Updates & Meetings
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November 2023
WA State Parks has posted their Interim Memo for MPSP development plans on their website.
It is definitely worth taking the time to read! It outlines parks' preferred alternative plan, cites the (outdated) data they are using and has a timeline for implementing their plans. As you will see, several of those deadlines have already passed, yet there have been no public announcements regarding their plans. (copy/paste address below)
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August 28, 2023
Parks submitted an application for well use to State Department of Ecology. After consultations with several hydrologists, letters were sent concerning the omissions and the content of the application. We will continue to follow this process by asking questions of Department of Ecology, Department of Health, and Parks planners.
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August 18, 2023
We met at MPSP with Governor Inslee's Outdoor Recreation and Economic Development Senior Policy Advisor, Jon Snyder.
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July, 2023
WA State Legislature approves Parks' request for $600k for two-year operating budget to create a Master Plan for "destination park" development at MPSP. During the session we testified against the budget request. No questions were asked by legislators regarding development plans.
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SEQUIM BAY STATE PARK DEVELOPMENT PLANS
Parks is developing plans for upgrading facilities at Sequim Bay State Park in conjunction with development plans for MPSP. MPSP development is meant to offset expansion, development, and upgrades for Sequim Bay State Park. Parks plans to eliminate camping spots at Sequim Bay and instead create two paved parking areas, concessions, sleeping huts, and a three-acre dog park, as well as to redirect group camping to MPSP.
We believe that Parks can inventively create ways to upgrade and expand camping facilities at Sequim Bay and thus eliminate the need for development at MPSP.
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April 14, 2023 - Peninsula Daily News
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/letters/letterkeep-it-natural/
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April 6, 2023 - Peninsula Daily News
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/letters/letterno-to-development/
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January 10 & 11, 2023
We testified at the Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing and the House Appropriations Committee hearing to ask that representatives not approve the $600k for MPSP that Parks is asking for in their 2023-2025 operating budget.
Governor Inslee approved Parks' operating budget request for 600k. He also took the time to mention our efforts, an indication that our efforts to apprise him of our concerns have been heard for now.
The governor included $600k in his proposed operating budget for the commission to study this project further and solicit input from the surrounding community. Here is the description from the budget: "Miller Peninsula Park Plan. Initial capital-funded predesign work and public engagement have identified concerns among nearby residents regarding potential impacts of developing the Miller Peninsula property into a full-service destination park. One-time funding is provided to complete a park master plan and an environmental impact statement."
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December 13, 2022 - Meeting with Senator Christine Rolfes
Senator Rolfes is the Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee.
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November 16, 2022 - Peninsula Daily News: Clallam County Commissioners support 4th Planning Option
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/miller-peninsula-state-park-study-decision-has-been-paused/
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November 14, 2022 - Clallam County Commissioners
The Commissioners send a letter to WA State Park Commissioners and Director Dupuis asking Parks to add a separate fourth option to their current three options for development planning at MPSP.
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/letters/letterkeep-it-wild/
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October 25, 2022
We sent our citizen petition to the WA State Parks and Recreation Commissioners and Director Dupuis to add a fourth option to their list of development plans for MPSP. We have requested that plans for Natural Forest Area, Day Use and Education be ADDED TO the other three plans. (The "no development" option found within an EIS document is not a development plan in our opinion.)
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October 22, 2022 - Peninsula Daily News: https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/life/horseplay-miller-peninsula-planners-hear-an-earful-from- equestrians/
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October 21, 2022 - Peninsula Daily News:
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/residents-still-oppose-park-plan/
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October 12, 2022 - Sequim Gazette:
https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/open-house-to-spotlight-changes-at-miller-peninsula-state-park/
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August 3, 2022 - Sequim Gazette:
https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/state-to-seek-600k-for-miller-peninsula-park-plan-study
Meeting Updates
November 2022 - Clallam County Commissioners
Clallam County Commissioners sent a letter to State Parks and Recreation Commissioners requesting another alternative be added to the planning process of developing MPSP.
October 18, 2022 - Open House hosted by WA State Parks and Recreation:
During the meeting, the standing-room-only crowd appeared united in opposition to the three planning options currently proposed for Miller Peninsula State Park. The three proposals outlined by Parks are outdated. We believe Parks should propose forward-thinking ideas for all parks throughout Washington State, including MPSP and Sequim Bay State Park. Climate concerns throughout our state are a reality. At the time of the meeting, our area was enduring excessive smoke levels, above normal temperatures, and below normal precipitation. These weather patterns are the new normal here on the Olympic Peninsula. Our environment needs the valuable carbon sink provided by the 3,000 acres of forest and beach ecosystems in MPSP.
We circulated a petition at the open house requesting that Parks' planning include an additional fourth option for MPSP development. The petition requesting that Parks add the fourth development option, Natural Forest Area - Day Use and Education, have been sent to WA State Parks and Recreation Commissioners and Parks Director Diana Dupuis. The petition was also sent to Senator VanDeWege, Representatives Tharinger and Chapman, and Clallam County Commissioners Ozias, Johnson and Peach.
September 22, 2022: State Parks Commission Meeting:
We posed a list of questions to the Commissioners and Parks Personnel as to why they had not followed through with responding to our questions. After the meeting, we received a reply and assurance from the new Parks Planner assigned to MPSP, Michael Hankinson, that he will answer our questions soon. We will post the answers as soon as we receive them.
July 14, 2022: State Parks Commission Meeting:
The July 14, 2022, State Parks Commission meeting began with online comments, of which 6 were concerning development of Miller Peninsula State Park. Questions were asked about the lack of transparency with the sale of the Jones Family Trust property, concerns of beach trail construction, forest habitat integrity. Concerns with Parks’ development procedures and transparency so far were discussed.
July 12, 2022: Meeting at Diamond Point:
Thank you to all who attended our meeting with Representative Steve Tharinger and Representative Mike Chapman on July 12th. We appreciate the representatives taking the time to discuss the budget process and their areas of influence, and to offer connections to other representatives involved in the planning process.
They listened to concerns about land classification, water usage, fire mitigation, and frustrations with how the planning process has been handled by Parks so far.