We've got flyers ready to be printed and handed out!
Email us at savewashparks@gmail.com and we'll send you a pdf.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Save Washington State Parks
Our state parks are vital not only to quality of life, but local communities whose economies rely on the parks' tourism revenue.
Washington State Parks has been asked to prepare a budget that includes more than $23 million in reductions, approximately 30% of its total budget.
The list of State Parks at risk has now grown to over 40, with 32 more added to the original 15 to be closed, mothballed or transferred. A park you love is almost certainly on the list:
http://tinyurl.com/closingparks (list current as of March 5)
(a list and map of all WA State Parks on the chopping block - includes Ft. Ebey, Ft. Casey, Larrabee, Ft. Flagler, Illahee, Millersylvania, Mount Spokane, Peace Arch, Saltwater, St. Edward, Flaming Geyser, Lake Wenatchee and many other parks with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year)
Camp Moran Environmental Learning Center on Orcas Island is also on the list, but not specifically named in the proposal.
What you can do:
1. Send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions, succinctly, to:
Your district's state senator:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Senators/
Your district's state legislator:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
Governor Gregoire: http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/
The Director of State Parks: rex.derr@parks.wa.gov or:
PO Box 42650 Olympia, WA 98504-2650. The main office phone number for state parks is 360-902-8500.
Please read the Park District's initiatives for 2013 and keep their goals in mind when formulating your legislative letter.
http://www.parks.wa.gov/Centennial2013/
2. Pass this blog's URL along to friends and family who live in Washington, love the outdoors, or appreciate inexpensive recreation.
3. Post this blog's URL on relevant pages - other facebook groups, online newspaper articles, hiking blogs, to help get the word out.
Park closures happened in Illinois, and it will happen in Washington unless citizens take action:
http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/09/05/illinois-forced-to-close-11-state-parks-and-25-historical-landmarks/
The State Parks Commission will not make any final decisions until the Legislature approves a 2009-11 budget.
The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn April 26, and a special meeting of the commission will be called a week or two afterward.
That's at least 7 weeks to make a difference.
Washington State Parks has been asked to prepare a budget that includes more than $23 million in reductions, approximately 30% of its total budget.
The list of State Parks at risk has now grown to over 40, with 32 more added to the original 15 to be closed, mothballed or transferred. A park you love is almost certainly on the list:
http://tinyurl.com/closingparks (list current as of March 5)
(a list and map of all WA State Parks on the chopping block - includes Ft. Ebey, Ft. Casey, Larrabee, Ft. Flagler, Illahee, Millersylvania, Mount Spokane, Peace Arch, Saltwater, St. Edward, Flaming Geyser, Lake Wenatchee and many other parks with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year)
Camp Moran Environmental Learning Center on Orcas Island is also on the list, but not specifically named in the proposal.
What you can do:
1. Send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions, succinctly, to:
Your district's state senator:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Senators/
Your district's state legislator:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
Governor Gregoire: http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/
The Director of State Parks: rex.derr@parks.wa.gov or:
PO Box 42650 Olympia, WA 98504-2650. The main office phone number for state parks is 360-902-8500.
Please read the Park District's initiatives for 2013 and keep their goals in mind when formulating your legislative letter.
http://www.parks.wa.gov/Centennial2013/
2. Pass this blog's URL along to friends and family who live in Washington, love the outdoors, or appreciate inexpensive recreation.
3. Post this blog's URL on relevant pages - other facebook groups, online newspaper articles, hiking blogs, to help get the word out.
Park closures happened in Illinois, and it will happen in Washington unless citizens take action:
http://skinnymoose.com/adventurist/2008/09/05/illinois-forced-to-close-11-state-parks-and-25-historical-landmarks/
The State Parks Commission will not make any final decisions until the Legislature approves a 2009-11 budget.
The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn April 26, and a special meeting of the commission will be called a week or two afterward.
That's at least 7 weeks to make a difference.
Save WA State Parks petition
TO:
Mr. Rex Derr, Director of Washington State Parks
Governor Christine Gregoire
All Members of the Washington State Senate
All Members of the Washington House of Representatives
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED OF WASHINGTON, formally state our objection and solutions to any proposed closing or mothballing of any or all Washington State Parks. The Washington State Parks slated for closure or mothballing serve over 9 million visitors annually and provide unique recreational, historical, ecological and economical value to the people and communities they serve. Closure or mothballing would also create public safety issues, the prevention and management of which creates a strain on local, county and state police.
Value of our State Parks:
Recreational: Washington State Parks encourage individual and community quality of life by providing an array of outdoor opportunities, including boating, camping, running, diving, fishing, kayaking, kite flying, rock climbing, picnicking, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, wind surfing and paragliding. State Parks additionally serve as gateways to the exploration of nature, both for young families and outdoor novices, instilling a lifetime of outdoor appreciation and stewardship.
