Arboretum License Plate Bill Passes House
The western hemlock, Washington’s state tree. (Photo courtesy Menchi, Wikipedia Commons)
In February, the Washington State House Transportation Committee passed a bill to approve a specialty license plate for the state tree, the Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). The bill is now awaiting hearing by the Senate Transportation Committee. If all goes well, the plate will be available for purchase on January 1, 2017. After reimbursing the Department of Licensing (DOL), the plate’s fees will benefit both the Washington Park Arboretum and Spokane’s John Finch Arboretum. The additional cost for a buyer specialty plate is $40. After DOL expenses, 85 percent of the funds will be paid to the Arboretum Foundation to support maintenance and education in Washington Park Arboretum, while 15 percent will be paid to the City of Spokane to support its Finch Arboretum.
The license plate idea was the brainchild of Arboretum neighbors Reed Bishop and his mother Kim, who also worked on the design of the plate. Our sincere thanks to Reed and Kim, as well as to Representative Brady Walkinshaw of Washington’s 43rd legislative district, who is the lead sponsor of the bill and has worked to get the support of his colleagues.
