Volunteers Needed to Evaluate Grants for Parks, Trails and Boating

News release
OLYMPIA – The state Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) is seeking volunteers to evaluate grant applications that will help decide where the next parks, trails and boat launches will go in the state.  The volunteers will serve on one of eight advisory committees that will evaluate and rank grant requests in the spring and summer of 2014 for all types of recreation around the state. Volunteers with expertise in project design or management, landscape architecture, planning or engineering, permitting or property acquisition especially are encouraged to apply. Volunteers serve four years. Applications are due June 14.

Parks: Nine volunteers are needed to evaluate grant proposals in three different park grant programs.

• One volunteer is needed to evaluate grant requests in the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account  program, which provides money to buy, improve and protect tidelands and shorelines for the public. The volunteer should have recreation and public access interests.
• Two volunteers are needed to evaluate grant applications in the Land and Water Conservation Fund  program, which provides grants to preserve and develop parks, trails and wildlife lands. The volunteers should use parks, trails or wildlife lands. One volunteer should be a citizen and one should work for a local government.
• Six volunteers are needed to evaluate grant proposals in the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, which provides money to buy, develop and renovate lands for the public. When applying, select the online application for Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) – Outdoor Recreation.
• One volunteer should be from a recreational organization or parks board and three should be from local government. These volunteers will evaluate grant applications from state agencies and will serve on the State Lands Development and Renovation Advisory Committee.
• Two volunteers should work for local government and have experience managing parks for a diverse range of recreational activities. These volunteers will evaluate grant applications to buy land, build or improve local parks and will serve on the Local Parks Advisory Committee.

Trails: Seven volunteers are needed to evaluate grant requests in three different trail grant programs.

• One volunteer, who is a back-road recreationist (camper, wildlife watcher, gatherer, etc.) is needed to evaluate grant requests in the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities program, which provides money to help plan, buy land, develop and maintain trails, as well as provide trail education and law enforcement activities.
• One volunteer is needed to evaluate grant requests in the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. (Be sure to select the online application for Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) – Outdoor Recreation when applying.)
• The remaining five volunteers are needed to evaluate grant requests in the Recreational Trails Program, which provides money to help rehabilitate and maintain backcountry trails and amenities. Two volunteers should be citizens, and three should be from trail organizations, one each representing motorcyclists, mountain bikers and non-motorized boaters such as canoe users and kayakers.

Boating: Two volunteers are needed to evaluate grant requests in two programs that provide money to acquire or develop land for boating facilities. One volunteer from eastern Washington, who can represent motorized, recreational boating, and one volunteer who works for a local government are needed to evaluate grant proposals in the Boating Facilities Program and the Boating Infrastructure Grant program. (When applying, select the online application for boating programs.)

To Apply: Submit a completed application and support materials to RCO no later than June 14. Online applications are available.

Information: Contact Lorinda Anderson at 360-902-3009 (TTY: 360-902-1996).

Wish State Parks a happier birthday

By Sarah Krueger, Public Lands Programs Manager

Peshastin Pinnacles.  Photo by Todd Gordon.

Washington is home to an incredibly diverse State Park system – where you can climb the sandstone spires of Peshastin Pinnacles, paddle the dynamic currents of Deception Pass or witness annual eagle migrations along the Skagit River at Rockport.  2013 marks the 100th birthday of Washington State Parks – but there seems to be little to celebrate.  A recent Seattle Times article by Lynda Mapes chronicles the demise of funding for state parks.

Realizing that Discover Pass sales alone won’t keep our parks open, the Washington State Parks Commission requested $27 million in general funding – however both the Senate and the House operating budgets fall short in their requests for the agency ($16.4 and $23.7 million, respectively).  For more about the state budget, see the recent post by volunteer Robert Dengel.

As budget negotiations begin behind closed doors for the coming weeks, the legislature needs to hear from constituents who care about keeping our State Parks open.    Contact your representatives today and ask them to support the House operating budget request of $23.7 million for State Parks.  Send an email through the Washington State Legislature website or call the legislative hotline at 1.800.562.600.  A personal message of support will take five minutes – but can mean millions to our State Parks!

