OLYMPIA–The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office today announced the award of nearly $190 million in grants to communities statewide to improve outdoor recreation and conserve important wildlife habitat for Washingtonians and the plants and animals that live here.
The grants were awarded to a variety of organizations to renovate parks, build trails and create new places for people to recreate outdoors. The grants also made investments in conserving lands that are homes to plants and animals at risk of extinction and that preserve Washington’s agricultural and forestry legacy, such as important working farms and forests.
“These grants advance our priority to protect Washington’s world-class outdoor recreation offerings enjoyed by locals and travelers from across the globe,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “I’m proud of these investments. They will go a long way to ensuring Washington’s outdoor areas are healthy, open and usable by everyone.”
Grants were awarded to projects in the following counties. See grant descriptions.
| County | Grants Awarded | County | Grants Awarded | |
| Adams County | $850,000 | Columbia County | $143,000 | |
| Asotin County | $446,017 | Cowlitz County | $1,059,164 | |
| Chelan County | $7,530,031 | Douglas County | $2,757,455 | |
| Clallam County | $4,593,447 | Ferry County | $180,000 | |
| Clark County | $3,315,000 | Garfield County | $700,000 | |
| Grant County | $2,224,990 | Pierce County | $16,640,031 | |
| Grays Harbor County | $4,131,512 | San Juan County | $6,460,200 | |
| Island County | $1,528,050 | Skagit County | $1,222,000 | |
| Jefferson County | $4,280,110 | Skamania County | $1,995,400 | |
| King County | $24,357,221 | Snohomish County | $7,727,070 | |
| Kitsap County | $8,860,586 | Spokane County | $3,065,392 | |
| Kittitas County | $24,375,744 | Stevens County | $1,369,995 | |
| Klickitat County | $11,619,179 | Thurston County | $9,977,147 | |
| Lewis County | $271,750 | Wahkiakum County | $95,404 | |
| Lincoln County | See List of Projects | Walla Walla County | $1,219,423 | |
| Mason County | $6,261,782 | Whatcom County | $5,435,523 | |
| Okanogan County | $7,144,529 | Whitman County | $2,617,539 | |
| Pacific County | $8,162,201 | Yakima County | $2,807,050 | |
| Pend Oreille County | $67,500 | Multiple Counties | $3,645,670 |
“These grants will provide so many benefits to Washington residents,” said Ted Willhite, chair of the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, which awarded most of the grants. “We know that people are healthier, mentally and physically, when they spend time outside. We also know that Washington’s businesses are healthier because of our outdoor spaces. People spend $26.5 billion a year for outdoor recreation trips and equipment, which supports 264,000 jobs–rivaling our aerospace industry. These grants recognize the importance of outdoor recreation in the lives of everyday Washingtonians.”
The grants ranged from $7,000 to teach scout troops about horsemanship and trail stewardship to more than $14 million to conserve a Kittitas County ranch and the wildlife habitat it supports. Grants went to projects in 37 of Washington’s 39 counties.
“We’ve seen such wonderful projects from grant applicants,” Willhite said. “I wish we could fund them all. Knowing that we could only fund some of them shows that there is a great need for continued investment in Washington’s outdoors.”