State Awards Nearly $190 Million for Outdoor Recreation and Wildlife Habitat Conservation

The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office today announced the award of nearly $190 million in grants to communities statewide to improve outdoor recreation and conserve important wildlife habitat for Washingtonians and the plants and animals that live here.

The grants were awarded to a variety of organizations to renovate parks, build trails and create new places for people to recreate outdoors. The grants also made investments in conserving lands that are homes to plants and animals at risk of extinction and that preserve Washington’s agricultural and forestry legacy, such as important working farms and forests.

“These grants advance our priority to protect Washington’s world-class outdoor recreation offerings enjoyed by locals and travelers from across the globe,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “I’m proud of these investments. They will go a long way to ensuring Washington’s outdoor areas are healthy, open and usable by everyone.”

Grants were awarded to projects in the following counties. See grant descriptions.

Adams County.................. $850,000

Columbia County.............. $143,000

Asotin County................... $446,017

Cowlitz County............... $1,059,164

Chelan County............... $7,530,031

Douglas County............. $2,757,455

Clallam County............... $4,593,447

Ferry County.................... $180,000

Clark County.................. $3,315,000

Garfield County................. $700,000

Grant County.................. $2,224,990

Pierce County.............. $16,640,031

Grays Harbor County...... $4,131,512

San Juan County........... $6,460,200

Island County................. $1,528,050

Skagit County................ $1,222,000

Jefferson County............ $4,280,110

Skamania County........... $1,995,400

King County................. $24,357,221

Snohomish County......... $7,727,070

Kitsap County................. $8,860,586

Spokane County............ $3,065,392

Kittitas County.............. $24,375,744

Stevens County............. $1,369,995

Klickitat County............. $11,619,179

Thurston County............ $9,977,147

Lewis County.................... $271,750

Wahkiakum County............. $95,404

Lincoln County... See List of Projects

Walla Walla County........ $1,219,423

Mason County................ $6,261,782

Whatcom County........... $5,435,523

Okanogan County.......... $7,144,529

Whitman County............ $2,617,539

Pacific County................ $8,162,201

Yakima County.............. $2,807,050

Pend Oreille County............ $67,500

Multiple Counties........... $3,645,670

“These grants will provide so many benefits to Washington residents,” said Ted Willhite, chair of the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, which awarded most of the grants. “We know that people are healthier, mentally and physically, when they spend time outside. We also know that Washington’s businesses are healthier because of our outdoor spaces. People spend $26.5 billion a year for outdoor recreation trips and equipment, which supports 264,000 jobs–rivaling our aerospace industry. These grants recognize the importance of outdoor recreation in the lives of everyday Washingtonians.”

The grants ranged from $7,000 to teach scout troops about horsemanship and trail stewardship to more than $14 million to conserve a Kittitas County ranch and the wildlife habitat it supports. Grants went to projects in 37 of Washington’s 39 counties. See grant descriptions

“We’ve seen such wonderful projects from grant applicants,” Willhite said. “I wish we could fund them all. Knowing that we could only fund some of them shows that there is a great need for continued investment in Washington’s outdoors.”