On April 1, Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon made a stunning and extraordinary bench ruling to reverse and remand the 4:3 decision made by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission to permit military training in 28 coastal parks.
 
The Whidbey Environmental Action Network (WEAN) had filed the lawsuit to appeal the Commission’s  permit decision, despite widespread public opposition (the Sierra Club had also testified against granting this misguided permit).

Judge James Dixon ruled:  "Nowhere in the statutes may it be implied that the Commission has the authority to authorize military training...It is a violation of their limited authority to allow the use of state parks for non-park purposes."  He went on to say:  "The decisions made by the Commission were arbitrary and capricious, they exceeded the statutory authority conferred by the legislature" and failed to comply with the State Environmental Policy Act.
 
And, to further put the nail in the coffin of this very bad permit decision, the judge added:
 
"Over the past few days this court has spent some time trying to articulate another definition or phrase for what might adequately describe the emotional impact of (covert military training on) people who utilize our state parks, something other than “creep factor” because it’s a long way from a legal term. But I can’t find it, it is creepy."
 
Now go and enjoy our amazing state parks without the fear of being an unwitting participant in a covert military training exercise with authentic but "fake" weapons.