Washington State Parks
Changes to a plan that would allow covert Navy training at certain Washington State Parks are further angering some park goers.
Last month, the State Parks Commission approved a request for the Navy to conduct SEAL training operations at up to 17 parks. For at least nine months, the training must take place at night, when fewer park visitors would be around. The decision could be reevaluated after the trial period.
The restrictions came after pushback from park users who worried they would be unknowingly watched.
During a special meeting Thursday, the commission voted to let the state parks director decide if daylight restrictions can be lifted or modified after the Navy’s nine-month trial period is up, as long as the Navy complies with limits on when and where it will conduct training operations.
A child plays at Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island, with Whidbey Island and the Olympic Mountains in the distance. Credit: KUOW Photo / John Ryan
Beachgoers unhappy as Navy SEALs get OK to train in Washington State Parks By
at 4:59 am
Washington has OK d a plan to allow Navy SEALS to train in an estimated 16-17 state parks. State officials decline to say which parks. Parkgoers are worried about safety and peace of mind at their favorite seaside getaways.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
Navy SEALs have gotten the go-ahead to do clandestine training in more than a dozen Washington state parks. John Ryan of member station KUOW finds, though, that many parkgoers say war games and recreation just don t mix.
Navy SEALS to train in more than a dozen state parks February 1, 2021 at 9:16 am
Deception Pass State Park is one of the parks where Navy SEALS will be allowed to train going forward. (Nicole Jennings/KIRO Radio)
Navy SEALS will be allowed to conduct water and land training activities in up to 17 coastal state parks, as per a 4-3 vote by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission on Thursday.
SEALS, the Navy’s elite special forces, have trained in certain Washington State Parks over the past three decades because the geographical conditions of state parks lend themselves well to the types of special operations activities done.
Washington State Parks
Originally published on January 28, 2021 6:04 pm
Washington state has approved a request to use multiple Washington state parks to train Navy SEALs. But the move Thursday came with significant amendments to what the Navy requested.
The permits would expand the five parks previously used for Navy SEAL training to 16 or 17. The Navy had requested access to 28 state parks as a way to diversify its training sites. Officials had said a small number of sites can become too familiar to trainees overtime.
The commissioners called their move “difficult,” “hard” and “probably the toughest decision” of a 10-year commission career.