Hiking and camping could look different this year after budget cuts
This year, Washington cut more than $500,000 from the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
These budget cuts are going to mean campground closures, less trail maintenance and dirtier bathrooms at a lot of popular trailheads.
Many are wondering how it’ll impact their outdoors time, because the Department of Natural Resources maintains a lot of land.
We checked in with The Mountaineers to hear how they're feeling about these cuts.... and then we called up the Department of Natural Resources to figure out what all this means for outdoor recreation.
Guests:
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- Tom Vogl, CEO of The Mountaineers
- Dave Upthegrove, Commissioner of Public Lands
Related links:
- State Budget Cuts Prompt DNR to Reduce Recreation Services | Department of Natural Resources
- Popular I-90 trailheads, bathrooms will feel budget crunch, WA says | The Seattle Times
- The Mountaineers - Explore, Learn, Conserve
- WA Department of Natural Resources to close four campgrounds after lawmakers cut funding | Washington State Standard
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Paige Browning
Newscaster
Paige hosts midday newscasts and monitors news of significance to the Puget Sound region. She hopped over Washington’s mountains to join KUOW, after hosting news and reporting at Spokane Public Radio since 2011. She began her start in radio while a journalism student at University of Montana, by sharing stories with KUFM. Paige was raised in the mountains and rivers around Spokane. In her spare time she cheers on the Mariners in the summer, and hopes for snow in the winter.
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Maleeha Syed
Producer, Soundside
Maleeha is a producer on Soundside, a show that helps listeners get to know the PNW and each other. Before KUOW, she worked at Cascade PBS, first as a communities reporter and then as a podcast producer on shows like Northwest Reports and Your Last Meal. Before moving to Seattle, she worked as a reporter at the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, but is originally from San Antonio.
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