SENATE BILL REPORT

SSB 6240

BYSenate Committee on Environment & Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Warnke and Metcalf)

Establishing a wild mushroom harvesting program.

Senate Committee on Environment & Natural Resources

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 25, 1988; February 1, 1988

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6240 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Metcalf, Chairman; Smith, Vice Chairman; Barr, Benitz, DeJarnatt, Kreidler, Owen.

Senate Staff:Kaleen Cottingham (786-7415)

                  March 3, 1988

House Committe on Natural Resources

AS PASSED SENATE, FEBRUARY 16, 1988

BACKGROUND:

The harvest of wild mushrooms by recreational and commercial harvesters is currently unregulated.  Because of concerns raised that the increased commercial harvests may deplete the resource, the Department of Natural Resources in 1985 organized an advisory group to study wild mushroom harvest on state-owned land.  That advisory group recommended the implementation of a statewide mushroom harvesting policy to include licensing for commercial harvesting, data collection, and research.

At the September 1987 Board of Natural Resources meeting, the DNR proposed adopting emergency regulations to address the commercial harvesting of mushrooms from trust lands.  The Board rejected the regulations in favor of an effort to gather reliable data on mushrooms and mushroom harvesting.

SUMMARY:

A program is established within the Department of Agriculture for gathering information about wild mushroom harvesting.  Mushroom buyers and processors shall possess an annual license ($75 and $375 respectively).  A mushroom buyer shall document for the Department of Agriculture information about each purchase such as:  site harvested, weight, location of harvest, and price.  Processors shall supply information to the Department regarding quantities of wild mushrooms sold.

The Department shall encourage voluntary reporting by recreational harvesters.

Violations of this act shall constitute a class I civil infraction under RCW 7.80.

Appropriation:    $12,000 to Department of Agriculture and $7,500 as matching grant to University of Washington.

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      requested January 19, 1988

Senate Committee - Testified: Claude Dilly; Ralph Hayford, South Sound Mushroom; Glen Beckett, picker; Pat McElroy, Department of Natural Resources; Margaret Dilly

HOUSE AMENDMENTS:

The appropriation to the Department of Agriculture to implement this wild mushroom permit bill is removed.  The appropriation to the University of Washington for mycological research is removed.  The period for mushroom processors and buyers to report back to the Department of Agriculture is shortened from 30 to 15 days.

The effective date of the act is delayed until January 1, 1989 in order to be consistent with the effective date of RCW 7.80 regarding civil infractions.  The department may, however, take action prior to the effective date in order to implement the act beginning on January 1, 1989.