Ecological: Washington State Parks support a variety of fish, plant and wildlife habitats, including those of threatened species. The careful management and regular monitoring of these areas by park staff ensures continued preservation of these resources and protects the health of our state’s lands and waterways.
Historical: Parks on the closure and mothballing list feature elements of historical value, including lighthouses, military installations, interpretive centers and archeological sites, whose maintenance and conservation will lapse, and possibly never recover if they were to close either permanently or temporarily.
Economical: Washington State Parks are world-class destinations for both in and out-of-state visitors who wish to explore Washington’s uncommon outdoor offerings and cultural history. During their visits, State Park tourists inject millions of tax dollars into the state’s economy through purchases of food, lodging and fuel. Studies in California found that that for every $1 invested by the state in the park system, $2.35 in revenues were returned to the state’s general fund, largely in the form of economic activity in local markets.
Public Health and Safety Concerns Associated with Closures:
The termination of park maintenance resulting from mothballing or closure will cause a myriad of public safety issues, including increased vandalism of both state and private property, a rise in assaults on visitors and the creation of havens for drug activity. Law enforcement expenditures from local, county and state police forces will skyrocket, in order to replicate the patrols and regulation previously handled by park rangers.
Solutions:
We suggest that instead of closing (either temporarily or permanently), mothballing, or transferring ownership and management of any Washington State Park that the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the State of Washington explore other options for generating revenue for Washington State Parks, such as:
A Day Use Fee: 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. Any new fee regime at the state level should be nominal, and should 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 one cent for every $1,000 of assessed value.
Excise Tax: A 0.5% 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.
We believe that State Parks are an opportunity, not a burden, and that temporary financial challenges are insufficient rationale for depriving millions of citizens of low-cost recreational opportunities and destroying the fragile environments of public lands.
Respectfully,
THE UNDERSIGNED
Mr. Rex Derr, Director of Washington State Parks
Governor Christine Gregoire
All Members of the Washington State Senate
All Members of the Washington House of Representatives
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED OF WASHINGTON, formally state our objection and solutions to any proposed closing or mothballing of any or all Washington State Parks. The Washington State Parks slated for closure or mothballing serve over 9 million visitors annually and provide unique recreational, historical, ecological and economical value to the people and communities they serve. Closure or mothballing would also create public safety issues, the prevention and management of which creates a strain on local, county and state police.
Value of our State Parks:
Recreational: Washington State Parks encourage individual and community quality of life by providing an array of outdoor opportunities, including boating, camping, running, diving, fishing, kayaking, kite flying, rock climbing, picnicking, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, wind surfing and paragliding. State Parks additionally serve as gateways to the exploration of nature, both for young families and outdoor novices, instilling a lifetime of outdoor appreciation and stewardship.
Ecological: Washington State Parks support a variety of fish, plant and wildlife habitats, including those of threatened species. The careful management and regular monitoring of these areas by park staff ensures continued preservation of these resources and protects the health of our state’s lands and waterways.
Historical: Parks on the closure and mothballing list feature elements of historical value, including lighthouses, military installations, interpretive centers and archeological sites, whose maintenance and conservation will lapse, and possibly never recover if they were to close either permanently or temporarily.
Economical: Washington State Parks are world-class destinations for both in and out-of-state visitors who wish to explore Washington’s uncommon outdoor offerings and cultural history. During their visits, State Park tourists inject millions of tax dollars into the state’s economy through purchases of food, lodging and fuel. Studies in California found that that for every $1 invested by the state in the park system, $2.35 in revenues were returned to the state’s general fund, largely in the form of economic activity in local markets.
Public Health and Safety Concerns Associated with Closures:
The termination of park maintenance resulting from mothballing or closure will cause a myriad of public safety issues, including increased vandalism of both state and private property, a rise in assaults on visitors and the creation of havens for drug activity. Law enforcement expenditures from local, county and state police forces will skyrocket, in order to replicate the patrols and regulation previously handled by park rangers.
Solutions:
We suggest that instead of closing (either temporarily or permanently), mothballing, or transferring ownership and management of any Washington State Park that the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the State of Washington explore other options for generating revenue for Washington State Parks, such as:
A Day Use Fee: 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. Any new fee regime at the state level should be nominal, and should 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 one cent for every $1,000 of assessed value.
Excise Tax: A 0.5% 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.
We believe that State Parks are an opportunity, not a burden, and that temporary financial challenges are insufficient rationale for depriving millions of citizens of low-cost recreational opportunities and destroying the fragile environments of public lands.
Respectfully,
THE UNDERSIGNED
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