No. 08-198
November 12, 2008
Contact: Princess Jackson-Smith, 360-902-1066
Sustainable Recreation Work Group to Meet in Seattle
OLYMPIA —The Sustainable Recreation Work Group will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, November 14, at the REI Flagship Store, 2nd Floor Community Room. REI is located at 222 Yale Avenue N. in Seattle. Meetings are open to the public.
Agenda items include: finalizing the work group’s vision for the future of sustainable outdoor recreation on DNR-managed lands; reviewing the policy issue areas related to the vision; current funding for recreation; and the progress report due to the legislature in December 2008.
The work group is composed of 26 community members and three legislators, appointed by Public Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland, representing diverse backgrounds and locations around the state. The group is chaired by James Donaldson, former NBA star and now a highly regarded motivational speaker and owner of several physical therapy centers in the greater Seattle area.
The members appointed from Seattle are: Tom Allen, President, Northwest Paragliding Club; Bill Chapman, President, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust; Will Chin, Manager, Outreach and Events, REI, Inc.; Michelle Connor, Senior Vice President, Cascade Land Conservancy; John Lang, Executive Director, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance; Elizabeth Lunney, Executive Director, Washington Trails Association; and State Senator Ken Jacobsen, (D-46th Legislative District).
The Sustainable Recreation Work Group
The Sustainable Recreation Work Group is the result of legislation proposed by Public Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland to establish policy recommendations and a collaborative vision to ensure outdoor recreation is safe, enjoyable, accessible, environmentally responsible, and sustainably-funded now and into the future.
The work group’s charge is to examine relevant existing laws and rules and recommend policy changes and funding alternatives for consideration by the legislature next year. Some of the issues include: overcrowding of trails and recreation sites; adapting to new forms of recreation, incompatibility of some activities with habitat and species protection; quick growth of motorized and mechanized sports on forest trails; and increasing competition for limited funding.
For more information about the Sustainable Recreation Work Group, visit www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEducation/Topics/RecreationPlanning/Pages/amp_rec_sustainable_recreation.aspx
Caring for your natural resources . . . now and forever
DNR manages more than 5.6 million acres of state-owned forest, range, commercial, agricultural, conservation, and aquatic lands. More than half of these lands are held in trust and produce income to support public schools, universities, prisons, and other state institutions. Lands managed by DNR provide other public benefits as well, including outdoor recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and clean and abundant water.
# # #