Gooseberry Narrows State Park Study

The park designation is now conditional on completing a study and receiving legislative funding, rather than happening immediately upon an agreement with the Forest Service.

A new requirement was added for the Division of State Parks to conduct a feasibility study on the dam and park costs and report findings to the committee by November 30, 2026.

Land transfers, exchanges, and purchases must now be conducted in coordination with the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office.

The specific requirement to resolve disputes between landowners or local governments regarding the dam was removed from the consultation duties.

The park cannot be designated until the Legislature explicitly appropriates funding for its construction and development.

The House Sponsor was changed from 'LONG TITLE' to 'Troy Shelley'.

A new requirement was added for the Division of State Parks to report the study results to the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Interim Committee.

The specific instruction to study the 'expected cost' of transferring, exchanging, or purchasing federally managed lands was removed from the list of study items.

The text was restructured to separate the reporting requirement into its own subsection (3) for clarity.

Removed the authority to designate Gooseberry Narrows State Park immediately upon meeting specific conditions.

Removed the requirement for the Division to consult with impacted local governments regarding dam construction and water rights acquisition.

Removed the authority for the Division to enter agreements with the US Forest Service to manage or operate federal land as a state park.

Modified the study requirements to explicitly include the cost of constructing a dam and reservoir, whereas the previous version focused on feasibility and general infrastructure costs.

Removed the definition of 'impacted local government' and the associated consultation obligations.