Show Me the Money - State Budget Process Underway

By Robert Dengel, Outdoor Advocate Volunteer

The various legislative budgets are beginning to being submitted. There are two types of budgets: 1) operating (day to day running of an agency) and 2) capital (construction and other development/conservation projects). While none of these initial proposals are likely to be the final budget, they do however begin to show everybody’s initial starting point. To overly generalize the budget proposals, the House Democratic Majority and the Governor are looking to avoid budget cuts by closing tax loopholes and extending taxes set to expire, a move the Senate Majority Coalition (Republicans and two Democrats) are opposed to. Please note that this year the Governor has provided a list of priorities rather than an entire budget proposal. The budgets (and priority list) are an opportunity for each of the major players to show where their priorities are by how much money they provide to an area.  So where does ensuring access and protection to the great outdoors land in the budgets?

State Parks 

The Senate Operating Budget identifies only $16.4 million of general funds in their budget for State Parks, this was done in part by sweeping funds from the Waste Reduction, Recycling and Litter Control Tax. The House Operating Budget, as well as the Governor’s priorities identifies $23.7 million of General Funds for State Parks.  Anything less than $23.7 million is expected to result in the closure of some State Parks, with $27.2 million needed to begin addressing maintenance backlogs, according to the Washington State Parks Commission.  State Parks reliance on state general funds is a result of lower than expected Discover Pass sales. This problem of funding for State Parks is highlighted in a recent story in the Olympian.

On a quick note: two Discover Pass bills which are begin tracked continue to move forward in the legislative process and remain in the House chamber for consideration. SB 5097 (Spouse combined hours) SSB 5289 (Revamps multiple aspect of the Discover Pass, including bulk sales). 

Dept. of Natural Resource and Dept. Fish and Wildlife Managed Lands

Both agencies appear to have received their usual amount of funding in each Senate and House Operating Budget to support recreation on the lands they managed, including funds from the Discover Pass.  

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) 

The House Capital Budget provides $70 million for the WWRP grant program that funds parks and conservation throughout the state, based on a scored project list. The Governor wanted $76 million for WWRP in his priority list. The Senate Capital Budget only provides $40 Million for the WWRP project and did initially adhere to the scored project list. The current version of the Senate Capital Budget as passed out of the Ways and Means Committee does adhere to the project list but does not provide funding to WWRP land acquisition grants. Learn more at Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition.

The Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA)

The ALEA grants exist to protect and enhance aquatic lands, including development of waterfront parks and restoration of estuaries. The House provides $12 million in their Capital Budget, while the Senate provides only $6 million on their Capital Budget. 

More information on the the state budget process can be found in the 2013 Citizen's Guide to the Washington State Budget.  You can view detailed budget proposals at the following links:

House Operating Budget: HB 1057

House Capital Budget: HB 1089

Senate Operating Budget: SB 5034

Senate Capital Budget: SB 5035

Mt. Baker Highway 542 National Forest Service Enhancement Project is open for Your Comments

The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Mt. Baker Ranger District is currently accepting public comments on a Forest Service Decision Memo for a recreation enhancement project along Mt. Baker Highway State Route 542. On this stretch of highway there is a need to improve access, enhance safety, increase resource protection and refurbish and upgrade existing facilities and dispersed recreation sites.

The purpose of this project is to improve visitor experiences by improving access to recreation sites and maintaining facilities and visitor amenities, providing additional interpretive opportunities and materials, increasing motorist and visitor safety, and providing resource protection at dispersed sites.

Background

The Mt. Baker Highway or State Route 542 (SR 542) is a state highway that runs through National Forest System (NFS) lands from the town of Glacier to the end of the road. The highway is designated a scenic highway by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and was designated a National Forest Scenic Byway in 1989. The Scenic Byway is

24 miles in length, beginning at the town of Glacier and terminating at Artist Point in the Heather Meadows Recreation Area. The Glacier Public Service Center, gateway to Mt. Baker, is a heavily used information center that serves over 60,000 visitors annually. Existing interpretive facilities, several built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC), and programs along the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway enhance the quality and broaden the scope of experiences for visitors.

