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HomeMy WebLinkAbout051525 - RCO Newsletter - May 2025ALERT: 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) newsletter. This bimonthly newsletter is your peek into what’s happening at RCO. This month, we update you on efforts to remove European green crabs, as well as how salmon recovery is going in the state. We’re also excited to announce the debut of our updated Washington State Trails Database and to share with you the opening of a neighborhood park and highlights from an annual celebration of Billy Frank Jr. Thanks for reading! Announcements * Salmon Recovery Funding Board meets June 4 <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=44c7d87434&e=186c5ff3d1> * Recreation and Conservation Funding Board meets June 24 <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=8687ed38fe&e=186c5ff3d1> * Sarah Johnson Humphries, manager of the Cultural Resources Unit, left RCO March 31 to work for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. * Sandy Dotts, a grants manager for the Salmon Section, retired in April after twenty-four years of state service. * Kat Moore was promoted to manager of the Salmon Section April 1. Kat has worked her way up through RCO, beginning as a salmon grants manager in 2010, promoting to a senior grants manager in 2013, then to the assistant section manager in 2024 before taking on this new role. * Nick Reinhardt, RCO’s first policy intern, left RCO at the end of April. Nick took on the huge project of updating a statewide trails database. * Stephanie Jolivette will join RCO May 16 as the manager of the Cultural Resources Unit. She comes from the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, where she served as the local government archaeologist for nearly seven years. * Anna Krumpos will join RCO May 16 as the administrative assistant for the Recreation and Conservation Section. She comes from the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, where she supported more than fifty staff members as the administrative assistant for Child Nutrition Services. * Anita Macpherson will join RCO on May 19 as the administrative services manager. She comes from Kent School District where she served as director of employment support. Before that, she held several leadership roles with the district throughout the years, including assistant principal and assistant director of employment support. * Leslie Frank, the administrative services manager, will retire June 1 after more than thirty-five years of state service. She started as an executive assistant and her duties grew to include human resources and office management. * Monica Handwerk, an administrative assistant for the Recreation and Conservation Grants Section, moved to North Carolina and will finish working for RCO in June. * Kathleen Barkis, an administrative assistant, will retire June 30 after twenty years with the agency. She served as receptionist for many years and most recently has helped digitize RCO records. What's Happening Updating Recreation Grant Policies Learn more Celebrating the Life and Stewardship of Billy Frank Jr. Learn more Progress on European Green Crab Removal Learn more <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/846f0c45-2380-4090-a1e3-c3f4ef8298c0.png> New Report on Status of Salmon Coming Soon Learn more Revamped Trails Database Debuts Learn more <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/5a855248-3477-a1f8-1cd1-0c8363c761b9.png> Seattle Parks and Recreation Unveils New Park Learn more <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/2241fb6f-3669-7a95-74e7-74929904a7a8.png> Updating Recreation Grant Policies In April, the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board made three policy decisions <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=a6f3634eae&e=186c5ff3d1> about acquisition projects. The first decision creates opportunities for entities to request funding for an acquisition project if they manage a property for recreation or conservation, but don’t currently own it. This would help the entity protect the property into the future and allow for more proactive control to support the public benefit. The second decision increases the time for people to complete the acquisition component of a combination project. Previously, people had ninety days to close or execute the acquisition of a combination project. The new timeline approved by the board gives people eighteen months to close the acquisition. And finally, the board made pre-agreement earnest or option payments eligible for reimbursement if they are applied to the eventual purchase price. This means that when someone has to pay a little money to show they are serious about buying property or to have the right to make an offer on a property, the board will now allow those costs to become reimbursable. This can even be before the sponsor got an RCO grant, as long as that money eventually goes towards the total purchase price of the property. Photo by Justin Haug <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/e54c2f8c-c8df-863f-2916-4916cbbf933d.png> Progress Made on European Green Crab Removal European green crab continue to be a problem in Washington, but the collaboration amongst state agencies, Tribes, and others have resulted in removing record numbers of them. European green crab is an invasive marine crab found in estuaries and intertidal zones along the Pacific coast. Though only about four inches wide, they are voracious and opportunistic predators that compete with and prey upon native crabs and shellfish, while destroying salmon habitat in the process. They are one of the world’s worst invasive species. First detected in Washington waters in 1998, European green crab populations skyrocketed by 2022, resulting in former Governor, Jay Inslee, declaring a statewide emergency <https://rco.us4.list-manag e.