Deception Pass Park Foundation

How should the park system change?

samwotipka — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:31:02 +0000

OLYMPIA – May 11, 2012 – Should the State Parks system operate more like an enterprise-based hospitality industry, a public conservation asset based mostly on grant and tax funding – or perhaps a system of parks freely standing as community non-profit entities? What do people love about their park system, and what improvements need to be made?

These and other questions will be considered and discussed as part of a broad public outreach effort by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission staff. Ideas are being sought through e-mail and in meetings with legislators, stakeholders and in public meetings scheduled around the state in May and June.

Information gathered will be used to create a transformation strategy that will guide the park system through the next five years and beyond. The strategic transformation plan is to be used as a successor plan to the State Parks Centennial 2013 Plan, which provided guidance for parks improvements during the past 10 years.

At the public meetings, parks staff will present the “state of state parks” and ask for ideas and comments about three “thematic alternative” visions for the future. Each of the “themes” will be explored by using a local park as an example. Participants at each meeting will have an opportunity to discuss the themes and share their ideas. Attendance is free, and a Discover Pass is not required to attend meetings held at a state park.

As the process moves forward, public comments, questions and suggestions received about the future of Washington State Parks will be made available online at www.parks.wa.gov/Beyond2013/.

Public meeting locations, dates and times are as follows:

• Tri Cities: 7 to 8:30 p.m. May 17
Columbia Basin College
2600 N. 20th Ave.
Building A, room A126
Pasco, WA 99301

• Spokane: 3:30 to 5 p.m. May 19 (focus on Riverside State Park) and 6 – 7:30 p.m. May 21 (focus on Mount Spokane State Park)
Spokane Public Library Shadle Branch
W. 2111 Wellesley Ave.
Spokane, WA 99205

• Central and East Wenatchee: 7 to 8:30 p.m. May 22
Washington State Parks Eastern Region Headquarters
270 Ninth Street N.E.
Ice Age Conference Room
East Wenatchee, WA 98802

• Friday Harbor: 2:15 to 4 p.m. June 2
Whidbey Island Bank – Community Room
535 Market Street
Friday Harbor, WA 98250

• Olympia: 7 to 8:30 p.m. June 5
Tumwater High School
700 Israel Road S.W.
Olympia, WA 98501

• Seattle area: 7 to 8:30 p.m. June 6
King County Department of Development and Environmental Services
900 Oakdale Ave. S.W.
Renton, WA 98057

• Fort Worden State Park: 6:30 to 9 p.m. June 11
200 Battery Way
Company A
Port Townsend, WA 98368

• Burlington: 6:30 to 9 p.m. June 12
Burlington Library
Burlington Rotary Community Meeting Room
820 E. Washington Ave.
Burlington, WA 98233

• Chinook: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 14
Fort Columbia State Park Theater
475 Highway 101
Chinook, WA 98638
Individuals, groups and organizations wishing to join an e-mail list for updates on the planning process are invited to use the following contact information:

• E-mail: Strategic.Planning@parks.wa.gov
• Phone: (360) 902-8504 and ask for Strategic Planning
• Mail: Washington State Parks, Strategic Planning, P.O. Box 42650, Olympia, WA 98504-2650

The Current – May 2012

samwotipka — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:25:56 +0000

Click here to download the newsletter.

In this issue:

Kukutali Preserve Open House
Upcoming park events
Amphitheater for an Eagle
Welcome to a New Ranger
Hope Island Blooms with Less Broom
Cleaning Beneath Bowman Bay
Lions Tame Park
And more!

The Bridge – May 2012

samwotipka — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:23:33 +0000

Click here to download the newsletter.

In this issue:

Springtime flower anatomy review
Memorial Day and Summer interpretive programming
Progress on amphitheater and bulletin boards
Wildflowers around the park

The Current – April 2012

samwotipka — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:18:27 +0000

In this issue:

A new date for Hope Island Volunteer Day
“Green Fire” at the Oak Harbor Library
New Cornet Bay bathroom nears completion
Changes to the Discover Pass
WTA rebuilds North Beach Trail
2 of our own volunteers recognized by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

Click here to download the newsletter.

The Bridge – April 2012

samwotipka — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:13:43 +0000

In this issue:

Going “in depth” on a harbor porpoise
New park maps go up on kiosks
A visitor from the past
A new park family member

Click here to download the newsletter.

CCC Interpretive Signs at Cornet Bay

samwotipka — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:52:29 +0000

Out of the thousands of people that come to the Cornet Bay Retreat Center each year, few realize that they are staying on the same grounds as the Civilian Conservation Corps did while they were working to develop Deception Pass State Park during the 1930s and 40s. Our AmeriCorps Interpreter, Sam Wotipka, and Park Ranger Kim Horton set out to change this by creating a set of interpretive panels designed to highlight the rich history of the area.

Many hours went into the research and design of these signs, which the Foundation then paid to have fabricated and installed. We hope that they will help visitors appreciate this historic site for years to come. The panels can be viewed below.

[Show as slideshow]