Volunteer Hours at State Parks Down
Sacajawea State Park
The number of volunteer hours at Washington State Parks went down drastically in 2011 compared to the two years before it.
A recent report shows there were 40,186 fewer hours volunteered in 2011 compared to 2010, and 66,453 fewer hours than in 2009.
State Parks officials said the economy had a large part to do with the decrease in hours and a mandated background check for volunteers has scared some people away.
They added that the new Discover Pass program had little bearing on the drop in hours.