February 10, 2010
Hi, folks:
My last email message of February 5 covered a couple of recreation-related topics, including a legislative update on the recreation legislation requested by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This message is to further update you and address some of the rumors or concerns I’ve heard regarding the legislation.
As is typical at this point in the legislative process, bills are undergoing review, hearings, and language revisions and are subject to change. This is certainly the case with DNR’s requested recreation legislation, which adopts some of the policy recommendations from the Sustainable Recreation Work Group.
As you may recall, both the Senate and the House were considering the same bill language. This week, the Senate version (SB 6237) didn’t make it through the fiscal committee cutoff period, so this version will not advance any further.
However, the House version, SHB 2480, is still alive—but with changes. Highlights of the changes:
- Due to the cost of developing access fees through a public rule-making process, the legislation now sets the fee structure: $5 for a one-time parking pass; $10 per night for camping; $20 annual access pass (parking and camping); a flat $200 administrative fee for events, etc.
- Establishes specific guidelines for how many volunteer hours to accrue (50) before providing a free annual pass. And, it defines how many volunteer hours (1,000) a club must accrue before the club can host events for free on DNR-managed lands.
- Removes the concessionaire pilot project.
- Revises the conditions of the multiagency pass.
I’ve been hearing from many of you with questions about what these changes mean, for example:
Q. Will winter recreationists be double charged by having to buy a Sno-Park permit AND a DNR access pass?
A. We do not want people to be double charged. We will work to get clarification in the bill language.
Q. If I have an ORV tab, do I need an access pass?
A. Yes, you will still need an access pass. The access fees will go toward keeping facilities open that are in danger of being closed or will return services to areas where we had to make reductions. The ORV tab fees do not come directly to DNR. These funds go to Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) for the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Account (NOVA) grant program.RCO administers the grants, and DNR must apply for these grants and compete with other state agencies for the funding. NOVA grant funding pays for enforcement and education programs, and construction and maintenance.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you’ve had or rumors you’ve been hearing.
To stay current with the legislation, I recommend you follow the progress of HB 2480 on the legislative web site at:
http://tinyurl.com/ylho5ba.
If you didn’t get my last email, you can download it from DNR’s Website at:
http://tinyurl.com/y92gjxa
Mark R. Mauren
Assistant Division Manager
Recreation, Public Access and WCC Programs
Asset Management and Recreation Division
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
360-902-1047
[email protected]