FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 1957

C 341 L 09

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Identifying qualified applicants and procedures within the Washington wildlife and recreation program.

Sponsors: House Committee on Capital Budget (originally sponsored by Representatives Jacks, Warnick and Van De Wege).

House Committee on Capital Budget

Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation

Background:

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP), created in 1990, provides funds for the acquisition and development of local and state parks, water access sites, trails, critical wildlife habitat, and urban wildlife habitat. Counties, cities, ports, park and recreation districts, school districts, state agencies, and tribes are eligible to apply. Grant applications are evaluated annually; the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCFB) submits a list of prioritized projects to the Governor and Legislature for approval. In the 2007-09 biennial state capital budget, the WWRP received $100 million in state general obligation bonds. Table 1 displays historical appropriations for the WWRP.

Table 1: The WWRP State Capital Budget Appropriations

When biennial funding is less than $40 million, half of the WWRP funding is distributed to the Habitat Conservation Account and half to the Outdoor Recreation Account. If biennial funding is more than $40 million, a portion of the funding is distributed to the Riparian Protection Account and the Farmlands Preservation Account. Allowable uses of funds in each of the four WWRP accounts are summarized in Table 2.

Table 2: Allowable Uses of the WWRP Funds, by Account

Allowable uses of funds in the Habitat Conservation Account and the Riparian Protection Account, include mitigation banking projects. A mitigation bank means a site where habitat is created, restored, enhanced, or preserved to offset authorized project impacts to similar areas. The WWRP mitigation banking funds may not be used to supplant an obligation of a state or local agency to provide mitigation.

The Conservation Commission provides grants and technical assistance to local conservation districts throughout Washington.

Nonprofit nature conservancies acquire land and purchase conservation easements to preserve land that is under private ownership.

Summary:

Mitigation banking projects are removed from the statutory list of allowable uses of the Habitat Conservation Account and the Riparian Protection Account.

Nonprofit nature conservancy organizations and associations are added to the list of eligible recipients of funding from the four WWRP accounts, and the Conservation Commission is added to eligible recipients of funding from the Riparian Protection Account and the Farmlands Preservation Account.

The Recreation and Conservation Office is directed to evaluate and report on the advantages, disadvantages, and costs of various land preservation mechanisms including fee simple acquisitions, conservation easements, term conservation easements, and leases.

Votes on Final Passage: