Who Must Plan
For recreation and conservation grant programs, you must complete a long-range comprehensive plan before you apply to the following grant programs:
- Boating Facilities Program
- Land and Water Conservation Fund
- Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities (except for projects in the Education and Enforcement Category and maintenance and operations projects)
- Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program recreation and habitat grants (except for Farmland and Forestland Preservation Categories)
The planning requirements differ by grant program so please read the grant manuals for details.
In general, salmon recovery projects should be included as a priority in either a regional recovery plan or other plan or strategy that supports salmon recovery.
Submission Requirements
- A comprehensive parks and recreation or habitat conservation plan along with documentation of the public outreach used to develop the plan.
- Completed Self-Certification Form checklist (see Manual 2: Planning Guidelines, appendix B).
- Copy of the ordinance or resolution that indicates plan adoption.
Use Manual 2: Planning Guidelines as a starting point. Sample plans and statewide recreational plans are available as resources. If you would like, staff can review your plan before adoption.
Materials for plan eligibility should be emailed to Nick Norton or provided by electronic access (Box.com, OneDrive, etc.).
Planning Eligibility
Plans are eligible for six years from the date of adoption. Check the links below to see if your organization already has an approved plan.
Cities and counties that combine parks, recreation, and/or open space planning in required periodic updates under the Growth Managment Act may request extended eligibility beyond six years. To request this, email a completed Extended Eligibility Request Form to Nick Norton.
Cities and counties combining parks, recreation, and/or open space planning into their first comprehensive plans required under the Growth Management Act may receive temporary eligibility. This allows them to compete for grants that require planning eligibility while only having draft plans. To request temporary eligibility, email a completed Temporary Eligibility Request Form and a copy of the draft parks, recreation, and/or open space plan to Nick Norton.
Questions?
Nick Norton, policy and planning specialist
360-902-3137
Relay Service for the Hearing Impaired: call 711
Additional Resources
The Department of Commerce administers the Growth Management Act and has many helpful publications.
Local governments also may want to check the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington for additional assistance.
The Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks guide is useful for rural areas and public lands.