Document Actions
Demand for state funding for conservation at record breaking levels this year
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Contact: Jill Wasberg, 206-748-0082, Jill@WildlifeRecreation.org
Seattle—A record breaking total of $272 million in requests and 370 applications has been submitted to the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) for funding next legislative session. The WWRP is a state grant program that funds parks, wildlife habitat and farmland preservation projects throughout the state. In the last two-year cycle, the WWRP received 234 applications totaling $154 million. In the 2004 cycle, there were just were just 122 applications totaling $86 million, according to the Recreation and Conservation Office, the state agency that administers the grants.
With $100 million available to fund $272 million worth of project applications, the ranking process will result in the highest quality projects in each category receiving funding. In 2007, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition was the driving force in getting the legislature to double funding for WWRP grants from $50 to $100 million. This funding contributed to 142 projects around the state, such as local parks projects like Lake Union Park in Seattle, salmon and wildlife habitat restoration projects and projects that preserve farms threatened by development.
Grantees are determined by a competitive ranking process in eleven separate categories. The current applications and requested amounts are as follows:
| WWRP Category |
Applications | $ Amount Requested* |
At $100 Million |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Parks |
123 | 39,756,127 | 10,476,000 |
| State Parks |
11 | 21,865,760 | 10,476,000 |
| Trails | 51 | 39,417,832 |
6,984,000 |
| Water Access |
36 | 26,012,594 | 5,238,000 |
| State Lands Dev |
16 | 3,952,681 | 1,746,000 |
| Critical Habitat |
18 | 50,350,737 | 13,968,000 |
| Natural Areas |
11 | 20,935,248 | 10,476,000 |
| Urban Wildlife Habitat |
18 | 18,436,567 | 6,984,000 |
| State Land Restoration |
31 | 5,199,783 | 3,492,000 |
| Farmland Preservation |
21 | 15,419,083 | 8,730,000 |
| Riparian Habitat |
34 | 30,884,850 | 18,430,000 |
*Numbers are preliminary. Applicants can revise their proposals before evaluations that take place throughout the summer.
“We believe the demand for WWRP funding will continue to grow as the state population increases. Population growth means more development, which if left unchecked, will encroach on the parks where our kids play and on valuable wildlife habitat,” said Joanna Grist, Executive Director of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, which is the chief advocate of the WWRP. “The increasing demand for WWRP funding clearly demonstrates the need to maintain $100 million or more for the program so we can preserve our quality of life.”
News of record breaking numbers broke on the WWRP application deadline on May 1, 2008. The state Recreation and Conservation Office will evaluate the applications over the summer and release a ranked list in late September. This list goes before the governor for approval and then to the legislature for funding in the 2009 session.
The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition leverages public funding for parks, trails and working farms. In the 2007 legislative session, the Coalition was the driving force behind doubling the appropriation for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) to $100 million. The WWRP is a government grant program that funds park, wildlife habitat and farmland preservation projects throughout Washington. This victory represents the largest single investment in parks and green space in state history and funds 142 projects all over the state.