Making progress in tough times

DNR Small Forest Landowner Office foresters help a landowner check compliance paperwork on the truck ‘desk’. Photo: DNR

DNR has made headway despite the challenging economic recession. Paving the way for the successes were DNR’s Strategic Plan goals that helped to focus staff-work every day. The first-year report card on our progress now is available—Milestones and Performance Measures-Year1. First year successes include:

• Earning more than $225 million for schools and other state trust beneficiaries.
• Creating the Community Forest Trust — a tool that will help protect forestlands from conversion to development.
• Dedicating two new aquatic reserves — Smith & Minor Islands and Protection Island — to support the long-term health of Puget Sound.
• Developing two biomass pilot projects, one each in eastern and western Washington.
• Reducing our vehicle fleet by 125, slashing $3 million from our budget.
• Identifying and prioritizing state trust lands appropriate for solar power leases.

In the Strategic Plan The Goldmark Agenda, goals were set for the five years from 2010 to 2014. This road map has helped the agency focus attention on efficiencies, but it also has helped DNR boldly moved forward to increase revenue to public schools and other state trust beneficiaries, tackle more Puget Sound restoration and cleanup, and strengthen and enforce Forests Practices Rules to protect water quality and other public resources, and many other efforts.  

DNR also seized opportunities that arose, including those that help bridge the gap in funding caused by the state’s budget crisis. For instance, DNR:

• Implemented the Discover Pass with our sister agencies for recreation on state lands managed by DNR, the Parks Commission, and Fish and Wildlife.
• Created Puget Sound Corps to perform cleanup and restoration projects while putting returning veterans to work, and created efficiencies by consolidating the new works program with the Washington Conservation Corps in the state Department of Ecology.

Currently finalizing the second year’s milestones and performance measures, DNR is looking forward to more successes that support natural resources for the people of Washington State. 

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