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State Parks director outlines visitor demand, cultural assets and maintenance needs
Summary
Washington State Parks staff told the Environment & Energy Committee the agency manages large visitor volumes and diverse historic and natural assets, earns most revenue from fees, and faces maintenance and staffing challenges as visitation and population grow.
Department leaders opened the committee’s State Parks segment by describing the agency’s mission, assets, visitor demand and operational model.
"I am the first woman and the first out member of the LGBTQ community to serve in this role," said Diana Dupuis, director of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, opening her remarks. Dupuis framed the agency as an historic steward of natural, cultural and recreational resources and emphasized visitor access and community partnerships.
Dupuis said parks earn roughly two‑thirds of their revenue from camping, roofed accommodations and the Discover Pass and cited a statewide economic contribution of about $1.7 billion in 2023, including more than $310 million in state and local taxes. She noted the agency manages a compact land footprint with a high visitor rate and described inventory numbers the agency uses for planning and maintenance: more than 6,000 campsites, over 2,700 facilities, about 800 historic buildings, roughly 1,300 miles of trail and hundreds of miles of freshwater and saltwater shoreline.
Scott Griffith, Eastern Region superintendent based in Wenatchee, described operations staff as running "our own little cities," with on‑site rangers, tradespeople, public‑works crews, law enforcement authority and emergency‑response capability. He said the parks’ local staffing model contributes to high visitor satisfaction — Dupuis noted a reported visitor satisfaction rate above 90% — and to the agency’s ability to respond quickly to issues and to lead community programming, interpretation and education.
Both leaders highlighted the agency’s historic‑preservation responsibilities: Dupuis said State Parks manages "the most historic buildings of any agency" in Washington and listed examples that include lighthouses, CCC buildings, forts, historic bridges and homestead sites. Griffith described the operational complexity of buildings, trails, visitor services, water and sewer systems within parks and noted that many staffing roles are resident in parks during the season.
Committee members asked about expanding park capacity and reopening previously closed sites. Dupuis said the agency is developing Nisqually State Park as a new site and that adding parks is costly; she said the agency weighs opportunities against maintenance backlog and staffing considerations. She and Griffith described active coordination with other landowners and federal agencies; Griffith said State Parks routinely partners with the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, local public utility districts and others to manage recreation where appropriate.
No formal votes were taken on parks matters during the hearing. Dupuis and Griffith offered the committee an open invitation for site visits and staff tours to explore park operations in person.
