FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2010
State DNR reopens Lake Spokane Campground
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that it has reopened Lake Spokane Campground, north of Reardon in northeast Washington.
For safety reasons, the area had been closed for the season until DNR could find a volunteer to be a campground host. DNR has found three volunteers who will take turns acting as the primary point of contact for visitors and doing general campground maintenance. All of the volunteers are retired and from the Spokane area.
DNR’s volunteer campground hosts must pass a criminal background check and be trained in First Aid.
Lake Spokane, also known as Long Lake, is one of DNR’s most developed camping areas with a boat launch, swimming beach, cooking pavilions, and campsites.
Lake Spokane is open seasonally and closes in the fall. For up-to-date information on the status of Lake Spokane and other DNR recreation sites in the area, go to www.dnr.wa.gov/recreation and follow the link to the Northeast Region page.
For more information about recreation in DNR’s Northeast Region, call 509-684-7474.
Volunteers and DNR: An enduring partnership
Volunteers play a key role in keeping DNR recreation areas open and safe for the public. Volunteers help maintain trails and facilities, pick up litter, participate in work parties, provide information to visitors, and alert law enforcement to any illegal activities. Each year, volunteers spend tens of thousands of hours working to improve recreation on DNR-managed lands. Many of these hours can be used as in-kind match when DNR applies for grant funding.
Recreation on DNR-managed lands
DNR manages more than 5 million acres of state-owned forest, aquatic, agricultural, conservation and urban lands. Most recreation on these lands takes place in the 2.2 million acres of forests that DNR manages as state trust lands. By law, state trust lands are managed to produce income for schools, universities, prisons, state mental hospitals, community colleges, local services in many counties, and the state’s General Fund. State trust lands are also managed to provide fish and wildlife habitat and educational and recreational opportunities.
DNR-managed lands provide 1,100 miles of trails, 143 recreation sites, and a variety of landscapes throughout Washington State. Recreational opportunities include hiking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, camping, motorized vehicle riding, mountain biking, and boating.
DNR’s main recreation focus is to provide trails, trailhead facilities, and a primitive experience in a natural setting.
Media Contact: Toni Droscher, Recreation Program Communications Manager, 360-902-1523, or toni.droscher@dnr.wa.gov .
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