Read an Op-Ed by Suzy Dix in the Spokesman Review calling on the state Senate to adopt the House proposal for funding the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP).
Excerpt: “[The Senate’s] proposal doesn’t just further decimate the WWRP’s funding by slicing $30 million from the House’s proposal, it also moves $16 million into a different fund for hand-chosen projects, in key districts, rather than funding projects based on their merits. This means that not only will elk lose their habitat, but also local economies around our state parks won’t be preserved, hunting grounds won’t be saved and fisheries won’t be protected.
Even worse, the Senate proposal threatens the very core of the WWRP. It sets a dangerous precedent: If legislators are allowed to cherry-pick pet projects, what is the point of a time-tested, objective, nonpolitical ranking process?”