them from the inevitable cycles of our state and federal economy.

Wallace Falls State Park is one of the approximately 30 parks around the state being considered for closure.

You can help by contacting your state representatives and senator and urge them to pass legislation that will raise new, dedicated revenue for parks. The legislature should examine options for funding parks, including:

• A Parking Fee: Charging a fee for day use could generate significant funds to begin reopening some of the most heavily used parks. Formerly, parking fees netted about $8.5 million per year for State Parks. While previous legislation authorizing fees resulted in a temporary lapse in visitors, after a short period people began to return to their parks. The same dynamic played out on National Forests after the implementation of the Recreation Fee Demonstration program. Any new fee regime at the state level must be nominal, and must include a statewide annual pass, as well as provisions that reward members of the public who volunteer for two days on state park lands with an annual pass.
  

• Penny for Parks: Senator Mary Margaret Haugen has proposed directing a portion of the state’s property tax to State Parks. According to SJR 8216, Washington citizens would be assessed an one cent for every $1,000 of assessed value.
• Excise Tax: A 0.5 percent excise tax on registrations for recreation vehicles in Washington, similar to programs in place for boats and snowmobiles, could generate roughly $40 million each biennium for State Parks and Department of Natural Resources lands.
• Motor Vehicle Tab Fee Revenue:  Members of the State House are considering attaching a fee--say $5--to tab fee renewals.  Those who did not want to pay the fee could opt-out, presumably at the point of renewing.  State legislators considering this idea calculate that a 40% fee-compliance rate could fill the State Parks budget gap.
  

All of these options will have to go before voters, so they could be difficult to move forward.  But unless we start talking about them now, we face the very real prospect of long-term closure of many of our favorite parks.
Please take a moment today to contact your legislators. Let them know that you appreciate the very difficult situation that the state is in, but stress the need to start working now on a long-term solution for park funding. You can find your state elected officials here. Please don’t hesitate to contact WTA advocacy director Jonathan Guzzo at (206) 625-1367 or by e-mail  if you have questions, concerns or thoughts you’d like to share.