Do you value our state parks? I suspect the answer is yes.
If I’m correct, and you’re one of the millions of Washingtonians who love to hike, camp, fish or take our families to local state parks, you should pay close attention to what’s happening in Olympia.
The budget proposed by Senate Republicans would devastate our parks. They’d never be the same again.
This potential apocalypse for our parks isn’t getting much attention in the press, because reporters are focused on the bigger budget standoff about how to fully fund public schools and universities. Education is an issue that affects almost everyone in the state, and the spending figures being tossed around are in the billions, with a capital B.
That’s an attention-getter. And it should be. But an unfortunate effect of the spotlight shining so brightly in one place is that some other important things might easily be overlooked. We fear that’s the case with the drastic differences in how the two operating-budget proposals — House and Senate — treat our state parks.
The contrast couldn’t be more glaring.
The operating budget proposed by the Democrats in the House attempts to reverse, or at least arrest, the serious and regrettable damage suffered by our state parks during the Great Recession. The House appropriates $29 million in state funding during the coming two years for the parks system. In the Senate, that number is about $16 million — $16 million for more than 100 parks covering 120,000 acres.
The Republican budget would eliminate more than 100 full-time jobs, leaving a severely reduced workforce to keep our parks pristine and safe for more than 40 million visitors a year.
Washingtonians are outdoor people and our state parks system is an integral part of our economy and our history. We love to hike and to camp. We’re birdwatchers and we’re anglers. So whether you’re climbing to the top of Mount Pilchuck or gazing at the magnificent Wallace Falls, you understand the importance and the legacy of our state parks system. We need our state parks to be open and accessible to all Washingtonians.
The parks suffered, like most of us, during the Great Recession. Lawmakers from both parties passed budgets that focused on the bare essentials of government, because we had no choice. Some parks were shuttered and at others, the hours of operation were reduced. The Legislature looked for other sources of funding for the parks, including day-use fees and the Discovery Pass. All the while, the quality of life represented by our state parks was taking body blows.
Today, although Washington’s economy is vastly improved, we’re certainly not back to where we want to be. But our parks are in critical condition, and to ignore them — or worse, to inflict even more damage — is unconscionable. The $29 million that House Democrats have set aside amounts to less than a tenth of a percent of the operating budget, a small price to pay to preserve an asset that is so valuable to Washington families and to our state’s economy.
The Legislature is currently in a special session to negotiate a compromise state operating budget. If you want Washington’s state parks to recover from the damage done in recent years and remain open and accessible, now is the time to contact your state lawmakers and tell them to reject a budget that treats our state parks as disposal rather than indispensable.
State Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, represents the 21st Legislative District.
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