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DNR releases first statewide recreation plan, asks for public input

Draft plan is open for public review through Nov. 21

Mount Baker can be seen in the distance from the top of Anderson Mountain in early October. The state Department of Natural Resources manages some of the forest land on the Anderson massif, which straddles the Whatcom-Skagit county line. DNR has released a statewide recreation plan that will guide future management and access. (Julia Tellman/Cascadia Daily News)
By Julia Tellman Local News Reporter

The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking for the public’s input on the agency’s first statewide outdoor access and recreation strategic plan.

Recreational visitation on state lands has jumped since COVID-19 — DNR recorded a 21% increase in usage between 2019 and 2020, and those visitors don’t appear to be going anywhere. In response to the increased pressure on the landscape, the agency is in the multi-year process of developing a statewide plan to allow for recreation opportunities while also respecting and protecting natural, cultural and tribal resources.

In addition to managing more visitors, DNR says it is seeing an increase in illegal activities on state land like unsanctioned trail building, dumping, fires, vandalism and other resource damage. Only 18 DNR law enforcement officers patrol 5.6 million acres of state land.

The agency already has adopted 10 landscape-level recreation plans, including the Baker to Bellingham Non-Motorized Recreation Plan that focuses on developing non-motorized recreation opportunities on state-owned parcels in Whatcom County.

The proposed state recreation plan has a much broader scope and includes motorized recreation, special events, hunting, scientific research, educational uses and more. It also, importantly, outlines funding sources for a more robust recreational branch of the department. DNR pieces together its program funding with Discover Pass sales, competitive grants and legislative requests, but the agency is looking for more reliable and consistent streams of revenue in the future.

The plan was drafted under the leadership of Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, but she won’t be the one implementing its strategies — after November’s election someone new will hold the top DNR position. Both candidates running for the office, Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler and Democrat Dave Upthegrove, have said preserving and expanding recreation is one of their top priorities.

DNR will hold three public comment meetings on the recreation plan in October:

Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.

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