Proposed House and Senate Budgets Include $120M for the WWRP!

March 31, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The House and Senate released their versions of the Capital Construction Budget for the 2025-2027 biennium today. Both the House and the Senate included $120 million in funding for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP). This level maintains the previous 2023-2025 budget funding level and signifies continued strong support for Washington’s recreation and conservation priorities and projects.

“To say this year has been a challenging one, budget-wise, is an understatement. We appreciate that the House and Senate have acknowledged the importance of outdoor recreation and conservation by keeping the WWRP at the $120 million level,” says Yvonne Kraus, Executive Director of the WWRC. “Demand for outdoor recreation continues to grow, and so do the conservation needs that come with that demand. We are grateful and appreciate the legislature’s deliberation and decision to emphasize continued and consistent funding for our State’s great outdoors. The House and Senate budget proposals in support of our playgrounds, our parks, wildlife habitats, as well as our working farms and forests, represent a bright light in a trying and demanding Legislative session,” adds Kraus.

As the state’s premier grant program for habitat conservation and outdoor recreation, the WWRP has had a significant impact on Washington’s landscape and quality of life, having leveraged over $2.2 billion in parks, trails, wildlife habitat, working lands, and other recreation and conservation projects since 1991. WWRP project funding is distributed across 12 grant categories through a nationally recognized and impartial ranking process, managed by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). Additionally, the 2025-2027 ranked project results represent funding distribution and evaluation criteria that were identified and recommended in a comprehensive program equity review. We continue to see record levels of Washingtonians outdoors, seeking the mental and physical health benefits of outdoor recreation. At the same time, funding cuts at the Federal agencies have caused staffing and resource shortages as well as ongoing funding uncertainty at popular recreation and conservation lands within our State’s National Forests and National Parks. These challenges and pressures on recreation experiences and habitat protection only amplify the importance of balancing growing recreation demand with the preservation of our environment and ecosystems, and the need for continued robust funding. WWRP projects not only provide outdoor opportunities for families across the state, they also help preserve wildlife habitat, mitigate climate change effects, economically benefit rural communities, and protect our working lands.

At $120 million, the budget funds just over 100 WWRP projects statewide. Skippy Shaw, Washington State Government Relations Director at The Nature Conservancy, and Chair of the WWRC State Policy Committee, says “We are grateful for and thank our Capital Budget leadership for making these projects possible and for their continued investment in our State’s great outdoors.”

Three sample projects that will benefit from the proposed funding include:

Final design and redevelopment of park amenities in the upper plateau of Veterans Memorial Park, in the City of Mountlake Terrace. The project will renovate an existing playground, picnic shelter, pedestrian trail loop and install a new restroom facility and plaza space. These park features were selected for inclusion in the development of this project as a direct response to community and stakeholder feedback
The Riverside State Park Glen Tana Acquisition near Spokane, adding just over 1,000 acres to Riverside State Park, including nearly 2 miles along the Little Spokane River. This project will provide habitat for many wildlife species and connect existing recreational and conservation areas. A unique partnership between Washington State Parks, Inland Northwest Land Conservancy (the Conservancy), the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. Glen Tana incorporates environmental stewardship, expanded recreational access, and salmon reintroduction efforts, all within close proximity to the residents of Spokane and the Spokane Valley.
Pioneer Park Inclusive Playground in Walla-Walla: a new playground with a mission of creating an engaging, open, and accessible space for children and adults of all abilities to gather and build community and foster emotional, physical and mental health through creative play, natural spaces, and learning. Emphasis is on natural play elements, including hills and logs for improved sustainability and reduced long term maintenance and repair costs.

The budget does come in short of the WWRC’s $150M request for the upcoming biennium, which means 15 projects of local importance to communities across the state will not be funded, including:

Development of a 27.9-acre portion of Eagle Ridge Park in Lake Stevens. The city planned to build facilities such as a nature-themed playground, amphitheater and outdoor classroom space, restrooms, and much more. The park is home to protected areas including eagle habitats, riparian areas, mature forests, and wetlands – all of which would be preserved and protected in this development, but will now not come to fruition due to a lack of funding.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife submitted a project to acquire 1,200 acres of critical elk habitat in the Mt. St. Helens Wildlife Area. This project would both protect and enhance the most critical winter range area in the Mt. St. Helens Elk Herd area, but also the watershed and tributary habitat for species of salmon. A further benefit is providing year-round public access to the wildlife area, which is currently landlocked by private ownership.
The Wooten Wildlife Area Rainbow Lake Pier Project provides improved fishing and ADA access at Rainbow Lake, a popular fishing-only lake for rainbow trout.

However, while the full ask wasn’t met and some projects will need to wait until the next grant cycle, the WWRC Board appreciates the hard work in advocating for funding consistency and stability at a time of uncertainty, and looks forward to working with RCO staff and grant recipients in implementation and completion of their projects and vision.

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About the WWRC

The WWRC is a nonprofit organization that leverages the voices of a diverse group of allied interests to obtain public funding for new parks, wildlife habitat, trails, and preservation of working farm and forest lands. Founded in 1989 by former Washington state Governors Dan Evans and Mike Lowry, the Coalition’s membership consists of a diverse and bipartisan group representing conservation, business, recreation, hunting, fishing, farming, and other community interests.

The Coalition is supported by generous individuals, foundations, corporations, and organizations from across Washington, ensuring that every penny of the public funds goes directly to projects in local communities throughout the state. You can support the coalition by donating here.

About the WWRP

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) is our state’s premier conservation and recreation grant program, which provides matching funds to create new local and state parks, protect wildlife habitat, and preserve working lands. Since 1991, the program has enabled over $2.2 billion of grant-funded projects, in every single district in WA state, across the following 12 WWRP grant categories: