Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Learn more about what our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) division is working on.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion

State Parks Diversity Equity and Inclusion

To Washington State Parks, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion means that the outdoors is for everyone. We believe that State parks connect all Washingtonians to their diverse natural and cultural heritage and that everyone should have access to memorable recreational and educational experiences that enhance their lives.

This requires removing barriers of access to the outdoors for historically underserved communities, building sustainable community relationships and ensuring our parks are welcoming and inclusive to all visitors.

Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion matters at State Parks

We recognize the historical inequities in our public lands. As stewards of these lands, we can work to address them. Our vision is that State Parks employees embody the values of inclusion and a commitment to equity in all aspects of our work.

No Child Left Inside Grant Program

Washington State Parks No Child Left Inside (NCLI) grant program provides quality opportunities for underserved, underrepresented, and historically excluded youth to learn, play, and experience the outdoors. Applications are estimated to open in January-February 2027.

Everyone Outdoors Program

The Everyone Outdoors Program reduces barriers to outdoor access by providing successful applicants with free annual Discover Passes.

Who can apply: Washington-based community groups and organizations who face barriers to outdoor access. Passes will only be awarded to groups or organizations, not individuals.

Everyone Outdoors is a collaborative effort by Washington State Parks, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington Department of Natural Resources. The program is supported in part by the State Parks Foundation.

Equity in our Workplace culture

Workplace culture is about creating a welcoming and inclusive place to work. At State Parks, we facilitate various employee support groups, including one for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and one for 2LGBTQ+ (2-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and more) employees. We have State Parks representatives for each of the statewide Business Resource Groups (BRG). We curate monthly DEI updates and resources, organize DEI events and support a range of recruitment and retention strategies to attract a diverse workforce.

Community engagement

Community engagement is about visitor access and ensuring quality visitor experiences. We focus on building strong community partnerships and engaging community leaders as thought partners in our projects and decision-making. Learn more about some of our initiatives below:

Equity and Community Engagement (ECE) Impact Team

The ECE (Equity, Community Engagement) Impact Team is composed of community members and cross-divisional staff working to advance equity and community engagement across the agency. Members contribute their diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and community-rooted expertise.

E stands for Equity: Equity achieves fairness in outcomes and procedures. To achieve equity requires eliminating systemic barriers and developing and supporting policies and procedures that distribute resources to identity-groups who have historically been and currently are marginalized. (RCW 43.06D.020)

CE stands for Community Engagement: The process of creating meaningful, inclusive, and equitable partnerships with community members, particularly those from underrepresented populations [1]. (Washington State Office of Equity)

[1] "Underrepresented population" means a group of people, joined together by age, location, or another common characteristic, who are more likely to experience negative outcomes of government actions because there are not enough people in government from that group with decision-making power. Examples of negative outcomes are higher rates of unemployment, lower income, lack of stable housing, arrest and incarceration, lack of quality healthcare, shortened life expectancy, and more.

Background:

In 2022, Executive Order 22-04 directed all state agencies to create Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) teams in an effort to become an antiracist state. We formed our PEAR team in Spring 2023, bringing together a robust group of community members and cross-divisional staff committed to advancing equity at state parks. In Spring 2025, WA State Office of Equity released plain language guidance, recommending that agencies transition from the language of “PEAR (Pro-Equity Anti-Racism)” to “Impact.” To align with this guidance and further articulate this teams’ work, we changed the name of our PEAR Team to the ECE Impact Team in Spring 2026.

The ECE Impact Team provides equity feedback, contributes community-rooted expertise, and collaborates with teams across all divisions in service of our agency’s equity goals.