The Coalition Receives Award for Work on Parks and Recreation

Kennewick—Washington Recreation and Park Association (WRPA) will announce at an award banquet this evening that the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition is a recipient of an award for its contributions to parks and recreation called the Professional Citation of Merit for Legislative Advocacy.

Founding Co-Chair of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition and former Washington state Governor Mike Lowry will speak and accept the award on behalf of the Coalition tonight at the WRPA award banquet, 7 PM, at the Three Rivers Convention Center, 7016 Grandridge Boulevard, in Kennewick.

About the Coalition
The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition is a non-profit citizens group founded in 1989 by former Governors Dan Evans and Mike Lowry.  The Coalition consists of 135 member organizations representing conservation, business, recreation, hunting, fishing, farming, and community interests. The Coalition is the chief advocate for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, a state grant program created by the Coalition that funds wildlife habitat conservation, parks and farmland preservation projects.

In 2007, the Coalition was successful in its efforts to double the amount of funding available through the WWRP from $50 to $100 million. This represents the largest single investment in parks and wilderness in Washington’s history. In the last seventeen years, the Coalition has secured over $550 million in state funding for 922 projects, spanning over 350,000 acres across the state.

For more information on the award or the Coalition, and for information on a photo opportunity, please contact the Coalition. Visit www.WildlifeRecreation.org and use the “My Backyard” tool to find WWRP projects in your city, county and legislative district. Contact: Jill Wasberg at 206-748-0082.