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=8be0c7990e&e=186c5ff3d1> that directed Fish and Wildlife to respond to the problem. As a result, RCO and Fish and Wildlife formed an agreement to develop and execute interagency agreements of more than one million dollars each year to support rapid response, research, and removal of European green crabs. Washington Invasive Species Council staff member Jessica La Belle administers these agreements and facilitates the European Green Crab Multi-Agency Coordination Group, which consists of federal, state, Tribal, and local government partners, as well as non-governmental partners. This group shares information and advises Fish and Wildlife on prioritizing incident resources. Since the partnership between RCO and Fish and Wildlife began, the amounts of European green crab removed continues to increase. In 2022, more than 286,000 crabs were removed, in 2023, more than 360,000 crabs were removed, and in 2024 more than one million crabs were removed. As of March 30, this year, 94,942 green crabs have been captured and removed. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/f57e3ea0-460b-b839-acfb-9bf35a33dfc8.png> Revamped Washington Trails Database Debuts RCO is excited to announce that an updated release of the Washington State Trails Database is now available. The new version features more than 20,000 miles of trail segments, reduced trail segment duplication, and improved data attribution. Developed in response to interest from Washington State Legislators, the database serves as an authoritative and comprehensive resource for trail managers and planners. It brings together data from multiple jurisdictional agencies into one place, ensuring accuracy and consistency to support statewide planning and maintenance. Through the hub site, authorized users can make updates and contribute data to ensure the most current and complete trail information is available. Visit the Washington State Trails Database <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=36c4ca3668&e=186c5ff3d1> site for more information. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/44ff7904-ca4c-96fe-4cf6-bc463cb24376.png> Celebrating the Life and Stewardship of Billy Frank Jr. The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office, with assistance from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, hosted a booth at the Billy Frank Jr. Celebration in March to share information about the state’s salmon and orca recovery efforts. The booth featured a replica of an orca skull and orca trading cards, favorites amongst visitors. Each year, North Thurston Public Schools and the Nisqually Tribe collaborate to celebrate the life and legacy of Billy Frank Jr. by hosting this family-friendly event filled with learning, fun, and even some food. Students from every school in the district presented activities and displays that highlighted learning that focused on four themes: treaty rights advocacy, environmental stewardship, service, and civil disobedience. Various businesses, agencies, and other community partners also shared displays that connected to these themes. The Washington State Arts Commission displayed a model of the bronze statue of Billy Frank Jr. that will be one of the two statues in the National Statuary Hall representing Washington State in Washington D.C. The end of the evening was capped off with presentations from the Nisqually Canoe Family and guest speaker, David Troutt, director of the Nisqually Department of Natural Resources. Troutt shared details on the work being done to protect and enhance the salmon run on the Nisqually River and highlighted the return of the king salmon, which is a significant and important win for environmental stewardship in alignment with Billy Frank Jr.’s life and legacy. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/acc97199-3c6f-8213-ebc1-2b6297a28765.png> New Report on Status of Salmon Coming Soon The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office will release its biennial report on the status of salmon in Washington later in May. The report shows that several populations of salmon in Washington improved but most still are struggling and face extinction. Of the fourteen species of salmon and steelhead in Washington listed as at risk of extinction under the federal Endangered Species Act, six are improving or approaching recovery goals. However, eight still are struggling or in crisis. The report, State of Salmon in Watersheds <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=ca3bb56a33&e=186c5ff3d1> , and website <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/cli ck?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=74cbc192fd&e=186c5ff3d1> noted that four species improved since the previous report in 2022. It also noted that climate change is exacerbating the challenges salmon face, such as loss of habitat, waters that are too warm and more wildfires that destroy shade-providing trees on riverbanks. On a positive note, the report described many accomplishments, such as 3,866 barriers to fish passage have been corrected, 5,102 miles of stream have been made accessible to salmon and more than 53,000 acres along waterways were restored, since 2005. <https://mcusercontent.com/f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e/images/00fef73a-96e3-a270-c4a7-e98961c51226.png> Seattle Parks and Recreation Unveils Neighborhood Park Seattle Parks and Recreation cut the ribbon on a neighborhood park in Rainier Valley in April. Cheryl Chow Park, named for a beloved former Seattle councilmember who passed away in 2013, hosts a number of features that will appeal to users from all walks of life. The park features adult exercise equipment, a half-court basketball court, grills, picnic tables, and playground equipment. To reflect the community’s diverse culture and heritage, all park equipment has bright colors and tactile designs integrated into it. Funding for the park came from two RCO grants <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=a1d8d9e55c&e=186c5ff3d1> , $960,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and $500,000 from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program-Local Parks, along with other sources. <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=7b02ef5f98&e=186c5ff3d1> <https://rco.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f12461e10aed86ddd51107b5e&id=917d1853f3&e=186c5ff3d1> <https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-link-48.png> <mailto:newsletter@rco.wa.gov> view this email in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/rco.wa.gov/rco-newsletter-may-2025?e=186c5ff3d1> © 2025 Recreation and Conservation Office, all rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? 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