FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE: Sen Andy Hill joins board of Wildlife and Recreation Coalition
May 10, 2012Seattle--Last Wednesday, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition board unanimously approved three new board members to their ranks, including local Senator Andy Hill (R-Kirkland). The new members bring expertise and unparalleled commitment to the Coalition’s mission to secure public funding for parks, wildlife habitat and working farms across the state. Since 2004, Peter has served as a managing principal for Parametrix, environmental and engineering consulting firm. He also serves as vice chairman of the Bothell planning commission, an alumni of Leadership Kitsap and past member of the Fairchild AFB Restoration Advisory Committee. He and his wife Terrie are proud parents and grandparents and routinely enjoy hiking in the Cascades and Olympic Mountains.
“I am pleased to begin working with the WWRC as I have continually been impressed with their overall mission and longstanding history of moving important projects forward,” said Hill. “The organization’s dedication to maintaining, improving and fighting for our parks, trails and farmlands helps ensure the sustainability and usability of these features that make Washington such a great place to live.”
The Coalition’s 59 directors and eight ex-officio members represent a unique partnership between diverse interests. Through the Coalition, businesses like REI, Boeing and the Washington Realtors work hand in hand with nonprofit groups like the Nature Conservancy and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to preserve and protect trails, parks and wildlife habitat. New members are:
Ex-Officio, Sen. Andy Hill (45th District, R-Redmond)
Andy Hill was elected to the Washington State Senate in 2010 to represent the 45th Legislative District. Senator Hill serves on the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, the Evergreen Healthcare Foundation Board and is a director and former president of the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association.
Peter Battuello (Bothell)
Kathy Gano (Lakewood)
Kathy is the proud mother of two boys who played numerous sports. She was member of the board for the Lakewood Baseball club for five years and a member of the Lakewood Parks Advisory Board representing Lakewood Baseball, where she worked with the City of Lakewood to identify a need in the community for baseball fields.
For a complete board roster, visit http://wildliferecreation.org/aboutus/whoweare/board
About the Coalition
The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition is a non-profit citizens group founded in a historic bipartisan effort by former Governors Dan Evans and Mike Lowry. Our members consist of a diverse group of over 250 organizations representing conservation, business, recreation, hunting, fishing, farming, and community interests. Our breadth and diversity is the key to our success--no one member of the Coalition could secure this level of funding for parks and habitat on their own!
What We Do
The Coalition founded the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) grant program in 1989 to address the need to preserve more land for outdoor recreation and wildlife habitat. A state agency, the Recreation and Conservation Office or RCO, reviews, ranks, and distributes the grants through a competitive process that guarantees that only the best new park, habitat and farm projects are funded. The Coalition lobbies the Governor and the Legislature, which sets the funding level and approves the final list of projects.
What is the WWRP?
The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (RCW 79A.15) is a state grant program funded from the capital construction budget that provides funding to protect habitat, preserve working farms and creates new local and state parks. Independent experts rank the applications based on criteria such as the benefits to the public, level of threat to the property, or presence of threatened or endangered species.
What is the difference between the WWRP and the WWRC?
The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition is the non-profit citizens group that serves as the watchdog and advocate for the WWRP grant program. The WWRP is a state grant program funded by the legislature and administered by the RCO. The Coalition receives no funding from the state—instead we rely entirely on the generous contributions of individuals, organizations, and corporations for our operation.
Web: http://wildliferecreation.org/aboutus
Twitter: http://twitter.com/WildlifeRec
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