The first week of the 2026 legislative session moved quickly. Here’s your insider view of what we’re tracking, where we’re engaging, and what to expect in the weeks ahead.
Recreation Lands Maintenance Funding at Risk
The most urgent issue emerging early this session is significant cuts to both recreation lands maintenance and operations funding for our state agencies.
In recent years, the Legislature has made critical investments to address long-standing maintenance backlogs on recreation lands managed by DNR, DFW, and State Parks. The enacted 2025–27 operating budget included $7.5 million per agency for recreation lands maintenance – already a 25% reduction from the prior biennium, but still essential for maintaining trails, facilities, and public access.
The Governor’s proposed supplemental budget further reduces this funding:
- $500,000 cut at State Parks
- $750,000 cut at DNR
- $1.5 million cut at WDFW
These reductions come at a time when demand for outdoor recreation continues to grow. More than 90% of Washingtonians recreate outdoors, outdoor recreation supports 237,000 jobs statewide, and visitation to some state lands has increased by more than 100% in recent years.
To address this, the Coalition has signed onto a letter led by the Washington Trails Association (WTA), urging budget writers to maintain recreation lands maintenance funding at its current, enacted level. WTA will send the letter to key House and Senate budget leaders in the coming days.
How the Governor’s Budget Impacts our Support Agenda
First, the good news: the WWRP is funded on a 2-year cycle and current investments in the program are not threatened. In a challenging budget environment, a well-funded WWRP is a reason to celebrate and a testament to the strength of the program and our coalition.
Unfortunately, the Coalition’s five other operating and capital budget requests were not included in the Governor’s proposal. This means that the quality of our outdoor experiences, access, and programs is threatened, and so is the upkeep of the investments made in Washington’s green and outdoor recreation and conservation infrastructure. However, the sixth and final item on our support agenda – State Park’s Snowmobile Registration Fees agency request legislation – is gaining traction in the House. A public hearing for the bill is scheduled on January 22 at 4:00 pm.
We will continue to engage with lawmakers on these items as the session progresses.
How We’re Advocating and Ways to Get Involved
It seems everything is just a little different this year! Given current pressures on the State budget and urgent needs related to housing, education, and the impact of our recent floods, we changed our tactics for this short session. For the first time in many years, we are not holding a public and statewide Parks and Great Outdoors Legislative Day. Instead, our Board, staff, stakeholders, constituents, and lobbyist team are focusing on strategic meetings with lawmakers – to strengthen relationships, increase awareness of our Coalition and the WWRP, and set a strong foundation for successful WWRP advocacy in 2027. This includes thanking capital budget writers for including $120 million for the program in the current biennium.
These meetings begin on Jan 26 and will continue throughout the session, with a focused Legislative Day including back-to-back meetings on January 27th. See below on how you can engage on that day by registering for our annual Parks and Great Outdoors Legislative Day virtual Luncheon, in partnership with the Washington Recreation and Parks Association.
Alongside direct advocacy with lawmakers, we’re collaborating with the WA Recreate Responsibly Coalition and the Outdoor Recreation Caucus to share intel from Olympia and advance our shared recreation and conservation priorities. Our State Policy Committee (SPC) will also meet bi-weekly during session, starting January 23. SPC has voting power to add items to our support agenda, so our advocacy priorities may evolve as the session progresses.
We also have several important events coming up that offer opportunities to connect, celebrate successes, and hear directly from outdoor recreation champions:
- Legislative Reception – January 21: The reception will be held at the Governor’s Mansion to celebrate past successes and build momentum for WWRP advocacy. Registration for this event has now closed.
- Legislative Day Panel – January 27, 12:30–1:00 pm: Come join WRPA and WWRC for the Great Outdoors Day lunch hour panel discussion, where our outdoor recreation champions in the legislature will discuss various policy and funding items related to our great outdoors. Register here.
We’re approaching the 2026 session as a foundation‑builder – positioning the WWRP for a major funding win in 2027. That future success depends on a strong, united Coalition, and we’re grateful to have you alongside us in this work. In the meantime, we’ll keep our community looped in on budget developments, bill hearings, and opportunities to engage this session.
Together, we can keep Washington’s lands, waters, and outdoor legacy strong for generations to come.
Leading photo credit: Olympia | Josh | Flickr.