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ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1056

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State of Washington 55th Legislature 1997 Regular Session

By House Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives Hatfield, Pennington, Doumit, Mielke, Johnson, Buck, Kessler, Sheldon, Mastin, Grant, Thompson, DeBolt, Quall, Boldt and Linville)

Read first time 02/21/97.

AN ACT Relating to natural area preserves; adding a new section to chapter 79.71 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 79.71 RCW to read as follows:

The property currently designated as the Elk river natural area preserve is transferred from management under chapter 79.70 RCW as a natural area preserve to management under chapter 79.71 RCW as a natural resources conservation area. The legislature finds that upland uses of motorized vehicles do not constitute low-impact public uses within the Elk river natural resources conservation area. The legislature further finds that hunting is a suitable low-impact public use within the Elk river natural resources conservation area. The department of natural resources shall incorporate this legislative direction into the management plan developed for the Elk river natural resources conservation area. The department shall work with the department of fish and wildlife to identify hunting opportunities compatible with the area's conservation purposes.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) There is created the joint select committee on natural area preserves. The joint select committee shall consist of six members, three members from the house of representatives and three members from the senate. The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint the house of representatives members, appointing at least one member from each caucus. The president of the senate shall appoint the senate members, appointing at least one member from each caucus. The committee shall choose a chair and vice-chair from among its membership.

(2) The committee shall conduct a broad review of the natural area preserve program. The committee's review shall include but not be limited to:

(a) A review of the current statutes in chapter 79.70 RCW and of the original intent of the legislation creating chapter 79.70 RCW;

(b) A review of the existing rules formulated under chapter 79.70 RCW and an analysis of the extent to which the rules properly comply with the original legislative intent;

(c) An evaluation of what the programs established by chapter 79.70 RCW have accomplished and whether these accomplishments are consistent with the original intent of the legislation;

(d) Identification of opportunities to provide better public notice regarding any future natural area preserves, including notice of when an area is being considered for designation as a natural area preserve, notice of when the department of natural resources is considering acquiring land for a preserve, and notice and solicitation of public input when the department of natural resources is developing a management plan for a preserve;

(e) An evaluation of how natural area preserve designation has interfered with or otherwise impacted neighboring property owners;

(f) An evaluation of whether to expand public activities such as hunting and fishing within some or all natural area preserves and a recommendation on how such an expansion might be accomplished; and

(g) Other study elements identified by the committee.

(3) The joint select committee shall be staffed by senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.

(4) The joint select committee shall complete its analysis and report its recommendations to the legislature by December 1, 1997.

(5) The joint select committee expires April 1, 1998.