North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing visits Olympia this week on a mission to save trail access at Mount Si.
Hearing’s trip comes as trails at Mount Si, Little Si, Rattlesnake Lake and the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River face cuts or closure this spring due to state budget cuts.
Hit with a $278,000 budget cut in 2010, the Washington Department of Natural Resources may close 22 facilities in the state in the next two years to close the gap.
The Mount Si trailhead gets 350,000 visitors a year, and is by far the most-visited site slated for closure. Little Si is second with 150,000 visits a year. On average, the other sites listed for closure get about 8,000 visits a year.
Hearing will spend Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 27 and 28, asking state officials for help and contacts in keeping trails open.
Local legislators already know the importance of Si to the local economic and social fabric.
“We’re going to reinforce it,” Hearing said. “It’s the most popular trail in the state of Washington — the most visible, most accessible, and one of the least expensive to operate.”
Hearing isn’t the only one headed to Olympia. The Washington Trails Association is sending dozens of trail boosters to the capitol for its annual hiker lobby day, Wednesday, Feb. 3.
“DNR saw a 60 percent cut in its recreation appropriation last year,” said Jonathan Guzzo, advocacy director for the association. With cuts over two years, “all the fat is cut. They’re slashing into bone and connective tissue.”
The association is urging the legislature to restore the $278,000.
“We think we can make a strong case that DNR has suffered enough,” Guzzo said. “We know there are some legislators that are interested in turning that tide back.”
New options?
“There’s a lot of good people out there who want to keep these facilities open,” said Mark Mauren, assistant division manager for recreation and public access in DNR’s Asset Management and Recreation Division. “I think there’s enough energy that something will come up.”
Legislators and the recently formed Sustainable Recreation Work Group, a coalition of 28 leaders from across the state, are exploring some near-term solutions aimed at closing the DNR budget gap. On the table:
• A multipass for state and federal lands that would share revenues between state parks, fish and wildlife, and DNR;
• A concessionaire agreement that would employ private entities to manage sites and collect fees;
• A proposed expansion of Keno gaming in the state, with 20 percent of the proceeds going to DNR.
Mauren said the work group struggled with the Keno expansion.
“It is a way to generate revenue,” he said. “But is that really the image they want to hang on outdoor recreation? They ended up saying yes, but it wasn’t number one on their priority list.”
The work group’s multipass option got the top nod.
State Rep. Glenn Anderson, R-Fall City, said legislators await a Feb. 10 state revenue forecast to make their next move.
“The state budget is going to be bad for the next four to six years,” he said.
While Anderson seeks a solution to keep important trails open, he recognizes that there may be reduced hours or support.
Mount Si is a “legacy landmark,” Anderson said. “The idea that we’re just going to shut it down and pull the curtain is nuts.
“People need to take a break,” he added. “Those are some of the best places in the county, if not the state” to do so.
Si View link
To Anderson, the concessionaire and multipass plans are interesting possibilities. He is less excited about the Keno plan. None solve the financial picture, but help contribute to solutions.
He wonders whether local entities such as the city of North Bend or the Si View Metro Parks District could partner to create a local solution, managing the trailhead and parking.
“Finding something that provides a local angle, (where) people have more control, has some appeal,” Anderson said.
State Sen. Cheryl Pflug, who represents the Valley, told the Record by e-mail that she is working on “creative restructuring” to keep local trails open. She has also met with Si View Metro Parks Director Travis Stombaugh to explore solutions.
“But the answer won’t come until the end of session because it’s tied in with the budget,” Pflug said. “(There is) lots of negotiating to come before we flesh out the capital budget.”
Pflug said she does not support DNR’s user fee system to pay for parks and recreation.
“That’s essentially asking the public to pay to use what they already own,” she said. “User fees would also change the agency’s mission focus from supporting recreation to generating revenue. That’s not in the best interests of the citizen users of public lands.”
Cynthia Welti, Executive Director of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, said she doesn’t see the closures as grandstanding by DNR.
“They took such serious cuts last summer, and tried to avoid the popular areas,” she said. “We genuinely believe they are up against a hard spot.”
Welti recognizes the challenge in balancing priorities such as education and health with recreation.
“The Greenway is not a lobby,” said Welti, who encourages residents to contact their legislators and let them know what is important.
“They need to make the decision for us,” she said.
Voters need to make clear that Mount Si and other local trails are part of the economic and natural fabric of the region, Welti said.
“It is part of what gives us our breathing room and our sense of balance,” she said. “This is an important part of the quality of life in our area.”
