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WDFW considers access limits, disposition rules as part of acquisition reprioritization
Summary
Staff told the committee they are inventorying roads and access points, considering temporary or permanent closures for ecological or safety reasons, and reviewing disposition procedures for holdings that no longer meet agency mission or have federal/grant restrictions.
Kevin Connolly and Matthew Trenda explained that some properties in WDFW's portfolio no longer meet current mission goals or were acquired with grant or federal funds that impose access or repayment conditions. Connolly said disposition currently happens case-by-case and that staff will propose clearer disposition procedures and prioritization criteria to align holdings with agency goals.
Connolly described examples where access has been limited for ecological protection or safety: some steelhead fishing sites are opened only in season and gated at other times; other water-access 'boat ramps to nowhere' now sit upland because dams have been removed. "Lake Aldwell and Lake Mills no longer exist... we are in possession and we own and are responsible for managing sites that simply don't touch the water," he said, noting that public expectations and grant requirements complicate disposition decisions. Staff also said they are inventorying roughly 2,000 miles of roads across wildlife areas to inform a proposed travel/vehicular access management program and soliciting public input regionally.
