Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout111224 - RCO Newsletter - November 2024ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/1d9e606c-e643-9cc9-ddd8-3c4e3a1ffa7e.png> Message from the Director Welcome to the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office’s (RCO) November newsletter. In this bimonthly newsletter, we will share useful news about important policy changes, upcoming grant deadlines, and approaching issues, as well as celebrate successful projects that help make Washington a great place to live, work, and play. Please enjoy! Announcements * After more than thirty-two years of state service, twenty-five of it at RCO, salmon grant section manager, Marc Duboiski has retired. * Deena Resnick, administrative assistant for the salmon grants section, moved on to a new role at the Department of Ecology. * Grant services administrative assistant, Blake Brady, has taken a position at King County Parks. What's Happening Record Level of Interest in Outdoor Education Learn more Working Together to Save Orcas Learn more Pets Take Part in Invasive Species Awareness Learn more <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/5016463a-2b16-3b4e-3672-49d86d555cd2.png> Kent Receives Grant in National Competition Learn more Developing a Plan for Salmon’s Future Learn more <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/5e883392-01ce-9b6f-9c01-c49192413c8c.png> $42 Million Requested in Fall Grant Round Learn more <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/17e5399c-3412-904e-230a-d8cfd6ba83b4.png> Record Level of Interest in Outdoor Education A record 261 applications were received during the No Child Left Inside grant round that closed October 31! More than $21 million in assistance was requested. This eclipses the previous record set in the past biennium with 174 applications requesting more than $12 million. These grants provide funding to improve the overall academic performance, self-esteem, health, and connection to nature for youth and to empower local communities to engage youth in outdoor education and recreation experiences. Typical activities include environmental education, leadership development, outdoor recreation and adventure, stewardship activities, and camp programs. This year, the grant program was given heightened attention because it was included in the Wilderness Society’s “Nature Awaits” campaign <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86d dd51107b5e&id=c64e894b06&e=186c5ff3d1> , which spotlights nature-based outdoor programs across the nation that are helping get youth outdoors by reducing barriers to access. Applications will be evaluated by the advisory committee between January and March 2025. In March, the ranked lists of projects will be presented to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission director for preliminary approval. *Image used in partnership with The Wilderness Society <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/cf6041af-4afe-9296-d321-cc020af28584.png> Pets Take Part in Spreading Invasive Species Awareness The Washington Invasive Species Council held its second annual Halloween Invasive Species Pet Costume Contest <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=dcf405419e&e= 186c5ff3d1> , which helps raise awareness of the council’s Don’t Let It Loose campaign, a program that seeks to prevent the release of pets into the wild. First-, second-, and third-place winners of the contest received a gift card to a pet supply company. First place went to Harmony C. and her dog Walter Smiles, dressed as a brown marmorated stink bug. Second place went to Rhiannon B. for her dog Rascal‘s yellow star-thistle costume. Third place went to Bonnie and Beth A. and their two adorable golden retrievers, Aladdin and Phoenix, dressed as American bullfrogs. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/8934810f-a489-2f9a-66bb-af3d3a59b43f.png> Developing a Plan for Salmon's Future The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office published the 2025-2027 biennial work plan <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=3530ca146a&e=186c5ff3d1> , which includes statewide work priorities with a recommended budget to implement the Governor’s Salmon Strategy <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=5db0763b4 0&e=186c5ff3d1> . The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office is responsible for maintaining and implementing the salmon strategy, which was updated in 2021, to renew and strengthen the State’s commitment to salmon recovery. The recommended budget is aligned with known tribal priorities and implements regional recovery plans. It includes $1.2 billion in agency requests focused on thriving habitat and ecosystems, clean and abundant water, fish passage, climate resilience, predation management, fisheries enforcement and investments, and strengthening science. The salmon strategy supports State efforts to save salmon, and the work plan keeps the work moving forward by focusing on the highest priority programs and initiatives to recover salmon. The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office worked with the Office of the Governor, the Natural Resources Subcabinet, tribal organizations, and regional salmon recovery organizations to determine the most critical investments in this biennium. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/eed0d2ef-7ee9-7845-2103-b21962382e04.png> Working Together to Save Orcas Orca Recovery Day <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=66e8e6e792&e=186c5ff3d1> was October 19, and people across Washington and Oregon hosted and attended events that built awareness and made a difference for Puget Sound’s Southern Resident orcas. There were planting events, litter clean-up, educational family-fun events, and a couple of virtual events that highlighted the long road to orca recovery and the link between salmon and orca. A planting event at Squaxin Park in Olympia, was attended by RCO’s Kendall Kohler. She gave a short talk about the day’s work and its impact on salmon and orca and then, along with about 150 others, planted native species like cedars and big leaf maples and removed invasive English ivy. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/a2a9ebbf-dd5e-6082-7fc0-c70bd802dd6c.png> Kent Receives Grant in National Competition The City of Kent was awarded a $3.1 million grant for its Uplands Playfield and Spray Park from the Land and Water Conservation Fund’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, a national program that provides grants to help larger cities create or reinvigorate outdoor recreation spaces in park-deprived areas. Along with the RCO grant <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=90341893be&e=186c5ff3d1> , the City provided $3.1 million in match, for a total of $6.3 million, to replace the park’s ball fields, add a water spray park (a first in Kent), add a children’s play area, and other park amenities such as connections to a regional trail, a picnic shelter and shade structure. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/0a27f45c-a5b5-0b2e-d22b-541ad1f16e2d.png> $42 Million Requested in Fall Grant Round The second round of recreation and conservation grant applications closed on October 31. These grants include the Boating Facilities Program <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10ae d86ddd51107b5e&id=4488ba88da&e=186c5ff3d1> (BFP), Firearms and Archery Range Recreation Program <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=3a239be324&e=186c5ff3d1> (FARR), Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=16ccb789f7&e=186c5ff3d1> (NOVA), and the Recreational Trails Program <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=2d837791c4&e=186c5ff3d1> (RTP). There were 172 grant applications received, requesting $42 million. In November, applications will undergo technical reviews. RCO staff and advisory committee members will review projects to ensure eligibility, identify any issues of concern, and provide feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal. Applicants then may make changes to improve the projects, if needed. BFP and FARR applicants then must present their projects to advisory committees for evaluation. For NOVA and RTP, the written grant applications will be reviewed by advisory committees, but no presentation is required. However, NOVA applicants will meet with the advisory committee to answer questions before the committee submits scores. The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board will approve grant awards at its June meeting and RCO will begin issuing agreements in July. <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=39cc369c11&e=186c5ff3d1> <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=e0107deb00&e=186c5ff3d1> <https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-link-48.png> view this email in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/rco.wa.gov/rco-newsletter-november-2024?e=186c5ff3d1> © 2024 Recreation and Conservation Office, all rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? Subscribe <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=e658818c62&e=186c5ff3d1> to newsletter or unsubscribe <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=f12461e10ae d86ddd51107b5e&id=1945f2650d&t=b&e=186c5ff3d1&c=ef0eae3dd6> . <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/open.php?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=ef0eae3dd6&e=186c5ff3d1> oudSettingsUrl