SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6240

BYSenators 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)

                  February 1, 1988

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES, FEBRUARY 1, 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 strongly 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.

The DNR has the current authority to sell valuable materials from state lands limited to $1,000 or else out for bid.

SUMMARY:

Within the constraints of existing authority to sell material from state-owned lands, the Commissioner of Public Lands may sell wild mushrooms.

The Commissioner shall develop, prior to September 1988, a wild mushroom harvesting program to guarantee that recreational harvesting has a higher priority than commercial harvesting.  Such a program shall include permits, bag limits, and time restrictions.  An advisory committee shall be established.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

Establishes a program within the Department of Agriculture for information about wild mushroom gathering.  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