CAMP project engages Pateros, Bridgeport school students about parks

PATEROS/BRIDGEPORT – Representatives of the Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission (WSPRC) spoke with students at both the Pateros and Bridgeport school districts last week as part of their efforts to gather input and ideas from local users of Alta Lake State Park near Pateros and Bridgeport State Park along Rufus Woods Lake near Bridgeport.

The project called Classification and Management Planning (CAMP) is “a multi-staged, public participation-based planning process for individual parks that culminates with adoption of park land classifications, a long-term park boundary, and  park management plan,” according to a WCPRC information release.

Parks Planner Melinda Posner from Olympia, together with Central Lakes Area Manager Sharon Soelter and assistant Amy Brotherton, both based at Alta Lake State Park, met with Pateros students from grades 8-11 on May 28, and with grades 6-8 at Bridgeport the following day.

Posner said the group met with about 90 students at Pateros and, following a brief presentation, broke into small groups to address specific questions about the future of their local park.

“The kids identified swimming, hiking, camping, BBQ, hunting and fishing as the recreation activities they like to do at the park now,” said Posner. “As far as the future, their ideas were all over the place and included more food – including ice cream, more trails, more fishing, bigger beach, bike paths with nice views, electric car chargers and more.”

For several years now the Pateros sixth grade class spends an April week at Alta Lake State Park camping at an Outdoor Classroom.

Posner and crew met with about 200 middle schoolers at Bridgeport where she reported that they enjoy many of the same activities as the Pateros students along with seeing animals, taking pictures and exploring.

“A skate park was a repeated theme in the ‘what do you want to see in the future’ category,” said Posner, “as well as places for dog walking.”

The WSPRC staff manned a booth in Fireman Park during Bridgeport Daze on Saturday, June 1. With the help of bilingual speakers at the booth the crew collected comments from respondents and wrote their comments on large easel pads.

Two more public meetings are just ahead. The first is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at the Bridgeport Elementary School cafeteria at 1400 Tacoma Avenue in Bridgeport. The second, also from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, June 13 is at the Pateros Fire Station meeting hall at 191 Industrial Way in Pateros.