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Demand for State Funding for Conservation at Record Breaking Levels this Year
Coalition Receives WRPA Award for Legislative Work
The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition is a recipient of
an award from the Washington Recreation and Park Association for its
contributions to protecting and creating parks and outdoor recreation
areas in the state. The award is the Professional Citation of Merit for Legislative Advocacy.
Survey says Washingtonians find Recreation Areas Crowded and Far from Home
The RCO surveyed Washingtonians about their participation in outdoor recreation and found that activities like walking and biking are the most popular, and people need more safe places to do this close to home.
Sports are second in popularity, with many different sports competing for scarce facilities... continued
Legislature Protects 10 Farms
Farms include:
Peoples Ranch, Snohomish County - $750,000
Glendale Farm, Jefferson County - $546,737
Ebey's Reserve Farmland - Engle, Island County - $750,000
Terry's Berries Farm, Pierce County - $291,370
Orting Valley Farms, Pierce County - $750,000
Willie Greens Organic Farm, Snohomish County - $78,210
Rattlesnake Hills Working Rangelands, Yakima County - $576,650
Useless Bay East Farmland, Island County - $500,000
Crown-S Ranch Farmland, Okanogan County - $213,750
Biderbost Farm, Snohomish County - $280,710
In 2005, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition got the legislature to pass an amendment to expand the WWRP grant program to help cities and counties preserve farmland. The farms are valuable for what they produce, while serving as habitat, buffers against urban expansion, and as a filter for clean water.
Join us for our 2nd Annual Breakfast!
Save the date for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition's breakfast on Tuesday, September 16. Please contact Jill Wasberg if you would like to be a table captain or sponsor.
Coalition Doubles State Funds for New Parks, Wildlife Habitat & Farmland
The legislature's 2007 - 2009 budget includes the state's largest investment in parks and natural areas in Washington's history. Governor Gregoire signed a two-year capital construction budget that increases funding for Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) grants to $100 million. This wrapped up the Coalition's successful campaign to fund 142 projects around the state.
- Outdoor Recreation - $36M for 68 state and local parks, trails and shorelines.
- Habitat Conservation - $36M for 32 natural areas, urban and critical habitat and land stewardship.
- Riparian Habitat Protection - $19M for acquisition or restoration of 22 marine and fresh-water habitat areas.
- Farmland Preservation - $9M for conservation or restoration of 20 working farms. This is the first state funding for a farmland preservation program!
- Puget Sound
- Of the 142 funded projects, thirty-three help protect or restore the
Sound. They total $21M and leverage $30M more in local matching funds.
Inflation and real estate prices had eroded the WWRP's buying power. Funding for the program had been around $50 million a biennium since the Coalition persuaded the legislature to establish it in 1990.
The Capital Budget had solid bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, but House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) and Representative Bill Fromhold (D-Vancouver) were early champions of $100M.
WWRP Projects in Your Backyard
Use the "My Backyard" feature at the top right of this page to see
what projects were funded in your city, county or legislative district.
What is the WWRP?
The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) is a state grant program that funds new parks, wildlife habitat and working farms. Use this site to learn about your favorite outdoor places and thank your legislators for protecting them!