Discovery Pass vs. Vehicle Use Permit...what to do?

[dea]

I have a Vehicle Use Permit from this year's ( 2011 ) license purchase. But, I'm confused as to how the Discovery Pass plays into this now. Do I need to replace my Vehicle Use Permit with the Discovery Pass for 2011?

[Marc Martyn]

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov

LAND LINE NEWS NOTES

May 2011

New Discover Pass will help keep recreation lands operating

Washington’s new Discover Pass will help keep Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) lands open for recreation, despite reductions in state General Fund support.

Legislation creating the Discover Pass was introduced by state Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-San Juan Islands), passed by the 2011 Legislature and signed into law May 12 by Gov. Chris Gregoire. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, WDFW and the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) jointly requested legislation that led to the creation of the Discover Pass.

During the bill signing, Gov. Gregoire described the Discover Pass as "a solution that allows us to help keep our state recreation lands open and accessible during the worst budget crisis in the state’s history."

The Discover Pass will cost $30 per year or $10 per day for vehicle access to recreation land and water-access sites managed by WDFW, DNR and State Parks.

The pass will be required as of July 1, and will go on sale in mid-June at nearly 600 retail outlets statewide that sell hunting and fishing licenses. It also will be available for purchase online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ or by calling toll free 1-866-320-9933. Beginning next fall, the pass also may be purchased when renewing a vehicle license through the state Department of Licensing.

Holders of certain types of hunting and fishing licenses will not need a Discover Pass for access to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recreation lands and boat launches; instead a Vehicle Access Pass for WDFW recreation lands and water access will be issued free with purchase of a big-game or small-game hunting license, western Washington pheasant permit, trapping license, Watchable Wildlife decal, or saltwater or freshwater or combination recreational fishing license. Fishers and hunters will need a Discover Pass for access to state parks and DNR’s designated recreation areas, sites, trailheads and parking areas. The Discover Pass will not be needed to access undesignated DNR lands.

Details on other exemptions to Discover Pass requirements are detailed at the Discover Pass website at http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov .

"Fishers and hunters already support WDFW recreation lands through their license fees, and that contribution was recognized in the legislation by waiving the Discover Pass requirement for most fishers and hunters on WDFW lands," said Jennifer Quan, WDFW’s land manager.

WDFW also will honor current Vehicle Use Permits on WDFW lands through next March 31. However, current VUP holders will need to purchase a separate Discover Pass for access to other state recreation lands after July 1.

Revenue from the Discover Pass will be split among the three state agencies in proportion to their need for General Fund replacement - 84 percent to State Parks; 8 percent to WDFW; and 8 percent to DNR.

In addition to providing a stable source of land operation revenue, the legislation provides reciprocal authority for law enforcement staff from each agency, to improve public safety and help protect state resources.

For more information on the 840,000-plus acres of land and 700 water-access sites managed by WDFW visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/ .

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[Stacie Kelsey]

Marc I am still trying to get more specific info on this. Hopefully I can report back by tomorrow. It's a bit confusing and been getting a lot of calls.

[G-Man]

DEA - If you already have a WDFW vehicle permit, you are good to go for WDFW managed access points. However, it will do you no good for non WDFW managed areas such as trail head parking, you'll need a Discover Pass for those.

[MarkFromSea]

Coffee Pot??????? Isn't that BLM or non WDFW? Every thing is soooooo much clearer now that they've created yet another piece of legislation........................... :(

[Marc Martyn]

I really don't think that this will fly for long. At least for people that buy fishing licenses and get the vehicle permit with their license. Why, because if they already have a fishing license and a permit, they have to buy a Discovery Pass to hike into an alpine lake to fish. They are getting hit twice. My guess is that in the not to distant future, it will be amended or repealed. This means that if you want to fish Rainy or Cutthroat Lakes in the Cascades, you will have to have a Discovery Pass along with your fishing license. It is a 10 minute walk to Rainy Lake and a 45 minute walk to Cutthroat Lake from the parking lot.

All people that buy a fishing or hunting license with a vehicle permit should be exempt from this. Bird watchers, hikers, mountain bikers who don't have a hunting or fishing license and don't have the vehicle permit should have to purchase the Discovery Pass.

I understand that state revenue is way down and they are strapped for money and they want to keep the parks open. BUT, don't double dip the people having a WDFW issued vehicle permit and license. We have willingly paid the fee for the parking permit for many years without complaining. This means that if I want to fish the Little Spokane in Riverside State Park, I have to pay out an additional $30.00 for another parking permit. Not going to happen.

