Timothy, I have no idea how my posts were allowed to be so long if others long posts sometimes aren't! I have only blogged a few times before. Anyway, I just typed in the little box and hit Submit button! It never said it was too long of a post. Maybe I just have the Magic Touch!!
Hope my posts haven't annoyed people too much due to their length. Felt it was very important info in the long posts, though. Really hope we can mobilize and help save these parks!

I agree! It is beautiful! A treasure! Montesano is a neat little town to visit, too!
By the way, I really appreciate all your insight into this parks issue, too.

I agree!! Hopefully many of you actually want to DO SOMETHING to stop these 13 state parks from being closed. Here is how: we already know all of you like to voice your opinions, now you can do it in a way that may just make a big difference and keep these parks from closing! Here is a website you can go to to contact your elected officials and voice your concern and ask them to protect and preserve our state parks and keep them open and accessible to the public for generations to come. Make sure and contact your legislators and maybe the governor and the Commissioner Of Public lands!! Here's the website:

http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/elected_offi...

Now hopefully we will see the Power Of The People!!

Hopefully many of you actually want to DO SOMETHING to stop these 13 state parks from being closed. Here is a website you can go to to contact your elected officials and voice your concern and ask them to protect and preserve our state parks and keep them open and accessible to the public for generations to come. Make sure and contact your legislators and maybe the governor and the Commissioner Of Public lands!! Here's the website:

http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/elected_offi...

Now hopefully we will see the Power Of The People!!

Another idea to promote, if day use fees were ever to be imposed at state parks:
What a great gift that would be for grandparents to get their kids' families: a yearly pass to all state parks as a gift for Christmas!! I've been known to give memberships to NW Trek, or zoos, or the Science Center, and Childrens' Museums in the past. This would be another great idea! I like the idea of providing memories for them and enrichment for them! And one size fits all!!

As for my family and I, we care about all our county, city, state, and Nat'l parks, and nat'l forests, and threatened precious lands other places in the world, as well. In fact our own private personal property is a certified Nat'l Wildlife Federation wildlife habitat. We even bought add'l property adjacent to ours to preserve it as well.
On January 25th and 26th we went to 7 parks on the Olympic Peninsula in just those two days! Not all were state parks, though, some were Nat'l ones. None charged fees for day use, which was nice. If they did charge day use fees, then I'd support having yearly passes so you could pay once a year and have unlimited use of the parks. We do that with the Nat'l Parks Passes and usually with the Trail Passes, as well. As often, if you are hiking early, or on the weekends, the places you buy the passes are not open when you need them. It would sure be nice if the parks could stay open and free, though.

Actually "NIMBY" refers to "Not In My BackYard". It refers to one who complains about something on the sole basis of it's proximity to them. If it were in someone else's "backyard", then they wouldn't care. Don't see how it relates to this topic really.
Usually it is used when something someone sees as negative wants to be located by them. They fight it because they don't want it near them, not because they are really against it existing ... just want it to be by other people, not them!!
A very loose interpretation, inaccurate interpretation, of it (NIMBY) could possibly be used if maybe someone only cared about the park nearest to them and didn't care about any other parks. Maybe there are some people like that. I know, as for me and my family, we care about all our county, city, state, and Nat'l parks, and nat'l forests, and threatened precious lands other places in the world, as well. In fact our own private personal property is a certified Nat'l Wildlife Federation wildlife habitat. We even bought add'l property adjacent to ours to preserve it as well.

Yeah, that went so well for the people of Alaska! Palin billed them for the time she worked & stayed at home!

I am posting this again, as it ended up pages before & I didn't think people would realize it was a new post.
I agree wholeheartedly with meta4: These parks are precious and should be preserved for all to enjoy responsibly. I'd really hate to see them close. Out of the 13 parks listed that may be closed we have been to at least half of them.
Does anyone know if there is a conservation organization specifically for State Parks? I belong and/or support a number of organizations: one that is for National Parks: National Parks Conservation Association, and others that are for others in the US & world: World Wildlife Fund, Nat'l Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, etc. All wonderful organizations, but I was curious if there is one whose specific target or focus is conserving & protecting State Parks, though.
I just visited the Wa. State Parks website and made a list of them and where they are all located, in hopes of visiting them before they close. The website is:
www.parks.wa.gov/alph.asp
You can click on individual parks for detailed info on them.
Here's the "Readers' Digest condensed version" of where these parks are:
Old Fort Townsend: 4 mi. so. of Port Townsend, near Hwy. 20.
Lake Sylvia: Near Montesano
Joemma Beach: Off Key Peninsula Hwy. about 15 mi. from Purdy.
Kopachuck: Gig Harbor Peninsula.
Lake Osoyoos: near Oroville by Hwy.97.
Brooks Memorial: By Goldendale in So. Central Wa.
Schafer: Between Matlock & Elma.
Bogachiel: Off Hwy. 101 on Pacific coast, between Kalaloch & Forks.
Tolmie: Olympia area.
Fay Bainbridge: Bainbridge Island.
Fort Okanogan: E. WA. on bluff above Columbia River, near Brewster.
Wenberg: Lake Goodwin near Stanwood.
Fort Ward: Bainbridge Island.

Let's all visit these parks soon and if everyone does and writes the powers that be, then maybe we can stop them from closing. If local counties or cities could take over the parks it would be great. However most counties and cities are looking at ways to rein in their budgets and get by on less, too.

I agree wholeheartedly with meta4: These parks are precious and should be preserved for all to enjoy responsibly. I'd really hate to see them close. Out of the 13 parks listed that may be closed we have been to at least half of them.
Does anyone know if there is a conservation organization specifically for State Parks? I belong and/or support a number of organizations: one that is for National Parks: National Parks Conservation Association, and others that are for others in the US & world: World Wildlife Fund, Nat'l Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nature Conservancy, etc. All wonderful organizations, but I was curious if there is one whose specific target or focus is conserving & protecting State Parks, though.
I just visited the Wa. State Parks website and made a list of them and where they are all located, in hopes of visiting them before they close. The website is:
<a href="http://www.parks.wa.gov/alph.asp" target="_blank">www.parks.wa.gov/alph.asp
You can click on individual parks for detailed info on them.
Here's the "Readers' Digest condensed version" of where these parks are:
Old Fort Townsend: 4 mi. so. of Port Townsend, near Hwy. 20.
Lake Sylvia: Near Montesano
Joemma Beach: Off Key Peninsula Hwy. about 15 mi. from Purdy.
Kopachuck: Gig Harbor Peninsula.
Lake Osoyoos: near Oroville by Hwy.97.
Brooks Memorial: By Goldendale in So. Central Wa.
Schafer: Between Matlock & Elma.
Bogachiel: Off Hwy. 101 on Pacific coast, between Kalaloch & Forks.
Tolmie: Olympia area.
Fay Bainbridge: Bainbridge Island.
Fort Okanogan: E. WA. on bluff above Columbia River, near Brewster.
Wenberg: Lake Goodwin near Stanwood.
Fort Ward: Bainbridge Island.

Let's all visit these parks soon and if everyone does and writes the powers that be, then maybe we can stop them from closing. If local counties or cities could take over the parks it would be great. However most counties and cities are looking at ways to rein in their budgets and get by on less, too.