Camano Island is home to one of the most successful state parks, Cama Beach. It has generated over $1 million in revenue since it opened, and consistently receives some of the highest customer satisfaction results on guest surveys, thanks to the park’s dedicated, enterprising, public-service staff.

And how do the bean-counters in agency headquarters choose to react to this success? By slashing the park staffing in an effort to save money, maybe hoping to avoid cutting staff at the regional office or in Olympia. Last week, the government equivalent of “pink slips” were delivered to some parks employees. Despite there being over 100 state parks, six of the 14 employees affected are at Cama Beach. That seems unfair to me.

The park hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, who bring tourism dollars into our community, buying gas, groceries, entertainment, art, and other things, and paying sales tax on those purchases. The park also hosts community events and childrens’ programs. Cama has attracted customers from near and far, even hosting a wedding party from France that booked the whole park and flew in to have their special day on our little island.

Apparently, the agency is also considering moving the reservation center from Cama Beach to Fort Worden, losing not only local jobs but also local knowledge. I can’t picture someone on the phone in Port Townsend telling a park visitor what local events (Glass Quest, Snow Goose, Tulip Festival) they might want to check out, or recommending their favorite local restaurant.

If you wish to express your concerns about Cama Beach being set up to fail (and taking a chunk of our tourism dollars with it) you can call State Parks Director Don Hoch at 360-902-8501 or email him at don.hoch@parks.wa.gov.

Malymda Shipley
Camano Island