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Dale,What extra fees do hikers, kayakers, mountain climbers, scuba divers, bicyclists etc, pay for, besides the Discover Pass to recreate ?
Data may not be available, but it appears to be probable that hunters and anglers just might be the primary purchasers of the Discover Pass (DP); if this is the case, then the burden of supporting the State Parks is wrongly distributed. A $10 annual fee on car, truck, motorcycle, and RV license tab renewals would discriminate against people with multiple vehicles (i.e. two or more vehicles, an RV, ATV s, and maybe motorcycles); the cost to them could greatly exceed the $30 DP. If a fee is to be added to the license tab renewals, then place a maximum of two or three fees that can be applied per household; a maximum of $20 per household per year from all households that register vehicles in Washington State. Additional vehicles would be FREE. This would spread the burden to all state residents that register vehicles; it might also motivate people get outdoors since they paid for it. The resulting income to the state will likely be far greater than what the DP currently brings in. Any money generated must go to the State Parks, WDFW, and the DNR for the purpose of encouraging people to participate in outdoor recreation, including hunting. The money should be used to improve and promote hunting and fishing opportunities, improve and promote other outdoor recreational activities, increase access, pay for road maintenance, improve facilities, and hire the necessary staff to support the State Parks and public lands. NO dipping into the funds for other purposes - PERIOD!
I think the question should be - Are state parks a benefit to every citizen of the state? If the answer is yes, then maybe more money should come from everybody (maybe the general fund?) instead of jacking up the cost on only a portion of the citizens. I think parks are good for the state and funding should come from everybody. With that said, maybe parks need to be privately run and maintained; that would save a lot of money.....they are paying Rangers and park aids pretty good salaries with retirement and benefits for jobs that could been done a lot cheaper I imagine.
I worked one summer at a State Park (almost 30 years ago) and even I was paid too much back then. I imagine it hasn't changed much since then; probably even worse now. They were paying me (a kid right out of high school) well above minimum wage (don't remember the exact $ now) where I'm sure they could have hired someone for a lot less money to mow the lawns and clean restrooms.And after the busy season, all those duties that should be very low wage labor were done by the rangers (who are all getting very good vacation, retirement, and medical plans). So, yeah, I agree completely that they need to change.Bigtex, do you think State Parks really needs all the LE that they currently have? If they were private RV parks, then LE would be the sheriff deputies in most cases right? If they didn't have as many LE rangers, then I assume they would save a lot of money............
I see some really good comments and ideas by all of you, I hope you will also post your comments to the website: www.engageoutdoorwashington.com