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. 

Olympic Wilderness Plan in Development

By Lisa Miller, Public Lands Programs Intern


The Olympic Wilderness of Olympic National Park consists of rugged and remote mountains, lush rainforest valleys, and wild, roadless coastline. Olympic is also one of the most popular wilderness destinations in North America, with nearly 40,000 overnight wilderness visitors each year. Olympic National Park is beginning the initial scoping to develop a Olympic National Park Wilderness Stewardship Plan.

Park staff have been travelling around Western Washington holding public meetings to answer questions and accept  comments from the public. All those interested in the management, conservation and protection of one of the most popular wilderness areas in America are highly encouraged to participate. By stopping in at a public meeting or open house to ask questions or to fill out the questionnaire about what is important to you truly emphasizes how we all play a role in the future of the many resources within the Olympic National Park (ONP).

The meeting I went to in downtown Seattle was held in a small conference room at the flagship REI store, how appropriate. I almost picked up a guide book for my next visit to the Olympic Peninsula. This meeting was set up in an open-house format; newly appointed ONP Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum greeted us at the door with a warm smile and a handshake. New to the Pacific Northwest, but not the Park Service, Creachbaum is happy to hear about personal values, and ideas of the park. She even enjoyed a few photos of the Elwha River from a fellow kayaker.

A small television played a 4-minute loop about the Wilderness Act and the goals of the Wilderness Stewardship Plan. Around the edges of the room were a dozen or so displays highlighting goals and steps of the planning process, goals of the plan, and prompting questions one should ask themselves about why ONP is important to them, including:
1. What makes the Olympic National Park wilderness area special to you and why?
2. When you visit the Olympic National Park wilderness area, what activities and experiences are most important to you?
3. What do you think the issues are in the Olympic National Park wilderness area?
4. Imagine you are visiting the Olympic National Park wilderness area 20 years from now. What conditions, experiences, visitor services, and facilities would you like to see?


Available to answer questions or just talk about your love of the park were two more staff members, having the opportunity to chat with each of them helps bring the process to a truly public setting.  As I am also learning more about the policies and planning processes that take place to manage public lands I found this setting to be very relaxed, comfortable and informative. Taking an active role is the only way to have a voice and be a part of the final decision. In the end if I have not done my part then I will not have a fair reason to critique the final Wilderness Stewardship Plan. Share your thoughts and protect what is important to you in the wilderness of Olympic National Par during the Wilderness Stewardship Plan Update.

Olympia Update

By Robert Dengel, Outdoor Advocate Volunteer

Photo by Han van Hoof @photopedia

The Washington State Legislature has been actively moving bills through their respective committees. This last Friday (March 1st) marked an important legislative cutoff, as bills for had to be passed out of their respective committees. The process of passing a bill into law is similar to a large migration of antelope. First, not every bill is going to make it out alive, as many will die along the way at different points. Second, many of those bills that do make it out alive are changed as the legislature amends them.

Multiple bills were able to make the cutoff and continue on with the migration that is the legislative process. Please note that many of the Discover Pass and State Parks funding bills will likely be put on hold until the larger operating budget proposals begin moving through the legislature. Some of the bills that did not pass out of committees contain elements that are considered necessary to implement the budget (i.e. bills related to the Discover Pass) may still resurrect themselves.  Following are the bills that appear to be heading for survival thus far:

SSB 5054 Requires increased legislative oversight of recreation and habitat lands acquired by state agencies. After being passed out of its second committee it goes to the Rules Committee to be considered for the floor of the Senate.

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. After being passed out of its committee it goes to the Rules Committee to be considered for the floor of the Senate.

SB 5097 Allows a married couple to pool their volunteer hours (24 hours are required) to obtain a complimentary Discover Pass.  The bill was passed out of the Senate and is currently in the House Committee on Community Development and Housing & Tribal Affairs with a hearing scheduled for March 6th.

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. Allows DFW vehicle pass holders to purchase a Discover Pass for $5. After being passed out of committee it goes to the Rules Committee to be considered for the floor of the Senate.

SHB 1632 Creates a new vehicle tag for wheeled all terrain vehicles (certain types of 4x4s). Funds from the new tags goes into account to pay for ORV education and enforcement programs. . ORVs are allowed to operate on rural roads so long as the vehicle meets a number of safety requirements and drive no faster than 35 mph. The bill was amended to a require that ORV riders under the age 16 years must be supervised by an adult who is within a reasonable distance at all times. After being passed out of its committee it goes to the Rules Committee to be considered for the floor of the House.

HB 1704 Requires notices to local jurisdiction when State Parks takes
action to acquire, develop or close a park. After being passed out of its second committee it goes to the Rules Committee to be considered for the floor of the House.

To track these bills, I recommend using the Washington State Legislature bill tracking tool.