Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office

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Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office Our agency manages grants to protect & improve Washington’s natural and outdoor recreation resources. Comments are not screened and will be immediately posted.

The Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) uses social media platforms to inform the public about board meetings and grant opportunities and to tell stories about the work of RCO and its partners, connect with our audiences, and provide more opportunities for civic engagement. We respect different opinions and intend for our social media platforms to foster thoughtful and respectful conversations. This means that while RCO does not discriminate against any views, we reserve the right to remove comments if they violate this policy. Comments should not contain private information. They are considered public records. RCO may remove a comment for any of the following reasons:

- It’s not topically related to the content of the original post

- It expresses support or opposition to political parties, campaigns, or ballot measures

- It includes profane, obscene, vulgar, offensive, threatening, harassing, or personal attacking language or images

- It promotes commercial products or businesses

- It expresses discrimination based on legally protected status such as race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation

- It promotes illegal activity or an activity that may be illegal based on a viewer’s status (such as age)

- It compromises the safety or security of the public or public systems

- It transmits protected or private information

- It violates a legal ownership interest of any party including copyright and trademark, including, but not limited to, links or hashtags to sites that violate these restrictions and hyperlinks to material not directly related to RCO’s original post

- It contain symbols, numbers, and letters to circumvent any of the above

Posts to RCO’s social media accounts, including but not limited to comments, are not the proper forum for providing RCO with legal notice, submitting petitions or other forms, submitting public comments for official comment periods, or for submitting public records requests under the Public Records Act, Revised Code of Washington 42.56. Please see Washington Administrative Code 220-120 for proper submission of public records requests.

Have a backcountry trail in need of updates or maintenance? Looking to build or renovate a fi***rm or archery range? May...
10/22/2026

Have a backcountry trail in need of updates or maintenance? Looking to build or renovate a fi***rm or archery range? Maybe you need to build a facility for motorized boats and other watercraft?

We’re still accepting applications for our Recreation and Conservation Funding Board grants, but time is running out! Applications are due November 3.

If you haven’t started your application yet or have questions, please reach out to your outdoor grants manager or message us here and we’ll put you in touch with the right people.

Learn more: https://rco.wa.gov/recreation-and-conservation-office-grants/

© Victoria Nefedova/Adobe Stock

Washington is full of great places to hike or visit, especially this time of year when some places give off spooky vibes...
10/21/2026

Washington is full of great places to hike or visit, especially this time of year when some places give off spooky vibes!

We’ve made a list of some of our favorite spots that probably aren’t haunted but are great places to explore. Check the comments below for additional information about each location.

● Fort Worden Historical State Park in Port Townsend is full of history and mystery like the Memory’s Vault sculpture and underground bunkers at this former U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps base. With miles of hiking and biking trails, a marine science center, and more, this is a great place to bring all your little ghouls and goblins.

● Come for the abandoned buildings but stay for the nearly five mile loop open to hikers, horses, and dogs (on leash) at Northern State Recreation Area in Sedro-Woolley. Once home to a mental health facility, farm, and dairy, the recreation area is a great place for day haunts . . . err treks.

● Reiter Foothills State Forest, between Gold Bar and Index, is a great place to get that “ba-dump,” “ba-dump” experience. Though, that may not be the sound of your heartbeat and instead, motorcycles and other off-road vehicles taking on several miles of uneven trails and obstacles. There’s also horseback riding and mountain bike trails.

● The Iron Goat Trail in Stevens Pass offers excellent seasonal views and six+ miles of hiking opportunities, including a trail through a ghost town. (Technically, it’s a former unincorporated railroad community, but that doesn’t sound as spooky.)

Fort Worden: © Zach Frank/Adobe Stock
Northern State Recreation Area: © LoweStock/Adobe Stock

10/20/2026

Salmon are unconditionally and irrevocably in love with complex, connected, clean, and cold water.

This “hoa hoa hoa” season, fourteen species of salmon and steelhead are at risk of extinction. Many populations will continue to be in crisis without quality habitat that meets the Four Cs—clean, cold, connected waters with complex resources to support each stage of their life cycle.

Habitat loss continues to be a major problem for salmon in Washington. We need to work together to safeguard their habitat and secure a future where recovery is possible.

Learn more about salmon recovery at StateOfSalmon.wa.gov

The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board meets October 27 at 9 a.m. This is an exciting meeting to attend because t...
10/15/2026

The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board meets October 27 at 9 a.m.

This is an exciting meeting to attend because the board will be approving the ranked lists for the spring recreation and conservation grant round. These lists show the highest scoring applications in each grant category and are then sent to the Governor and Legislature for funding consideration.

Tune it to hear out about potential upcoming projects in your area, policy discussions, and get updates from RCO and its agency partners.

