Facing a budget deficit, legislators cut funding for state parks and recreation lands

Washington state’s legislative session ended on March 12. Facing a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, budget writers made difficult decisions, including cuts to funding for the upkeep and care of our state parks and other state recreation lands.

Starting in 2022, Washington State Parks, Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Natural Resources received $15 million annually ($5 million for each agency) for the maintenance of their lands.

Maintenance funding cares for our state lands and keeps them open and safe to visit. Photo of Millersylvania State Park by Jenny Genge.

• What does maintenance funding do?
• This funding makes on-the-ground improvements to trails, roads, parking lots, bathrooms, campgrounds and more — keeping people and the lands they visit safe. 

This was a win for everyone who loves the outdoors, as the funding began to take care of much-needed maintenance on our state lands — a backlog of projects with price tags totalling hundreds of millions of dollars. 

For the past 2 years, our state has faced a budget deficit. During last year’s legislative session, state lands maintenance funding was cut by 25%. This year, it was cut again. Funding is now about $9.5 million annually (for the three agencies combined), less than two-thirds of the original $15 million.

(Note: This new reduction in funding will come into effect during the state’s fiscal year starting in July.)

We don’t yet know specifics of what these cuts will mean for our state public lands, but we imagine you’ll see impacts.

While last year’s maintenance funding cut was originally one-time, this year’s budget has reduced the funding ongoing, so this lower level will continue in coming years. 

Every year, we rally hikers and partners to speak up for state lands

We are deeply grateful to the 960 hikers who sent over 4,500 emails to your state legislators last month, asking to preserve funding for our state’s outdoor places. We are also grateful to the more than a dozen outdoor organizations who joined WTA in writing to lawmakers and the governor about the importance of this funding. 

Though the result is not what we’d hoped for, we know that these messages build the case for the importance of our state’s outdoor places over time.

Ninety percent of Washington residents hike, walk or use a mobility device on trails. All those people need well-maintained trails and lands to be able to get outside safely. 

WTA’s staff, volunteers, members and advocates will continue to build the future we want for our state, where public lands get the funding and care they need and where everyone has safe access to nature.

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WTA wants a budget that supports public lands, people’s health and our state’s economy

WTA will work every year to get our state public lands the funding they need because:

• From Deception Pass to Tiger Mountain to Mount Spokane, state lands are some of our best places for getting outside. 
• Washington residents’ mental and physical health depends on access to the outdoors, as does the health of our state’s economy. 
• State land management agencies are tasked with stewarding these places for the public good. For years, we’ve heard that they don’t have the funding they need to do that.

From coasts to mountains, state parks, forests and other state lands are some of our favorite places to get outside. Photo of Griffiths-Priday State Park by Katie Kauffman.