WA Fish And Wildlife Commission Buys Sekiu Boat Ramp, Parking Area

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has approved buying the boat ramps and parking area of a Sekiu fishing resort, securing public access to angling and boating opportunities on the central Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Acquiring the launch facilities of what was formerly known as Olson’s Resort and today is Mason’s Olson Resort has long been a goal of WDFW, as the ramps there are the only put-in for a 62-nautical-mile stretch of salmon-, halibut- and lingcod-rich waters.

The $2.43 million acquisition was approved on a 6-1 vote, and the money, which has already been appropriated, comes from a state Recreation and Conservation Office Boating Facility Program grant and last year’s state Capital Budget.

Commissioner John Lehmkuhl of Wenatchee made the motion to buy the 2 acres, recalling that he’d fished out of the marina in the past and that acquiring it fulfilled WDFW’s mandate to maximize recreational opportunities.

He was seconded by Commissioner Jim Anderson of Buckley, who called the site “tremendously valuable” and said it was a real concern anytime to potentially lose access to the water.

Also voting in favor were Chair Barbara Baker of Olympia and Commissioners Steven Parker of Yakima, Woody Myers of Spokane and Lorna Smith of Port Townsend.

The lone no vote was Commissioner Melanie Rowland of Twisp who did not feel comfortable spending the money at a time of “incredible” budget issues for the state and agency. She worried that while the funds were appropriated, they might become deappropriated as lawmakers scrounge around for money in the face of a $10 billion to $12 billion budget deficit.

WFDW Real Estate Manager Matthew Trenda said that to his knowledge, the appropriations could not be rescinded or used for any other purpose.

“We appreciate it a ton at a time of state budget challenges,” said Larry Phillips, Pacific Fisheries Policy Director for the American Sportfishing Association of the acquisition, who noted it’s the only boat access between Neah Bay to the west and Port Angeles to the east.

Phillips, who once upon a time was also WDFW’s regional manager, termed the deal a “once in a lifetime opportunity” and pointed to the ramp’s solid economic benefits for the area, some $13 million generated by tens of thousands of angler trips.

Still, Rowland’s hesitance led the commission to break an overall package of five land acquisitions into two parts: three small land buys in Grant and Okanogan Counties and a land-use agreement with Kitsap County, and the Sekiu deal. The former passed unanimously.

According to WDFW, it will cost an estimated $200,000 annually to maintain and operate the Sekiu ramps and parking area. That will include a .75 full-time equivalent staffer, given the popularity of the site during spring blackmouth and bottomfish seasons and summer Chinook, coho and pink salmon fisheries. The agency says it will monitor the costs over the coming years to see how accurate the estimate is and whether it needs to be adjusted.

Smith did express some concerns about who pays for maintenance of the protective breakwater, which is outside the property that the commission just bought. But ultimately she went along the buy, noting that her dad had fished out of the ramps back in the 1950s and there is a safety component to being able to get boats out of the water here as well.

WDFW agency calls the site “the oldest continuously operating fishing access in Washington” and notes that it is usable at any tide state.

This is a big win for recreational fishing and public access and the commission following its mandate.

Today’s meeting featured only seven commissioners, as former Governor Jay Inslee’s last-minute appointments of former Vice Chair Tim Ragen and Lynn O’Connor last month were recently rescinded by new Governor Bob Ferguson.