Attend in person: Room 172, First Floor, Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington Street, S.E., Olympia, WA

Register to attend online: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UoNWcXETQOqVWbBK7keXdw #/registration

Big news! The Center for Whale Research has finished its annual census and is reporting there are now 76 Southern Reside...
10/14/2026

Big news! The Center for Whale Research has finished its annual census and is reporting there are now 76 Southern Resident orcas. That’s two more than last year.

This reflects the number of Southern Residents as of July 1, 2026. Unfortunately, only two of the four calves born during the census period survived as orcas continue to face issues like lack of food, vessel noise, and pollution.

The encouraging news is that for the first time in more than twenty years, K Pod recorded an increase in its population. However, Southern Residents continue reproducing at a slower rate than other killer whale populations.

You can help Southern Residents by taking part in an Orca Recovery Day event on October 17. Learn more: https://betterground.org/ord

© Center for Whale Research – NMFS Permit #27038

10/13/2026

Spooky season provides lots of reasons to be scared. One thing not scary though? The floodplain restoration work being done on the Stillaguamish River by the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians.

The Tribe and Snohomish County have been working to restore the Trafton Floodplain like it was before it was disrupted by settlers in the 1800s. The Tribe has made significant progress, recently completing its largest restoration project on the Stillaguamish River yet.

Over the years, the river has lost its complexity as the flow was altered and the land was changed to support different uses like agriculture. This has increased the risk of flood and reduced habitat for endangered salmon like Chinook, which is a primary food source for endangered Southern Resident orcas.

Using a $6.9 million RCO grant, along with other funds, the Tribe and County have created a side channel and added logjams to the water to create places for fish to rest, feed, and hide from predators, as well as slow the water, which reduces erosion and allows small rocks to settle to the bottom, creating areas for salmon to spawn. The logjams also change the flow of water, creating riffles and pools, which give salmon more varied habitat.

It’s expected that salmon will be spotted using the new side channel in the next week or so. Learn more about the project: https://secure.rco.wa.gov/prism/search/ProjectSnapshot.aspx?ProjectNumber=23-1075

The recent Mental Illness Awareness Week has us thinking about nature and how it creates space for connection, reflectio...
10/12/2026

The recent Mental Illness Awareness Week has us thinking about nature and how it creates space for connection, reflection, and well-being. For young people, those moments are especially meaningful!

Connecting youth to meaningful moments outdoors is at the heart of organizations like the Children and Nature Network. Their Nature as Healer initiative explores how nature can be woven into everyday places and relationships that support children and families.

That idea is at the heart of our No Child Left Inside grant program. It helps fund programs that give youth opportunities to hike, camp, paddle, explore, learn, and connect with the natural world—experiences that support mental health, social emotional development, and hands on science and STEM learning.

Nature isn’t a replacement for mental health care, it’s part of a broader approach to creating healthy, connected communities. Our grant program helps make those healing, science rich, screen-time balancing experiences accessible to more Washington youth.

Learn more about the No Child Left Inside grant program: https://rco.wa.gov/grant/no-child-left-inside/

More about the Children and Nature Network’s work using nature to strengthen connections and well-being in youth: https://www.childrenandnature.org/resources/fnn-how-nature-can-strengthen-healing-connection-and-well-being/

Seattle, say hello to your new all-wheels skate park at Rainier Beach Playfield!This Saturday, from 2–4 p.m., Seattle Pa...
10/08/2026

Seattle, say hello to your new all-wheels skate park at Rainier Beach Playfield!

This Saturday, from 2–4 p.m., Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting a grand opening event to celebrate the new skatepark. There will be giveaways, music, food, and free beginner lessons offered by Skate Like a Girl. Everyone is invited.

RCO is proud to have helped fund the new skate park and site furnishings with a $1.5 million grant. The skate park is great for users of all ages and ability levels and has a mix of street and transition-style terrain features.

The skate park is at Rainier Beach Playfield, 4707 S Cloverdale Street.

See you this Saturday!

Learn more: https://parkways.seattle.gov/2026/09/21/seattle-parks-and-recreation-opens-new-rainier-beach-skate-park/

Happy National Salmon Day! Fun fact: a tree trunk and a salmon’s ear have more in common than you’d think. Tree rings ca...
10/08/2026

Happy National Salmon Day! Fun fact: a tree trunk and a salmon’s ear have more in common than you’d think.

Tree rings can tell you the age of a tree and details of the environment it lived in. Did you know that a structure in a salmon’s inner ear, called an otolith, provides similar details about salmon?

By looking at the unique ridges and lines in the otolith, a scientist can tell a salmon’s age, how old it was when it migrated to saltwater, its growth history, and more.

Tracking data like this is important because it tells scientists how salmon populations are doing in different habitats and if recovery efforts are working.

For more information on the progress of salmon recovery in Washington, visit stateofsalmon.wa.gov

Address

1111 Washington Street SE
Olympia, WA
98501

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+13609023000

Website

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