WDFW committee reviews rule changes to tighten motorized recreation on department-managed lands

OLYMPIA — The Habitat Committee of the Fish and Wildlife Commission heard a staff presentation Feb. 12 on proposed changes to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife rules that would clarify where motorized recreation is allowed on lands the agency manages.

Agency staff said the amendments would update two Washington Administrative Code sections to define “department-managed lands,” clarify what it means for a route or area to be “designated” and “posted,” and explicitly cover motor-driven and motor-assisted vehicles and devices, including electric-assisted bicycles and newer devices such as scooters. "We have an obligation to preserve cultural and historical sites on lands that we manage and to protect and restore species and the habitats that they rely on," Kevin Connolly, Wildlife Lands Division manager, said as he framed the rulemaking and noted the agency oversees roughly 1,000,000 acres and an estimated 2,000 miles of roads and routes.

The proposed framework shifts the default approach so that routes would be closed to motorized use unless the department has gone through a travel-management process to designate and post them as open, restricted or…