A Great Blue Heron stalking chum salmon fry left this footprint at Potlatch State Park. This park on Hood Canal -- and other parks with access to Puget Sound beaches -- are in danger of closing.
I don't want to talk politics too much -- if at all -- on this blog, but this is a special case.
The state of Washington's whopping $9 billion budget shortfall has put many state parks with precious public access to Puget Sound beaches -- yeah, the beaches we anglers use while pestering sea-run cutthroat trout and coho salmon -- in danger of closing. State Parks faces a $23 million budget cut!
These state parks with Puget Sound beaches are on the chopping block:
Tolmie State Park
Kopachuck State Park
Jarrell Cove State Park
Dash Point State Park
Potlatch State Park
Joemma Beach State Park
All of these parks offer wonderful fishing for sea-run cutthroat trout and coho salmon. They also offer public access to Puget Sound beaches. Most of Puget Sound's hundreds of miles of beaches are privately owned.
There is, happily, hope for a better solution. The Washington Legislature has proposed putting an opt-out box on vehicle license tab renewal forms. People paying for their tabs would have to check a box to NOT pay an additional $5 -- which would go directly to state parks.
The current form has an opt-in box, which means that people have to check the box to pay the additional $5 for state parks.
Yeah, I know. It is tedious and and a little obnoxious to have to go through all this. But this seems to be the only way to keep about 40 state parks open. And $5 is less than 2 cents a day over the course of a year.
To put this is perspective, here are things that cost more than $5: A movie ticket, a soda and popcorn at the movies, two gallons of milk, three gallons of gas, A Big Mac Meal at McDonald's, a cup of fancy coffee and a pastry at Starbucks, two boxes of breakfast cereal, parking in Seattle for a day and the list can go on and on.
Now is a good time to call the state of Washington's Legislative hotline -- 1-800-562-6000 -- and tell lawmakers that you're willing to pay $5 a year to keep our parks open. Budget wizards say the $5 fee could raise $28 million a year for parks -- and keep our parks open.
I worry that closed parks will suffer vandalism and decay -- and whether the state will ever find the money to open them again. State Parks gets dribs and drabs from the state budget even in good economic times.
Times are tough. A lot of people are out of work, and others -- myself included -- have taken pay and benefit cuts. But these are the times when we most need the inexpensive, healthy outdoor trips that more than 120 state parks offer.
For the record, I don't work for Washington State Parks or state government.
And, if you surf, beachcomb, surf fish or just love camping steps away from a beautiful Northwest beach, know that Twin Harbors State Park is also on the block. I camp at Twin Harbors when I'm surfing Westport.
In addition, we can all help Washington State Parks right now. I logged onto the Washington State Parks Foundation website on Monday and donated $20 to State Parks. I guess I was trying to walk my talk.
Anyway, donations -- of any amount -- tell the Legislature that we love our parks -- and the cash goes directly to park operations.
All this is not about being liberal or conservative or any other political stance.
It's about keeping state parks open to the public. It's about keeping the few remaining public Puget Sound beaches open to the public. And it's about taking care of beautiful places -- that just happen to offer free outdoor recreation during hard times.
Thanks for listening.
