It really is a good time; I did the very first one years ago - 2006 or 2007........? and also 2015. Fun & interesting - and a worthy thing to do.
"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area."
Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
I went once as well when the big issue was State Parks funding, or lack thereof. Some things that changed maybe in part because of that advocacy is the Discover Pass opt-in and the State Parks $5 opt-out on the DMV license tab renewal form. I just renewed my tabs and left that $5 contribution checked.
The most memorable meeting was with Frank Chopp who mentioned the $5 opt-in plan. But he warned us not to let on to anyone else we were talking to that he was for it -- that would by itself cause others to oppose it. Thank goodness someone is willing to do that job!
I just signed up for another fun day next February. This was a really well organized event last time. Thanks, WTA.
It would be great to see some NWHikers folks at hiker lobby day on Feb. 15th! It's your chance as a hiker to advocate for trails in Olympia and meet with your legislators. No experience required; the training is provided.
Also happening that day is the annual Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition's rally day -- there will be speakers, vendors and many outdoor recreation organizations on the Capital campus all day. A great chance to meet folks who love to get outside.
This happened yesterday and was even more fun than the last time. If you haven't been, watch for a repeat next year, or better yet in 2019 when the alternate year state budget is being determined again. The big overhang this year is the struggle to comply with the McCleary decision to adequately fund K-12 education. I bet every group meeting with their representative or senator heard about that!
But the part of the state budget that is discretionary goes somewhere and representing WTA, trails and outdoor recreation issues is satisfying. There was huge interest this year and I don't think there was room for everyone who wanted to participate. See the WTA FAQ and the Legislative priorities for this year.
2017 WTA hiker rally day
2017 WTA hiker rally day
There's always a lot of downtime in between the few minutes of meetings so I had fun watching to freshman senators pass their first-ever bills and give thank you gifts to the rest of the senators. There was a surprising amount of joking around going on.
Then as a bonus I walked over to the supreme court building and asked whether they had any old maps in the extensive law library there. I didn't expect so, but to my surprise they had a full set of 1936 Metsker Maps squirreled away in a hallway in the basement. I got photographs of the pages I was interested in and told the librarian that their maps were in excellent shape. She said they were pleased that someone finally came to look at them!
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