This brings up another thought. What if I park my car in a developed neighborhood and ride my bike along the Spokane River inside the Riverside State Park. Am I going to be stopped by a ranger who will ask for my Discovery Pass?

Oh, and by the way, I just renewed my truck license and voluntarily made a $5.00 donation to the Washington State Parks. Now I have to pay for a Discovery Pass also to enter and park at a State Park?:-"

In my opinion, this is not very well thought out.

[Anglinarcher]

Careful Marc, it almost sounds like you are joining me on the Dark Side. LOL:-"

[Anglinarcher]

PS, personally, I'm confused about it myself. I don't know where it will be needed or not.

[Gringo Pescador]

What I see them doing next is NOT including the pass with fishing & hunting licenses, then making EVERYBODY buy the discovery pass.

[lonnie197272]

I am in total agreement with Marc and AA this is not right for the people that have and do buy there license every year along with the vehicle permit, two pole permit, all the special hunts and permits we need now. Heres a great idea how about all the wildlife tickets that get issued every year a portion of that goes to the dept. that wrote the violation hmmm seems fairly simple to generate a little more revenue!!

[dea]

Thank you much for the responses. It is clear to me now.

[G-Man]

What I see them doing next is NOT including the pass with fishing & hunting licenses, then making EVERYBODY buy the discovery pass.

I believe that is the intent for next year's fishing/hunting license season. In theory we should see a slight reduction in price for our licenses and we will need to purchase a Discover Pass separately. This may backfire on the State as folks already pay through the nose to use city, county or private launches. I rarely use A WDFW launch as I normally fish the larger lakes and salt, so there is no incentive for me to buy one next year. The people who are really stuck are the river and small eastern Washington lake fishermen as most of the access/launch sites to those waters are State managed. So what I see happening is that the funds from the pass will be split three or more ways, WDFW will get the short end and our public access sites and launches will go to pot in no time. Thanks Christine, I sure as heck didn't vote for you and I'm betting this will be your last term.

[Marc Martyn]

It's easy to point fingers. Here are the real facts about the decrease in revenue for the state due to many global and national conditions.

http://www.erfc.wa.gov/forecast/documen ... 7color.pdf

[Gringo Pescador]

What I see them doing next is NOT including the pass with fishing & hunting licenses, then making EVERYBODY buy the discovery pass.

I believe that is the intent for next year's fishing/hunting license season. In theory we should see a slight reduction in price for our licenses and we will need to purchase a Discover Pass separately. This may backfire on the State as folks already pay through the nose to use city, county or private launches. I rarely use A WDFW launch as I normally fish the larger lakes and salt, so there is no incentive for me to buy one next year. The people who are really stuck are the river and small eastern Washington lake fishermen as most of the access/launch sites to those waters are State managed. So what I see happening is that the funds from the pass will be split three or more ways, WDFW will get the short end and our public access sites and launches will go to pot in no time. Thanks Christine, I sure as heck didn't vote for you and I'm betting this will be your last term.

"slight reduction in price of license fees" my guess it will be VERY slight. I don't see it backfiring because of people in your situation, (IMHO) the number of bankies that will have to buy em will more than make up for the boaters that quit using WDFW launches - just look at the # of vehicles that park at Reiter Ponds#-o

[Matt]

I am going to be pretty angry if they stop including the vehicle tag with my license which was already close to 100$. Throw on another 30 for the pass? If they are going to start charging for the pass I better see a 30$ decrease in my license fee..... Not to mention hunting licenses and special permit apps are running close to 200$ annually, so I am shelling out almost 300$ a year to fish and hunt as is.

[G-Man]

I wouldn't bother with a pass for parking a Reiter. If enforcement was out there more often there wouldn't be a break-in problem.

[Anglinarcher]

It's easy to point fingers. Here are the real facts about the decrease in revenue for the state due to many global and national conditions.

http://www.erfc.wa.gov/forecast/documen ... 7color.pdf

Marc, I see this is 55 pages, but I don't see the independent review to determine how accurate this is. At least at the Fed level we have a so called bi-partisan CBO review.

