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               ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6231

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State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Parks (originally sponsored by Senators Hargrove, Anderson, Snyder, Swecker, T. Sheldon, Oke and Goings)

Read first time 02/06/98.

Limiting the near-term growth of the natural area preserve program, and providing for a study of the program.  

    AN ACT Relating to natural area preserves; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The department of natural resources shall not adopt a new management plan pertaining to any natural area preserves in Grays Harbor county and Pacific county before January 10, 1999.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The senate natural resources and parks committee shall study the following aspects of the natural area preserves program created under chapter 79.70 RCW:

    (1) The potential impact, if any, of defining natural area preserve boundaries which encompass land that has not yet been purchased for the program;

    (2) The correlation between the goals and purposes of the natural area preserve program and the natural resource conservation area program and the potential integration of the two programs in selected areas;

    (3) The current procedures that ensure the adequacy of local public input concerning natural area preserve boundaries and management;

    (4) The criteria and scientific methods used to ensure that natural area preserves fulfill the purposes of the program.

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