Outdoor Alliance Washington brings local recreation groups together, including American Whitewater, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, The Mountaineers, Surfrider Foundation, and Washington Trails Association, to advocate for crucial conservation and outdoor recreation priorities. We were joined on this legislative day by dozens of other cyclists from our friends at WaBikes advocating for initiatives and policies that advance riding in our urban areas. At the end of the day we combined to voice support of a new bill that creates a much needed definition for E-Motos that establish them separate from the current E-Bike classifications.

We met with public officials to discuss the tremendous value of our state's public lands, which support a $25.2 billion outdoor recreation economy and 237,000 jobs. While we appreciate the challenging work of crafting the supplemental operating budget, we made a clear case for maintaining critical investments in our three state land managers: State Parks, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Our discussions focused on two core advocacy asks to ensure our state lands remain healthy, well-managed, and accessible for everyone.

1. $7.5 million per agency funding level for Recreation Lands Maintenance

Our first priority was advocating for the legislature to maintain the existing $7.5 million per agency funding level for Recreation Lands Maintenance.

• The Challenge: Governor Ferguson’s proposed supplemental operating budget includes a painful $2.75 million in cuts across the three agencies—$500,000 for State Parks, $750,000 for DNR, and $1.5 million for WDFW.
• The Impact: This funding is not a luxury; it’s the bedrock of our state's ability to maintain public access. Since 2022, the legislature has made essential investments to address the massive maintenance backlog on state-managed lands. These funds are used to:
  • Improve access by repairing parking lots, roads, and trails.
  • Upgrade facilities to ADA accessibility and fix restrooms.
  • Repair shelters and enhance camping infrastructure.
• The Ask: Cutting this funding would significantly impact land managers’ ability to maintain our recreation lands. These M&O investments represent a significant portion of each agency’s total maintenance spending (about 20% for State Parks, 40% for DNR, and nearly 50% for WDFW). We are asking the legislature to ensure our state public lands remain safe and enjoyable by preserving this existing funding level.

2. Funding for the State-Tribal Recreation Impacts Initiative (STRII)

Our second key request focused on continuing the State-Tribal Recreation Impacts Initiative (STRII), a vital and ongoing collaborative process between state agencies and Tribal Nations.

• What is STRII? This initiative works to improve the management of outdoor recreation, better protect natural and cultural resources, and, critically, preserve protected Tribal rights on state lands.
• The Ask: We strongly support the inclusion of full funding for tribal capacity grants and the facilitation of the STRII process in the 2026 supplemental operating budget. 
• The Significance: We have heard directly from Tribes that STRII is essential to protecting their treaty and cultural rights. These investments are key to securing meaningful, long-term outcomes that will sustain the health of Washington’s state lands in perpetuity, and demonstrate that Evergreen remains a partner in this process that ensures riders have a voice at the table.

We left Olympia feeling energized and hopeful. Our state’s outdoor spaces face growing visitation pressure and increasing impacts from wildfire and flooding. And as federal lands continue to be challenged, we will likely see more pressure on our state lands. Maintaining these critical investments in our state land is the most responsible way to ensure the future of Washington's outdoor legacy.