HOUSE BILL REPORT

SHB 1098

BYHouse Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives Haugen, S. Wilson, Jacobsen and Beck)

Requiring an agreement with the federal government for the exchange of certain tidelands on the Olympic peninsula.

House Committe on Natural Resources

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (19)

      Signed by Representatives Sutherland, Chair; K. Wilson, Vice Chair, Amondson, Basich, Beck, Belcher, Bumgarner, Cole, Fuhrman, Hargrove, Haugen, R. King, Meyers, Sayan, Schmidt, C. Smith, Spanel, B. Williams and S. Wilson.

House Staff:Bill Koss (786-7129)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 18, 1987

BACKGROUND:

Keystone Spit, on Whidbey Island, lies immediately east of the ferry terminal at Keystone near the Fort Casey State Park.  That portion of the privately-owned spit includes 1.3 miles of no-bank waterfront on the western shores of the island.  The property also abuts Crockett Lake, a marshy tidal area used by Seattle Pacific University for classroom purposes.

Owners of the spit want to sell the property.  Currently, the property is sub-divided but is not suitable for building construction due to sewage disposal limitations.  It has an assessed value of $1.5 million.

The National Park Service manages the nearby Fort Ebey National Historical Reserve.  It identified the spit as fourth out of 18 in importance for acquisition under their "preservation priorities."

In 1967, the legislature created the Seashore Conservation Area (SCA) which includes property along the western part of the Olympic Peninsula.  Management in the SCA is done by the State Parks and Recreation Commission.  The purpose of the SCA is to preserve the coastline for public outdoor recreation.

SUMMARY:

The Parks and Recreation Commission shall enter into a land exchange with the federal government if the federal government acquires a parcel of land known as the Keystone Spit on Whidbey Island.  The Parks and Recreation Commission will exchange with the federal government state-owned tidelands adjacent to the Olympic National Park, excluding tidelands within the boundaries of Indian reservations.

In making the exchange, the state waives any requirement that the exchanged parcels be of equal value, and that the Parks and Recreation Commission approve the exchange.

Any conveyance document shall specify that clam digging and fishing will continue on the tidelands.

Authority for the exchange expires July 31, 1988.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):  The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) currently owns the tidelands proposed for exchange, though the Parks Commission manages them.  If the state and the federal government agree to exchange the tidelands for Keystone Spit, DNR will give a quit claim deed to the Parks Commission for the tidelands.

If the exchange is made, the Natural Park Service agrees to include in the conveyance document an agreement to consult with the Parks Commission regarding any rules or management changes.  The National Park Service will endeavor to accommodate the state's interests in any rule or management changes.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Yvonne Ferrell, Parks and Recreation Commission; Albert Heath, Elmer Johnston and Ken Pickard, Friends of Ebey; and Vicki Brown, Ebey's Landing Trust Board.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Keystone Spit is a unique parcel of low bank waterfront, in a historical area.  The state can put this parcel of land into public ownership now by making the exchange, since the landowner wants to sell the property and the federal government may purchase it.  Giving federal control to the coastal tidelands will not diminish the public's access to the property or impair its use.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.

VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Yeas 97; Absent 1

Absent:     Representative Grimm