you ALL need a discover pass for ALL DNR land.

[Nosferatu]

The $400+ I spend on hunting & fishing licenses/tags a year isn't enough? They need MORE of my money to mismanage and piss away? On top of that, they keep closing or reducing services at sites? Are they using California as a model on how to eff up every natural resource in the state?

Awesome.

[bigtex]

According to WDFW website, if you have purchased a big game combo, or annual fishing license you will be issued the discover pass. 

Your a little confused. There are basically three different passes:
1- WDFW Vechicle Use Permit- Only used for WDFW lands and this is the pass that is free with your fishing and hunting licenses and has been around for 10+ years
2- Singe Day Discover Pass- $10 for one day can be used for State Parks, DNR and WDFW lands
3- Annual Discover Pass- $30 for the year can be used at State Parks, DNR and WDFW lands.

[bobcat]

I'm not sure why a hunting or fishing license would cover people on DNR lands.   

Hunting and fishing license fees don't go to the DNR, they go to the WDFW.

[runamuk]

I'm not sure why a hunting or fishing license would cover people on DNR lands.   

Hunting and fishing license fees don't go to the DNR, they go to the WDFW.

I dunno I could see the confusion Dept of natural Resources and Wa Dept Of Fish and Wildlife seems like they might have something to do with each other but we forget in WA state we divide all user groups then we divide from within those user groups....

I am not sure anymore which lands are which its so confusing BLM, DNR, State forest, National Park, State parks, County parks, Bureau of reclamation, WDFW, then all the private forests like green diamond has an elk area smack in the middle of it so is that elk area private or wdfw or some other designation?  I know they decided to log it right in the middle of elk season last year that was pretty awesome so I never went back....

I have all kinds of maps and truth is anymore I just get confused trying to figure out what the heck I am doing...

[Machias]

We'll all just need to layout all the different passes and licenses on our dashboards and hope we are covered.  What a crock.   

[Wenatcheejay]

We'll all just need to layout all the different passes and licenses on our dashboards and hope we are covered.  What a crock.   

Or, you could do what they really want, STAY OUT OF "THE STATE'S LANDS!" Someone said it best, $100'00's spent on Licences, Permits, Taxes, and it's not enough. It will never be enough until you are unwilling to pay. I say shut all the Parks down. Lay all the people off, I've had it.

[woodswalker]

Exemptions to the Discover Pass
 Your purchase of the Discover Pass supports recreation on state lands. However, you do not need to purchase the pass under the following circumstances:



Camping in a Washington state park: Your camping reservation stub or camping fee receipt will serve as your permit for the duration of your stay in the park where you have paid for a campsite. If you visit other state parks in the area, you will need an annual or daily Discover Pass. You will need a pass if you are camping on lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Hunting and fishing on WDFW-managed lands. When you buy certain types of hunting and fishing licenses, you will receive a vehicle access pass for WDFW-managed lands and won’t need the Discover Pass on those lands. You will still need the Discover Pass to hunt or fish on DNR or State Parks land. As a reminder, there is no hunting on State Parks lands.

 
Tells me i need to bleed for one MORE pass...in addition to the ORV monies stolen by the Guv, the Wildlife License plate monies appropriated by the Guv.
 

[bigtex]

Exemptions to the Discover Pass
 Your purchase of the Discover Pass supports recreation on state lands. However, you do not need to purchase the pass under the following circumstances:



Camping in a Washington state park: Your camping reservation stub or camping fee receipt will serve as your permit for the duration of your stay in the park where you have paid for a campsite. If you visit other state parks in the area, you will need an annual or daily Discover Pass. You will need a pass if you are camping on lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Hunting and fishing on WDFW-managed lands. When you buy certain types of hunting and fishing licenses, you will receive a vehicle access pass for WDFW-managed lands and won’t need the Discover Pass on those lands. You will still need the Discover Pass to hunt or fish on DNR or State Parks land. As a reminder, there is no hunting on State Parks lands.

 
Tells me i need to bleed for one MORE pass...in addition to the ORV monies stolen by the Guv, the Wildlife License plate monies appropriated by the Guv.
 

The ORV/NOVA funds are now going back to ORV related projects. Wildlife plate funds were never moved, it was talked about but never happened.

[Curly]

Didn't this whole thing come about because State Parks cannot seem to manage their resources correctly?  Sure seems like there must be some mismanagement over at State Parks if they can't seem to keep the parks open when charging the fees that they do for staying there.  Private Parks seem to be making it ok, why can't the State? 

