Washington State Parks are struggling to make ends meet. An $11 million budget gap means that either revenue needs to increase or expenses need to decrease.

 

Virginia Painter, Spokeswoman for Washington State Parks, says the Discover Pass, initiated last spring, hasn’t yet generated the level of revenue anticipated when budgets were set last year.

 

Painter said the State Parks Commission approved a budget reduction approach last week that will result in significant changes for many employees.

 

Painter says keeping the state parks open while building user participation with the DiscoveryPass adds value to the state and the local economies.

 

The Parks Commission also approved a request that the agency reduce its reserve fund from $12 million to $8 million, and agreed to begin work on a long-term new business model that is based on new revenue sources, partnerships and marketing.