The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will meet in Chehalis for its regular meeting next week.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 27, at the Veterans Memorial Museum, 100 S.W. Veterans Way, Chehalis. A full Commission meeting agenda is available online at www.parks.wa.gov/agency/commissionmeetings/. Time for public comment is provided at all regular Commission meetings, which are scheduled six times a year at various locations around the state.
The Commission will consider adoption of a consolidated policy for naming designations of parks and various other types of properties managed by the agency. The intention of the proposal is to create greater clarity in describing the sites to the public and to be more consistent with commonly used park categories developed by the National Association of State Park Directors. The categories include state park; historical state park; marine state park; state park trail; state park heritage site; state park conservation area; and state park property.
The proposal and new naming categories would result in a list of 124 state parks, of which 11 are historical state parks, 19 are marine state parks and 5 are state park trails. In addition to those, the inventory under the proposal lists 16 state park heritage sites, two conservation areas and 74 properties.
The Commission also will consider whether to seek a lease renewal at Bridgeport State Park in Douglas County. The Commission currently leases 283 acres of federal land adjacent to 340 acres of state-owned land. The lease on the federally owned property runs out in September, 2015, and State Parks needs to apply by April 30, 2014 if lease renewal is desired.
Also up for consideration is a Commission decision to amend the Iron Horse State Park Master Plan to include land classifications and a long-term boundary for the easternmost 34 miles of Iron Horse State Park between Malden and the Idaho border. The addendum would add the Iron Horse Palouse section to the master plan and would lay out necessary actions, including inventory, public involvement, assessments and environmental work.
In other request items, the Commission will consider granting an easement to a Grays Harbor County resident across agency-owned property west of Grayland Beach Road to avoid impacts to sensitive wetland areas on adjacent private property; approving a list of state park projects for grant application through the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program; and the State Parks director’s 2014 performance agreement with the Commission.
The Commission also will hear several reports and updates with no action requested. These include a report on a Skokomish Tribal Nation proposal to transfer Potlatch State Park to the tribe; a final report on Centennial 2013; a 2014 legislative report; and an agency financial update.
Work session: The Commission will meet in work session the day prior to the regular meeting. The work session is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 26, at the Holiday Inn, 730 Liberty Plaza, Chehalis. Work sessions are open to the public, but there is no opportunity for public comment, and no Commission action is taken.
Work session topics include a status update on historic preservation options for the Saint Edward Seminary Building; Discover Pass business development; a Commission orientation to the State Environmental Policy Act; Mount Spokane update; Governor’s Outdoor Recreation Task Force; Agency Strategic Plan development; Director’s Contract and Commission work plan; role of the Commission.
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The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages a diverse system of more than 100 state parks and recreation programs, including long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation. For more information about parks and services, visit www.parks.wa.gov/events/.
Support state parks by purchasing your annual Discover Pass today, and enjoy a whole year of outdoor fun on Washington’s beautiful state-managed recreation lands. For more information, visit www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
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