Army Corps reopens Lower Snake River recreation areas after staffing shortages

The Brief

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District is reopening several recreation areas along the Lower Snake River, including Willow Landing and Blyton Landing

• Sites were closed earlier this year due to staffing shortages and federal hiring freezes

• The district has hired more than a dozen employees and expects full capabilities by next year

WALLA WALLA — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District is reopening several recreation areas along the Lower Snake River that were closed due to staffing shortages earlier this year.

Willow Landing and Blyton Landing are among the sites reopening in late August and September, providing expanded options for campers, hunters and fishers during the fall season.

Marcy Sanchez, chief of public affairs for the Walla Walla District, says the closures resulted from multiple staffing challenges that affected the district’s ability to maintain safe recreation experiences.

“Earlier this year we had to limit services to some of those areas due to staffing shortages and also federal hiring freezes that have affected our ability to provide safe, well-maintained experiences for our guests,” Sanchez said.

The district faced additional personnel challenges when some employees entered a deferred retirement program, compounding the effects of federal hiring restrictions. These factors led officials to temporarily shut down certain recreation areas to ensure visitor safety and proper maintenance.

The staffing issues also impacted recreation areas in the Tri-Cities region, where the district operates multiple popular sites.

“The vacancies that we had were with the Tri Rivers office near the Tri-Cities — with Ice Harbor and McNary projects supporting those areas,” Sanchez said. “As you know there’s a lot of recreation up on the water out there. We had to close a couple of the parks and HMUs, which are habitat management units.”

Recent hiring efforts have begun to address the personnel shortage. The district has brought more than a dozen new employees on board over the summer, enabling the reopening of several sites.

“We got a couple of personnel on board over the summer and now we are able to reopen some of those areas back to the public so they can enjoy what’s left of the summer,” Sanchez said.

However, some popular recreation areas will remain closed until next year. Dylan Peters, a public affairs specialist with the district, says Levey Park and Fishhook Park won’t reopen until the 2025 recreation season.

“We are anticipating that Levey Park and Fishhook Park will reopen next year for the normal recreation season once we’ve been able to onboard more staff,” Peters said.

The district continues actively recruiting to fill remaining vacancies, seeking both maintenance workers and park rangers who play essential roles in recreation area operations. Officials emphasize they’re balancing speed with finding qualified candidates.

“As fast as possible, but also making sure we have the right candidates and the right people positioned for the right jobs,” Sanchez said.

The Army Corps expects to return to full operational capabilities across all recreation areas by next year’s season.