The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is asking for public feedback for the permanent closure of Little Parke Creek Road to motorized use. WDFW as released a determination of nonsignificance (DNS) for the public to submit comments on. Motorized communities were not involved in meetings to develop this proposal and it will have an impact on motorized users who rely on and love this road. Comments are accepted through February 5, 2026.
While WDFW frames this proposal as a straightforward environmental protection measure, serious concerns have been raised about public process, lack of analysis, and the dismissal of motorized recreation access. The WDFW has not given sufficient evidence that the environment will receive irreparable harm if the road is not closed to motorized use. As you can see in the maps below, this road provides access to numerous other roads. If Little Parke Creek Road is closed to motorized users, then many other roads are also essentially closed to motorized users. This has a domino effect.
This context matters because the Little Parke Creek closure appears to be part of a broader pattern of closures moving forward without meaningful input from the motorized community, the only user group that is being locked out of this road, including the Region 4 motorized recreation community that actively uses this area. The Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association has been monitoring this proposal to advocate on behalf of the motorized community but they have been kept out of previous planning meetings.
The agency must follow the SEPA (Washington State Environmental Policy Act) checklist when making land decisions such as this. One of the most significant shortcomings of the SEPA checklist is its failure to evaluate reasonable alternatives, which is a core requirement of SEPA.
The document presents a full motorized closure as the only option, without considering less-restrictive or more balanced approaches, such as:
- Seasonal closures during wet or sensitive periods
- Permit-based or key-access systems
- Targeted road hardening or drainage improvements
- Improved enforcement of existing rules
- Limited administrative or managed recreational access
When an entire user group is displaced, SEPA requires agencies to evaluate a range of reasonable alternatives. That analysis is missing here. This is not consistent with the law.
WDFW is acting as if closure to motorized users is the only way to mitigate these long term environmental impacts yet there is not evidence of long term negative environmental impact. The documentation provided by SEPA relies heavily on generalized statements that motorized use is “likely impacting wildlife,” “degrading habitat,” or “may be related to elk movement.” Yet there is no concrete documentation or data given to back up these claims leaving us to believe, this isn’t about the environment, this is about disliking motorized users. As written, the checklist does not demonstrate that motorized recreation is the primary or dominant source of the cited impacts.
SEPA also require considerations be given to the human environment. There is no considerations to how this will affect the economy, the motorized community or even how continued motorized use will affect the environment.
Send a message to WDFW to let them know that this road is important to the motorized community. If closed, it will set a precedent to the state of Washington that they can close other roads under arbitrary conditions to motorized users and potentially all users.
