OLYMPIA—The Recreation and Conservation Office today announced the award of more than $67 million in grants for 105 projects across the state to support outdoor recreation and conservation of wildlife habitat.
The projects develop parks, renovate recreational facilities and preserve important wildlife habitats.
“This investment in our communities is critical,” said Megan Duffy, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office. “It provides more spaces for people to enjoy the outdoors and helps protect the natural environments that make our state unique.” Grants were awarded to projects in the counties below.
The grants fund a range of projects including building a boat ramp at Lake Wenatchee’s only public launch, expanding a parking lot for the Chimacum Ridge Community Forest in Jefferson County, preserving an orchard and shrub-steppe habitat on the foothills overlooking Lake Chelan, building a stretch of a multiuse trail in Port Angeles and building a skatepark on the Colville Indian Reservation in Ferry County.
“All of these projects help keep Washington a place where people want to live, tourists want to visit and businesses want to locate,” Duffy said. “And the money they spend recreating supports Washington’s economy and provides jobs.”
The grants are distributed through a competitive process, ensuring that the most impactful projects receive funding, Duffy said.