Budget Ax is Looming Over Wash. State Parks

These days, it helps to have a sense of humor if you work in the Washington State Parks system. Just ask Mark Shaw.

According to a report in the Columbian, Vancouver, it was last week that Shaw, a park ranger at Paradise Point State Park, received a letter from the state informing him that he’d been promoted. One problem: The same day, he received a phone call telling him he’d likely lose his job.

But Shaw isn’t bitter. He mostly just shrugs it off and smiles. “Promoted and laid off on the same day,” Shaw said. “You’ve got to laugh.”

Shaw’s position is among 160 state parks jobs that will either scale back or evaporate entirely as the agency wrestles with an $11 million funding gap in its current two-year budget. Those cutbacks likely would have been more severe, but the state parks commission dipped into its reserve fund to cover another $4 million.

Clark County’s two state parks won’t escape the budget ax. Paradise Point and Battle Ground Lake State Park both operate with two year-round staff members, but by next year that could drop to just one at each park — leaving only a single park manager to tackle most of a heavy maintenance workload in the winter months. That means trail work, vehicle repairs and cleanup, among other tasks.

The result for parkgoers might be slower response times if they need a ranger or manager, Shaw said. But for parks staff, the cutbacks mean livelihoods in jeopardy, said Jim Presser, Battle Ground Lake park manager, who also acts as an area manager.

“It’s very tough, because there are a lot of rangers that may lose their jobs that have families and careers,” Presser said. “That may be gone.”

State parks system cutbacks have reached all levels of the agency, said department spokeswoman Virginia Painter. The most recent wave of job cuts won’t mean putting 160 people out of work, she said. Many of those positions will become seasonal or part-time, with existing employees taking new assignments largely based on seniority. Some may have to re-apply. But as many as 50 parks workers could lose their jobs entirely, Painter said.

The reductions come as lawmakers in Olympia prepare to close a gaping hole in the state budget. At the same time, the $30-per-year Discover Pass — rolled out last summer as a new requirement aiming to boost funding for state parks — has fallen well short of revenue targets.

The new pass, which took effect July 1, was projected to raise $65 million within two years. But in its first four months, the program collected only $7.2 million, according to the state parks department.

Painter attributed at least some of that to a hasty rollout just weeks after the legislature approved the program earlier this year. When it finally did start, park visitors knew “very little” about the new requirement, she said. And many park rangers were lenient about enforcement at first.

Painter said the department is hoping for better results during the peak season next year, with more people aware of and open to the Discover Pass. A legislative tweak proposed this month could also make the pass transferable between vehicles. A program like the Discover Pass takes time to get fully off the ground, Painter said.

“We’re fairly hopeful that it will build,” she said.

Presser was less optimistic. He said visitor numbers have dropped at Battle Ground Lake since the Discover Pass was introduced, and many of the park’s users have already purchased a 12-month pass, anyway.

Meanwhile, state parks will prepare to absorb cuts Shaw said will make it “almost impossible” for them to function well. He echoed other rangers’ sentiments when he said the system will only end up hurting more.

Painter said the cuts aren’t intended to be a long-term solution. “This isn’t a sustainable approach,” she said. “This is an approach to get us through this time.”

No parks will close under the plan, Painter said. And she noted many of the job cuts and realignments haven’t been finalized just yet. But Shaw isn’t holding his breath. He’s already found a few other job prospects in the region, and remains optimistic that he’ll land on his feet.

“You just have to keep fighting the good fight,” Shaw said.

And that promotion letter? That’s still posted on the wall of the Paradise Point park ranger office.

Discover Pass Yields Funds for Washington Parks

The state of Washington generated $2.9 million for state parks and other public recreation lands during the initial six weeks of Discover Pass sales, state agency chiefs announced Wednesday (Aug. 24).

Officials started requiring the $30 annual pass or $10 day-use pass to park vehicles at recreation lands statewide July 1. The state started selling the passes in June, the Issaquah Press reported.

Don Hoch, Washington State Parks director, said the revenue is crucial to state parks, because the agency must rely on user fees and donations to cover costs. In recent years, the Legislature slashed funding for agencies managing outdoor recreation lands and facilities.

“Public support has been essential as we begin this new program aimed at preserving public access to recreation lands,” he said in a statement. “It’s heartening that Washington citizens are willing to help keep their recreation lands open and operating. And we are optimistic that sales will continue to grow to help fund our state recreation lands.”

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the state Department of Natural Resources also receive a percentage of Discover Pass revenue.

The pass is required for state parks, as well as lands managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources. Users must display the annual or day-use Discover Pass in vehicles’ front windshields or face a $99 fine.

 

Washington Funds Parks with Discover Pass

Summer days spent lounging lakeside at Lake Sammamish State Park or hiking in Tiger Mountain State Forest start to cost most users a fee soon, according to a report in the Issaquah Press.

The cash-strapped state is preparing to debut the Discover Pass on July 1, just as the Fourth of July weekend causes attendance to swell at state parks and recreation lands. The permit is required to park vehicles at state recreation sites and other public lands.

The base price for the annual pass is $30, although consumers should expect to shell out another $5 in fees. The day-use pass — base price: $10 — carries $1.50 in additional fees.

State officials maintain the pass is necessary to avoid closing state parks and other sites to public access, but outdoors enthusiasts said the requirement serves a barrier to parkgoers, and could cause attendance to drop.

The pass is needed for parking access to 7 million acres of state recreation lands under the jurisdiction of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and state Department of Fish and Wildlife. State recreation lands include state parks, boat launches, heritage sites, wildlife and natural areas, campgrounds, trails and trailheads.

Users must display the annual or day-use Discover Pass in vehicles’ front windshields or face a $99 fine. Officials plan to emphasize public education and compliance during the upcoming holiday weekend.

The state is offering the Discover Pass online and at recreational license dealers across the Evergreen State. Still, rangers at Lake Sammamish State Park fielded dozens of phone calls in recent months about the pass. Selling the permit is also causing logistics hassles for park rangers.

Lake Sammamish State Park Ranger Tor Bjorklund said rangers hope to sell the passes at a booth near the park entrance, but because the staff is stretched thin and the booth needs repairs, parkgoers might need to trek off the beaten path to the office to purchase a Discover Pass.

The pass is meant to generate funding to offset deep cuts to land-management agencies and state parks. Officials need to raise about $60 million per year to compensate for the cuts.

“We are optimistic that people will support state parks and recreation lands and buy the Discover Pass,” State Parks Director Don Hoch said in a statement. “Without the pass to support state parks, we would have been closing park gates all over the state.”

“The Discover Pass will help ensure that the beautiful recreation lands of Washington state remain open for all to enjoy,” state Commissioner of Public Land Peter Goldmark said in a statement. “For less than the cost to take the family out to the movies, we can keep popular places such as Mount Si, Capitol State Forest and Ahtanum State Forest open.”

Revenue from pass sales is to be divided among the state land-management agencies: 84% to state parks, 8%  to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and 8% to the Department of Natural Resources.

State lawmakers approved the Discover Pass in late April. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the legislation into law last month.