From the desk of Jon Snyder 

Outdoor Recreation and Economic Development
Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Jay Inslee

December 2019

1. Budget concerns at federal agencies:

Wildlife refuges suffer under budget cuts and staff shortages

The ongoing, back door bid to commercialize our national parks

Invasive cats, pigs and more plague most US parks, report warns. Can they be stopped?

2. Is time in nature really good for our health? REI is paying to find out.
3. Washington Fish and Wildlife police work without backup protecting state’s natural resources
4. Car tab initiative impacts:

Car tab initiative could cut into orca recovery

Dear State Democrats, It’s on You to Repair the Damage I-976 Has Wrought

It’s time to make our transportation system less efficient

5. Recreation fans are joining together to flex lobbying muscle

WA outdoor business news:

​ Final Summer Lodging Results At Western Mountain Destinations Are Mixed; Winter Holding Steady

At $2.6 billion increase, tariffs hit all-time high for outdoor industry

Zumiez Notches Another Quarter Of Positive Comps

Nike cuts ties with Amazon, but shoes won’t vanish

Trail news:

Roy Yelm Prairie Line Trail receives PSRC funding

Plans begin forming for Dayton-Waitsburg trail

Hunting and Fishing news:

WDFW Commission Denies Petition To Restrict Popular Skykomish Fisheries

Fishers are back in the North Cascades

The secret preserve that brings baby turtles back to the Columbia Gorge

Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition is a return to cooperation

WDFW sticks with meetings outside law

Got squid? Why officials say you should catch and eat it out of Puget Sound

Additional news:

Swastikas found painted on turtles at Renton park

Editorial: Pave Mountain Loop Highway with good intentions 

Paddleboards vs. pilots: Kenmore Air, Lake Union neighbors clash over crowded waters

AAA Warns Pedestrian Detection Systems Don’t Work When Needed Most

Public pleads to county council for vacation rental moratorium

2019 US Cyclocross National Championships coming to Lakewood Dec. 10-15

Surfrider Foundation Releases 2019 State Of The Beach Report (WA State receives “B” grade)

How ‘landscape urbanism’ is making gentrification look like fun

DNR cancels proposal for Silverdale Ridgetop land exchange

OUTDOORS: Commission to consider Miller Peninsula site of next full-service state park

There is such a thing as a free bus, and we should all take it in 2020

National Gold Medal Award cites Washington State Parks for second year in a row

Spirit Lake tunnel needs $5M to $15M work; officials stress need for access road

British Columbia will no longer log in key Skagit headwaters

Foundation is suing Mountaineers over the use of name

Stiff pushback against decision to allow Mount Rainier-area resort to keep moving

We must rethink what a student athlete is and teach entrepreneurial skills

Congratulations, Sounders and Seattle — and bring on World Cup games in 2026

Race, survival, and birding while black

Spokane Centennial Trail medallions moved after thieves steal hundreds of them

Planning:

WSDOT Active Transportation Plan – We want your opinion—deadline December 15

WDFW seeks applicants for positions on waterfowl advisory group

Grants:

EarthLab launches second round of Innovation Grants: Do you have a collaborative and impactful project idea related to pressing environmental challenges? Apply to the EarthLab Innovation Grants Program. Through this program, EarthLab seeks to invest in teams of academic and community partners that pursue innovative ideas to motivate change. All disciplines at UW are encouraged to apply: https://earthlab.uw.edu/grants/

Jon Snyder
Outdoor recreation and Economic Development Senior Policy Advisor to Gov. Jay Inslee
Office: 360-902-0488   Mobile: 360-584-3804
jon.snyder@gov.wa.gov

Featured Image: USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Lakewood, WA. poster