Where does the discover pass monies go?

[NWWABOWHNTR]

Here is the amounts and by month of where the money goes.....

http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103464106731-399/amp_rec_discoverpass_sales_013112.pdf

[Special T]

Thankyou for finding this... I must say tho it does not tell us what i would really like to know.  How many hunters bought the pass verses the average Joe with out one... You cannot make the assumption that the pass bought through the WDFW  are bought by hunters... they are likely just the most convienient... I would guess thos that the parks numbers are true parks users. Notice that there are a LOT of day passes sold at the parks but not at where you buy hunting/fishing Lic...

I would imagine that even IF it was possible to figure out if D pass buyers were hunters, the state would do anything to keep those numbers hidden, or confusing. 

[NWWABOWHNTR]

WDFW Discover pass sales were over 4.1M, yet the WDFW only got 696K of that money.... I am thinking the majority of the WDFW Discover Pass sales were from sportsmen (hunters and fisherman).  The Parks got over 7 M???

[Special T]

Oh i don't disagree but if you look at the table, the ONLY fact you can say is that the people that bought the pass @ the state park were the ones willing to pay to use the parks. THAT IS IT! I think the other telling fact is looking at the total number of passes sold by whom... Parks sold half as many year passes and 7x as many day passes.... How many people do you think took the family to a state park and then realized they had to pay? I would guess, and that is all it can be, that the parks numbers will be lower this year...

Are there any other # breakdowns? I would guess the only way to get an educated guess about how many hunters bought the DP is to survey the Hunting Fishing LIC sellers...

[Special T]

We should try and find a similar break down of Hunting and fishing  sales in the same time frame. This year will be really telling because we can compare month to month sales... Ie I bought my Fishing Lic and decided to buy a DP... We know that dedicated "parks users" will mostly buy from the State park...

Also realize that the past fees for parks usage drove usage so low they had to abandon them within 2 years.

The states estimates for revenue generated is WAY lower than estiamated... Something like 10x less I think the expected rev was 70-80 mil??? and they raised 8.7mil...

[washelkhunter]

I would like to see the state parks management sold off to private citizens willing to take them on with the stipulation that they have to functionally remain as intended, but let the new owners improve and modernize them as necessary to attract users. Take the government out of it and let the USERS of the resource foot the bills. i know quality and service would improve greatly if that happened.

[bigtex]

The "WDFW" source is essentially all the passes that are sold through the WDFW licensing system.

So if your a hiker and buy your Pass at Fred Meyer or Wal-Mart your count would go towards WDFW. So basically only the people who bought them from actual parks or the DOL are not counted towards WDFW's count...

[Knocker of rocks]

I would like to see the state parks management sold off to private citizens willing to take them on with the stipulation that they have to functionally remain as intended, but let the new owners improve and modernize them as necessary to attract users. Take the government out of it and let the USERS of the resource foot the bills. i know quality and service would improve greatly if that happened.

Have you seen how well that has worked at USFS campgrounds?  You go in to poop on the way to a hike, and a uber zealous senior citizen on a four wheeler starts screeching at you that you have to get a campsite if you want to use the can. 

I for one don't want to see our property sold off to corporations

[Special T]

Funny you mention the USFS campgrounds.. I stayed at one at Baker lake a few years ago and my wife loved it! If you don't think that is such a good model, what model do you think is good? They obviously have to change something. The problem with the parks is they can't won't make the hard decisions. Parks are mostly a seasonal use and most require too much full time help.  Several parks on the east side close down completely after the end of summer. They are full during the summer so they are "Profitable".   Many on the west side are open year round and do not have the year round demand yet are open year round. The parks need to lower thier overhead or take more $$$ in.

[Knocker of rocks]

I'm sure that the Baker Lake campground is great, but I have also seen some shady management in the Wenatchee district, Nevada and California.  I have seen very good management in the Prineville area and the Uintas

[bigtex]

Many of the federal agencies are going from agency owned and operated campgrounds to concessionaire operated. Essentially these companies make bids to operate the campgrounds, the winner then runs the camground and gets a share of the profits. The campgrounds are still owned by the feds, fed rules still apply, the concessionaire essentially does all the maintenance, upkeep, and daily to-do's to run the campground. For example Aramark runs a lot of the larger National Park Service entities.

[Elkaholic daWg]

I would like to see the state parks management sold off to private citizens willing to take them on with the stipulation that they have to functionally remain as intended, but let the new owners improve and modernize them as necessary to attract users. Take the government out of it and let the USERS of the resource foot the bills. i know quality and service would improve greatly if that happened.

Have you seen how well that has worked at USFS campgrounds?  You go in to poop on the way to a hike, and a uber zealous senior citizen on a four wheeler starts screeching at you that you have to get a campsite if you want to use the can. 

I for one don't want to see our property sold off to corporations

 The four wheeler reference alone `probably changed his mind.

[Knocker of rocks]

I would like to see the state parks management sold off to private citizens willing to take them on with the stipulation that they have to functionally remain as intended, but let the new owners improve and modernize them as necessary to attract users. Take the government out of it and let the USERS of the resource foot the bills. i know quality and service would improve greatly if that happened.

Have you seen how well that has worked at USFS campgrounds?  You go in to poop on the way to a hike, and a uber zealous senior citizen on a four wheeler starts screeching at you that you have to get a campsite if you want to use the can. 

I for one don't want to see our property sold off to corporations

 The four wheeler reference alone `probably changed his mind.

   Took me a little while to figure that one out.  Subtle humor isn't my forte

[dreamingbig]

I want to say I am surprised but I can't.  Vote republican.

[wence5]

In short, the black hole of Olympia!