State Parks Commission to meet virtually

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting and work session virtually on Nov. 13.  The Commission meeting agenda has one item, a request to transfer a .68 parcel of land to the Washington Department of Transportation for a weigh station project  Work session agenda items include:  An update on the Mount Spokane State Park planning process  An update on master planning efforts at Blake Island State Park  A presentation on camping data and campaigns to fill empty campsites  An update… Read more

OLYMPIA – Following a public process, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission voted on Thursday to keep the cabins at Cama Beach Historical State Park permanently closed where they currently sit.   Significant septic and infrastructure failures led to the closure of the cabins and other buildings in the beach area of park in February 2024. In addition to this issue, impacts of rising sea levels have damaged buildings in the area. Data shows these impacts will only increase in the coming years. There are also known cultural and historical complexities that impact the… Read more

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks Winter Recreation Program will temporarily close fourteen motorized Sno-parks for the 2024-25 winter season, due primarily to a roughly 25 percent reduction in funds available from snowmobile registrations to support the motorized part of the program. The following motorized Sno-Parks are slated for temporary closure: Echo Valley, Skate Creek, Bethel Ridge/Soup Creek, Crow Creek, Cloverland, Elk Heights, Fish Creek, French Cabin, Nile, Taneum, Reecer Creek, Crawfish, Nine Bark and Clear Lake. The snowmobile program is self-funded from snowmobile… Read more

OLYMPIA — The community is invited to attend an open house to learn more about an upcoming forest thinning project at Nisqually State Park. Between fall 2024 and summer 2025, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will complete a 189-acre forest health treatment inside Nisqually State Park. There will be intermittent trail closures in the project area during this time.  Crews will focus on removing smaller and less healthy trees to reduce competition between remaining trees, which will help promote a natural, resilient, diverse forest.  Long-term benefits of this… Read more

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting at the Holiday Inn and Event Center on Oct. 10.   The regular commission meeting agenda items include requests for commission approvals regarding:  Delegation of authority to the State Parks Director to enter into a management agreement with Chelan County PUD for Beebe Bridge Park  Next steps in the planning process for Cama Beach State Park  Finalizing an easement agreement with the City of Ellensburg for a permanent road crossing on the Palouse… Read more

OLYMPIA — Operations of the Lifelong Learning Center campus at Fort Worden Historical State Park (Fort Worden) is returning to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (State Parks) in early October. While Fort Worden is a state park, a large part of the campus has primarily been co-managed by the Fort Worden Public Development Authority (FWPDA) for more than a decade. The FWPDA voted to request dissolution on Aug. 1, 2024 by the City of Port Townsend.  State Parks, the FWPDA and other partners are working collaboratively to ensure transparency and continuity of operations… Read more

OLYMPIA – The season isn’t over for Cape Disappointment State Park. Much of the park, including its campground, was tentatively scheduled to close this month through May 2025 while crews completed projects including a culvert replacement, a new entrance road, a new Welcome Center and trail work. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission decided to postpone this work until next fall. Anticipated delays in permitting for the park entrance and delayed arrival of materials for the culvert replacement led to this postponement. Both of these factors posed a risk to the project… Read more

OLYMPIA — Washington State Parks needs the help of its visitors to stop the spread of invasive pests that can cause significant damage to our forests.  State parks have a wide variety of natural native and planted non-native trees and forests, which puts them at risk for almost every worrisome invasive pest. Parks are of particular concern because they welcome visitors from all over the state and country who often bring their own camping supplies for their stay. This includes the main culprit for invasive pest transfer: firewood.  But the battle to prevent the spread of these… Read more

OLYMPIA – The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center in Castle Rock, a gateway for exploring and learning about the Mount St. Helens area, will close Sept. 30 for a complete update to its exhibits. The visitor center is anticipated to reopen in May of 2025. Seaquest State Park will also close from Sept. 15 through mid-October to complete road maintenance work, including road grading and surfacing. After this work is complete, the park will remain open through the winter for camping and day use. Though the interpretive center itself will be closed, its parking lot, plaza, bathrooms and… Read more

PASCO – Sacajawea Historical State Park welcomes this year’s Heritage Day, a celebration with living history reenactments, hands-on workshops, demonstrations and learning fun, back to the park this month.   The family-friendly event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. This date is also National Public Lands Day and a Discover Pass free day.  This popular, longstanding celebration offers visitors a glimpse into the cultural and natural history of early Snake River-Columbia River Confluence communities. … Read more