Nevertheless, have you noticed that fishing access passes are going up with this Discovery Pass, but State Parks are closing all over the State. Central Ferry State Park is all but over grown and will probably never be opened again. The DNR launch on Long Lake/Lake Spokane never opened last year, and will probably never open again. And yet, when the chips are down, the special interest never has their funds cut. My favorite, the "domestic partners" of State Employees get full medical benefits. This was not a well received plan that Chrisse forced on the state, and now that funds are even shorter, you don't see this expensive health plan getting cut. So, in short, is the Discovery Pass a fee to keep parks and access open, or will it be another general fund deposit to keep special interest happy and voting for Chrisse?

Please educate me, I realy do have an open mind.

[yooper_fisher]

I believe this has potential to be a good idea... IF they weren't double dipping the fishermen and hunters! The hikers, bikers, bird watchers, and berry pickers of the world do need to stop piggy backing off of us as paying outdoorsmen and pay their own way. Remember, we also pay special excise taxes when we purchase hunting/fishing gear.

I see this as exploiting a group that the government feels will just take... and that's my 2 cents.

[G-Man]

All this is going to do is take away funds from the WDFW. In the past, if you wanted to park at a WDFW managed site to watch birds, you would need a WDFW pass. You could purchase one separately from a hunting or fishing license so if hunting or fishing wasn't your bag, you could still use and contribute to the facilities. Now in the guise of saving money by combining three agencies, we are presented with a weak, not quite do-all pass. The idea behind the creation of this pass was to help save the State parks and trails so you can guess where the majority of the money collected for this pass will sent. Here is an excerpt from a FAQ on the pass:

Q: How will the money from the pass distributed?

A: DNR would receive 8% of the revenue, WDFW another 8%, and the balance - 84% - would go to State Parks. The legislature projects that pass revenues will total around $65 million per biennium. If the revenue exceeds $71 million, the excess revenue will be split equally among agencies. The agencies may only use this revenue for operating public use and recreational facilities, including trails.

It looks as if the sportsman is being tapped yet again to help fund what others do not want to pay for.

FYI - The pass is good for DNR, WDFW and State Parks only! You will still need to purchase a USFS Trail pass, snow park permit, groomed trails permit, etc. if you want to use those facilities.

[Marc Martyn]

With some free time this afternoon, I am trying to find out where this pass applies to. I called the state parks and asked about access to lakes like Dry Falls. This in all as clear as mud.

Dry Falls and the Sun Lakes is in the state park, so as far as I can decipher, you need a Discovery Pass to park at the lake. Your WDFW permit does not apply. Same way with Steamboat Rock. I was told however, if there is a WDFW launch on the lake, the DP is not needed.

In talking with the National Forest Service, you do not need the pass if parking in the Colville NF, lakes like Browns, Skookum, Bead, Halfmoon, Mystic, etc. If you are on National Forsest land, no Discovery Pass is required. This applies to all NF land.

DNR properties require the DP to park on their land. On the east side, this includes Starvation Lake up by Colville.

Now, what is confusing is, who owns the land? I called the DNR and asked about Bailey Lake and McDowell lakes up by Chewelah. I thought it was DNR land, but according to the DNR, it is NF land. Someone is from DNR is suppose to call me back to clarify those two lakes.

The only way that I can tell who owns what is to go to their sites. For the WDFW access sites go to:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/water_access/

You can search for a body of water by region. If there is an access listed, you can use your WDFW parking permit. If it is not listed, you need the DP.

For DNR lands, here is the page to find out their properties:

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEducati ... e_rec.aspx

This is going to be a legal nightmare. So many people are going to be confused and fined for not having the permit. If for instance, someone is driving through the state and parks at Dry Falls Information Center and spends an hour taking photos and going through the interpretive center, they will come out and find a $99.00 ticket on their windshield. 30 minutes is the maximum parking time without the DP.

The only fair way of funding this is to add an additional $10-20 for all personal vehicle licenses (commercial excluded). We all at one time or another visit a state park or DNR managed land. There should be a discount for persons who have a WDFW fishing or hunting license.

On the east side, it is fairly easy to figure out who owns what. But looking at the maps of the different departments on the west side, well, just pay the $30.00 and forget it. There are so many beaches, trails, lakes, parks and other facilities that could apply, a person would go nuts trying to figure out if it is needed or not.

Oh, BTW, the pass is good for ONE CARE ONLY. Each car needs a pass. At least with the WDFW parking permit, you can add an additional car to the permit.

I did find out that the Centennial Trail in Spokane will require the DP to park at the trail access points. It apparently falls under the jurisdiction of the State Parks.