KUOW73%
Washington DNR asks for grace this camping season amid budget cuts 13%
By Sami West0%
5/18/2026, 2:00:26 PM
Topics: Environment
BS Summary: This article contains 9 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Anecdotal, and Pessimism Bias, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 18.4% saturation with 144 hits. Analysis detected 453 faulty-reasoning hits from 783 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 29.4% and a BS Rank of 13% (19,181 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 87.60% of the article peer group.
Summer is almost here — and for nature lovers, that also means camping season is right around the corner.
But that might look a little different this year, as Washington’s Department of Natural Resources grapples with a state budget crunch and heavy winter flooding.
The budget for the DNR’s recreation program was cut by over 20% in 2025 — and this year, another $580,000 of maintenance funding was eliminated.
All told, the program has seen $8 million of cuts in less than two years.
In April, the DNR announced that four campgrounds would fully close for the season, and a handful of others will see reduced seasons this year.
One of the casualties is 29 Pines Campground in the Teanaway Community Forest.
It’s a popular free camping destination in southeastern Washington.
Located at the north fork of the Teanaway River, anyone who camps there in the summer gets a chance to cool off in the water.
Larry Leach, who oversees the DNR’s southeast region, says much of the campground’s infrastructure dates back to the 1960s and 70s, and people have been enjoying this unique space for decades.
“We have many families that tell us they have a certain weekend of the summer where they come there every year,” Leach told KUOW’s "Seattle Now."
But some of those families may miss out this year: The campground won’t be open until July, after winter storms knocked down trees.
That led to some new log jams, which created a new river channel that Leach says “kind of blasted through” 29 Pines.
Normally, DNR has more crews that can help clean up damaged campgrounds — but not this year.
“That camping area rarely misses our opening in April,” Leach explained.
“But with the reductions in our budget statewide and not being able to bring in the Washington Conservation Corps crews, that really stretched our DNR staff pretty thin to get things ready.”
The Washington Conservation Corps is a statewide service program for young adults ages 18 to 25, who work in support of DNR to get campgrounds and trails ready for the busy summer season.
Leach says losing the support of the Conservation Corps is a “big hit.”
“Having those crews is an amplifier for our staff,” he said.
“And looking forward, the projections are that some of the funding we get from the gas tax may be going down, so we’re bracing ourselves for the future.”
In the meantime, Leach says he and his staff are working hard to rally before camping season gets into full swing.
But that’s a tall order for his crew of just seven field workers in southeastern Washington.
“We’ve just coached everyone to really pace ourselves and prioritize the recreation opportunities that give the most opportunity to the most people,” Leach said.
They’re prioritizing the most popular sites, Leach said, along with spaces that have the most recreation uses.
Despite the hard work of his small but mighty crew, Leach acknowledged campers and hikers may notice some differences this season, like less trail maintenance and smellier bathrooms.
Leach’s top message: “Just be nice.
People are just doing their job.”
“I am asking that people are patient if we do fall behind on some cleaning or vandalism repair, and to really have a lot of grace with my staff,” he said.
“I remember during Covid, when everyone was frustrated with everything, people were taking it out on staff, and it’s not their fault,” Leach continued.
“They’re doing the best they can.
We all wish we had more money and more staff to make things nicer for everyone.”
And take it from Leach: DNR staffers may be more frustrated about these cuts than anyone else.
“My staff, they take a lot of pride in having things very tidy,” he said.
“Not being able to fix every little thing in these camping areas or at trailheads, some of them — they’re hurting with that.”
In addition to giving the DNR some grace, Leach asked all campers and hikers to help out by picking up after themselves and thinking about how they can leave a campsite or trail better for the next person who comes through.
And, Leach said, try to stay positive.
At least in southeastern Washington, the cuts this year haven’t caused a massive impact, yet.
Though losing the Conservation Corps is huge, the region’s staffing hasn’t taken a hit this year because of a funding provision meant to allow public access roads to be restored.
“That really offset the impact right now,” Leach said.
“But that’s a one-time, one-year thing, so a year from now is what we’re really bracing for.”
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