Whatever you do outdoors, chances are, you’ve seen more people than ever joining you the last few years. More and more people are discovering the mental and physical benefits our great outdoors provide, especially during challenging times.
As our population grows, as more people get outside, we need to provide more opportunities for communities to access safe and welcoming outdoor areas. We need more trails, more parks, more picnic tables, more water access, and, quite frankly, more toilets!
But we also need to recognize the impacts that recreation has on our non-human neighbors. We need to protect and restore lands for the plants and animals who share these wild places with us. They must flourish, even as our populations grow, so our ecosystems remain healthy and vibrant.
That’s why we’re thanking the Governor and Legislature for the record-setting $120 million allocated to the Washington Wildlife & Recreation Program in 2023 a very important investment in the outdoors. This funding went to over 100 projects across the state building local parks, preserving wildlife habitat, sustaining working lands, and restoring damaged ecosystems. At a time when recreation is rapidly increasing, and our environment is facing growing challenges, this investment is critical. We express our deep gratitude to the Legislature for this critical funding. Here are our full 2024 Legislative Priorities and how they did this last session.