DNR and State Parks are different agencies and as such I really think they should have had separate passes for accessing their lands.  DNR manages the state forests and makes money off of timber sales......they may not be making the amount of money they used to during good timber market times, but they are likely still making money.  They do have some recreation areas, but their main purpose is to manage forests.  State Parks manages recreation areas and provides campgrounds and parks for the citizens of the state.

DNR should have been charging fees all along for their campgrounds and fees for trail maintenance that the ATV'ers and cyclists use all the time.  It's crazy to think that DNR should be maintaining their campgrounds and trails without charging the users.  I'd say $30 is a bargain for the ATV guys and cyclists that use Capital Forest and other DNR recreation areas several times per year.  But for a hunter that may only go one or two weekends per year, it kind of bites........plus a hunter may not be using the campgrounds and maintained trails anyway, so he's essentially funding the cyclists and ATV users.

This Discover Pass sucks.  Basically, I think there should have been some pass for DNR recreation area use (since DNR is not in the recreation business) for cyclists, campers, motorcyclists, horse riders, and ATV riders (and maybe a fee for parking at some of the popular trail-heads).  They should have come up with a tax or fee (whatever you want to call it) for ATV's, motorcycles, and mountain bikes that use State Forest lands and figured out something else for State Parks...........like close more of them down if they can't manage them correctly or find some other funding.  I really think that State Parks benefit the whole society in the State and every citizen should be paying toward the State Parks (as long as they aren't being greatly mis-managed), so the cost should be spread out over every citizen of the state.  Then they can collect the majority of the money for maintaining the park from user fees (campground and boat launch fees).

Lets say a single mother with a couple kids wants to get the kids outside for some exercise and fresh air.  Wouldn't it be nice if she could take them to a State Park to enjoy a picnic or go to DNR lands to take a hike without having to pay an extra fee?

Other opinions will vary, but that is my take.

p.s. - sorry for the long rant.

[winshooter88]

A little history on how the Discover Pass came to be.

First the WDFW proposed increasing fees, part of this proposal was a pass for non-consumptive users (hikers, bikers, bird watchers, etc..) to help maintain WDFW lands that they also use. I know this, because I was at a meeting where Dave Ware explained the WDFW fee proposal.

Next our Governor sent out her budget proposal. In her budget she removed all but $25.000.000.00 from the State Parks budget from the general fund over the next biennium. The reason was, that she couldn't raise taxes easily because of Tim Eyman's tax initiative. And there were other things she felt were more important than state parks.

The legislature saw the Governor's  budget proposal and the fee increase proposal from WDFW. They decided to take the non-consumptive user permit from the WDFW proposal, tack on the State Parks and DNR to make what we now have as the Discover Pass. Then they set the price and divided up the projected income. Originally the WDFW and DNR were to get 7.5% each and State Parks were to get 86%. This was later adjusted to 8% each for WDFW and DNR, and 84% for State Parks. If the Discover Pass sales go over $71.000.000.00 Then anything over that is supposed to be split evenly between all three agencies.

When the legislature passed the Discover Pass bill and the Governor signed it, none of the plans to implement it even existed.

If you can find any copies of the WDFW's original fee hike proposals you will see the non-consumptive users pass on the list.

Just so you know the basics of how this came about.

[dreamingbig]

Ummm.... hopefully they aren't teaching math to my kids because 8% + 8% + 85% = 101%.  Last time I checked, it wasn't possible to payout more than 100% without borrowing from someone.

All users of Cougar Mountain have to have the pass... a lot of liberal dems in Seattle will be saying, "I need what to hike/trail run here?".

[Skyvalhunter]

good point

[danderson]

I say this is not right, we sportsman shouldnt have to buy another pass, we already buy the hunting licence, what good is the parking pass if it doesnt cover DNR land also. give me a break. Its time for a boycott.

[JLS]

I say this is not right, we sportsman shouldnt have to buy another pass, we already buy the hunting licence, what good is the parking pass if it doesnt cover DNR land also. give me a break. Its time for a boycott.

It does cover DNR land.  You just don't have to have it to hunt isolated and undeveloped pieces of DNR land. 

What exactly are you boycotting?

[yelp]

I just want to know if I buy a WA state parks annual boat launch decal for $70.00 does it include a discover pass?  Or is that going to cost me another $30.00?