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Washington State Parks pass could get more expensive

A Discover Pass hang tag in front of a road going through a green forest.
Cara Kuhlman
/
KNKX Graphic via Canva
State lawmakers are considering a bill to increase the price of a Washington State Parks Discover Pass, which has not gone up since the creation of the program in 2011.

Park goers may have to pay a little extra when they enter a state park with a vehicle, as lawmakers in Olympia consider increasing the Washington State Parks Discover Pass from $30 to $45. A day pass could also go up from $10 to $15.

The Senate Committee on Local Government heard testimony on Thursday on Senate Bill 5390. All but one speaker supported the bill at the hearing.

The price for a Discover Pass has not gone up since the creation of the program in 2011. The pass is a permit that allows cars to enter and park at millions of acres of land managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. State officials said the increase is needed to pay for maintenance, staff and programs offered by the parks.

Brian Constantine, with Washington State Parks, spoke in favor of the bill. He said his agency is bracing for cuts as the state moves through a difficult budget year.

“This is understandable, but also significant,” Constantine said. “So that’s why we’re here, because we’re trying to figure out, how do we keep parks with not going backwards and continue to move forward.”

Cynthia Wilkerson, wildlife program deputy director at WDFW, said visitation to land managed by her agency has increased since the program was established. She said that has impacted natural resources, which her agency can’t deal with under the current funding model.

“This proposed adjustment is necessary to avoid a reduction in our ability to provide positive experiences for our visitors while adequately protecting the natural and cultural resources on our lands,” Wilkerson said.

Sam Hensold, recreation operations manager at DNR, said the adjustment in revenue would help pay for programs that are geared toward making outdoors accessible for families that are low income.

“Without this fee adjustment, implementing these actions will be more challenging in the near term,” Hensold said.

Revenue generated from the pass gets divvied between the three state agencies. State parks receives 84% of that revenue, while WDFW and DNR each receive 8%.

The Discover Pass was created in response to the 2008 recession and it was meant to offset a reduction in general tax support.

The state Office of Financial Management has been required to review the price of the pass every four years and make recommendations to the Legislature to either increase or decrease the price based on inflation. But increases have not happened, and state officials said that was primarily due to money coming from the state’s general fund.

Freddy Monares has covered politics, housing inequalities and Native American communities for a newspaper and a public radio station in Montana. He grew up in East Los Angeles, California, and moved to Missoula, Montana, in 2015 with the goal of growing in his career. Get in touch at fmonares@knkx.org.