This is a very interesting and timely thread. Thanks to Ruth Sullivan for
bringing it up (again) through her encounter with the agent at the Skagit
Wildlife Area. Michael Price alluded to a lengthy discussion on this subject
a few months ago which I missed entirely while I was away. So for me, this
subject is no rehash and is all surprisingly new and most informative. I
apologize if these questions and comments are tramping over already covered
ground. Thanks to everyone for your input!

I am very curious about one thing. Suppose you are from out of state or
overseas -- way far away somewhere, and you decide to visit the Skagit or some
other state owned / maintained land; do you still have to run around and
obtain a 'conservation license' for what may be only a one-time visit to any
such Washington state site in your whole life? Seems rather unfair and
especially so if you happened to be ticketed and stiffly penalized for an
here-to-fore unknown offense if the conservation officer wasn't at the very
least compassionately lenient, not to mention leaving a very foul taste and
impression of Washington possibly for life. Also, I don't know how many other
states impose requirements for possession of state license to visit those
sites. It seems rather difficult, complicated, and unrealistic to expect
everyone to keep up with the 'rules' and maybe not very practical, especially
if a trip somewhere is on the spur of the moment.

Might it not be more practical that one or few time visits to state lands be
made a pay per visit, day, week, or month option -- like the parking lots in
downtown Seattle where you put your money in a little slot and put your
'permit' on the dash. $10 is a bit stiff for a one-time-ever visit! This
however doesn't address the subject of *each individual* that 'must pay' to
visit a state owned and maintained site. Otherwise, the rest of us who
frequent these Washington sites regularity can get their annual permit and
leave that on the dash. Does one have to actually carry it around on your
person to show an officer if asked to do so? Maybe we need two, one for the
dash and one to be carried by the individual? Taking classes to visit these
sites sounds in some ways unfair to impose the annual full fee on some
individuals who may never visit there or anywhere again. Anyway, I think
there are some bugs in the system which still need to be sorted out.

All of the various fees assessed to visit various state and federal lands can
amount to quite a lot of confusion and a large expense for some. Perhaps
something like the Federal Government's "Golden Eagle Pass" is a more
practical blanket option. How that might extend from state to state for an
individual state's owned land I really don't know. It would be nice if we can
keep all this simple and not become tangled up and incensed by the all the
little technicalities. Most of us I believe would have no problem coughing up
a few bucks now and then to legally visit all these wonderful and often birdy
locations as long as it is kept simple.

I checked with that state parks (Lake Sammamish) yesterday to see if they sell
the Conservation License. The Washington State Parks do not.

Richard Rowlett (Pagodroma at aol.com)
47.56N, 122.13W
(Seattle/Bellevue, WA USA)