Martyn-


Vehicle use permits are not very well coordinated in the States, and
there was an email exchange on Tweeters several months ago about how
complicated this is, especially for newcomers or visitors from other
countries. Each governing entity has its own requirements and it's
quite confusing to know what stickers to have on your vehicle at any
given spot.

The one I wrote about is for accessing (in our case, to birdwatch)
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife lands. At these
state-owned lands, a Vehicle Use Permit (fancy words for a parking
sticker) is required. There are signs posted at these destinations
saying so.

You may already have one or had one in the past. It's a yellow, peel
off sticker, about 2 inches by 2.5 inches, valid from April 1 of a year
to March 31 of the following year. You're allowed to write in the
license plate numbers for two vehicles. They normally cost $10-12 - I
forget. The Watchable Wildlife Decal is a more robust, and slightly
more expensive, program that supports non-game programs (hopefully
habitat improvements, etc.) I was willing to pay more to support what I
enjoy doing most, that is birding. All too often, the focus is on the
number of persons who fish and hunt, and some of us think it's
beneficial to support this new program so we can show our strength too.

I tried to find a fact sheet on WDFW's website that explains this
better, but I couldn't locate such information. I also could not find a
listing of the locations that require the VUP. Perhaps, Frank Hawley
who's cc'd on this message will provide more comprehensive information.


Note: this permit is only for WDFW lands. The National Park Service
and the US Fish & Wildlife Service have their own permits.

Hope this explanation helps.

Georgia

>>> "Martyn Stewart" <mstew at naturesound.org> 05/18/04 05:45PM >>>
Tell me because I'm a thick foreigner; is this law to buy one of these
like
a trail pass or a state park season ticket? I have never heard of this
before, I will buy one straight away, what does it mean?

Sorry for being dense :)

Martyn

Martyn Stewart
Bird and Animal Sounds Digitally Recorded at:
http://www.naturesound.org
N47.65543 W121.98428
Redmond. Washington. USA
Make every Garden a wildlife Habitat!

When the animals come to us,
Asking for our help,
Will we know what they are saying?

When the plants speak to us
In their delicate, beautiful language,
Will we be able to answer them?

When the planet herself
Sings to us in our dreams,
Will we be able to wake ourselves, and act?

-Gary Lawless