The State of Washington is divesting itself of several state parks as part of its effort to reduce the budget deficit, and Brooks Memorial State Park, located approximately 19 miles north of Goldendale, is one of those parks.  In addition to picnickers and travelers stopping at the RV park, many groups from both Klickitat and Yakima Counties have been using the Environmental Learning Center and/or the group campground for years, and fear the loss of this one-of-a-kind facility.  Church groups, family reunions, and school science camps consider their Brooks Park trips a tradition, and would have to travel significantly farther to find a comparable site.  For schools in particular, that added expense would likely mean the end of their tradition.

Motivated solely by the desire to make sure that this valuable public natural resource remains available to citizens of and visitors to this area, Central Klickitat CD has stepped forward to accept ownership of Brooks and its operating assets, and continue its operation as a public park.    State Parks has stated that they desire all of the transferred parks to continue to be available to the public, and not to be used for real estate development, logging, or similar ventures.

Before deciding to pursue this action, CKCD solicited input from many groups within Klickitat County, including the Klickitat County Commissioners, Klickitat County Natural Resources, Klickitat County Parks Commission, Washington State Parks, and Back Country Horsemen.  A public meeting, attended by approximately 30 interested citizens,  was held on Tuesday, April 13 at the  Goldendale High School cafeteria.  Final presentation of the district’s proposal to State Parks is slated for May, 2010.

Click this link to see our business plan for Brooks Park        Brooks Park Plan