Proposed Action 

A brief description of the nine proposed actions to improve the visitors facilities, services and dispersed recreation sites along the highway are listed here:

A. Design and installation of map/orientation and interpretive signs at existing visitor services sites (e.g., campgrounds, picnic areas, trails) along SR 542

B. Improve visitor facilities (e.g., restrooms, signage, and refurbish interior of buildings) at

Glacier Public Service Center

C. Enhance wildlife viewing opportunities (e.g., signage, spotting scope accessibility, interpretive media development) at a variety of points including Heather Meadows

Visitor Center, Wild Goose Trail, and Artist Point

D. Reconstruct and lengthen an existing user created kayak access trail to the North Fork

Nooksack River to reduce resource impacts (e.g., sedimentation), and improve access and safety for users

E. Improve Shuksan Picnic area

F. Improve site accessibility and recreation facilities at Douglas Fir and Silver Fir campgrounds and Heather Meadows

G. Install rock and log barriers at dispersed recreation sites (e.g., Razor Hone) to prohibit vehicular access and protect natural resources while maintaining snowshoe access

H. Install pedestrian crossing safety signs at road crossings (e.g., Nooksack Nordic Ski Area,

Wild Goose Trail)

I.  Install a CXT outdoor toilet in the existing Heather Meadows Parking

Public Comment Guidelines 

If you choose to comment, please submit your written or electronic comments to Theresa Mathis by April 30, 2013. Comments can be sent by mail or hand delivered to Mt. Baker Ranger District, Attention: Debra Pal, 810 State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284. Comments may also be sent by fax to (360) 856-2632, or by email to comments-pacificnorthwest-mtbaker-snogualmiemtbaker@ fs.fcd.us. Electronic comments must be submitted with the following subject line, "Hwy 542 Enhancement Project", and as part of the actual e-mail message, or in another readable format such as plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), .pdf, or Word (.doc). In cases where no identifiable name is attached to a comment, a verification of identity will be required for appeal eligibility. If using an electronic message, a scanned signature is one way to provide verification. The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

The 30-day public comment period ends April 30th. In order to be eligible to later appeal any decision made regarding the enhancement project a comment must be made during this period.
Please visit the Outdoor Advocates Calendar and use the link provided to add to your calendar.

More information on the project and the preliminary Decision Memo are available at: http://go.usa.gov/y6e

Legislative Update from Olympia

By Robert Dengel, Outdoor Advocate Volunteer

March 13th  marked an important legislative cutoff in Olympia, as bills for had to be passed out of their respective chambers. House Bills had to be passed out of the House, and Senate Bills had to be passed out of the Senate. In my previous post I explained how bill passage was like an antelope migration full of various dangers. So how did the herd of bills of recreation bills do after this cutoff? Well, we have been tracking twenty bills and it is now down to three. The bill herd has been thinned out. Seeing how this cutoff also signaled the half waypoint for the session, the remaining bills a long lonely journey yet to go. You might notice from the summary below there are no House Bills which we were tracking survived the cutoff, with no real reason other than other priorities come to the fore.  

As mentioned in prior posts many of other the Discover Pass and State Parks funding bills will likely remain on hold until the larger operating budget proposals begin moving through the legislature. 

Following are the bills that appear to be heading for survival thus far:

SSB 5057 Prohibits certain private, not-for-profit organizations acquiring real property through state funds (including grants and transfers) from prohibiting or restricting public access for hunting, fishing, trapping, or other outdoor recreation on that property. This bill was amended to allow for limiting public access where it is necessary to protect natural resources and/or cultural resources. The bill is scheduled for a hearing on March 20th in the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources at 8:00 AM

SB 5097 Allows a married couple to pool their volunteer hours (24 hours are required) to obtain a complimentary Discover Pass. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing on March 19th in the House Committee on Community Development, and Housing & Tribal Affairs at 10:00 AM. 

SSB 5289 Allows a Discover Pass holder to display their pass in any prominent location on the vehicle, instead of just their windshield. Exempts those driving on non-gated forest roads managed by the state from needing a Discover Pass.  Language was removed that allowed DFW vehicle pass holders to purchase a Discover Pass for $5. The latest bill language does allow for bulk sales of the Discover Pass to retailers. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing on March 19th in the House Committee on Community Development, and Housing & Tribal Affairs at 10:00 AM.