Letter: Property owners can allow public recreation on their land

The Dec. 27 Herald article about the mountain biking area south of Kennewick had a quote that was both wrong, and wrongheaded. The quote said that public recreation on private land may not be legitimate, and suggested the landowner should not allow public access to help with potential liability.

It is, in my opinion, perfectly legitimate for private and public landowners to allow recreation on their land. Large unused tracts of land have many times been opened for public access. The state of Washington even has a law that recognizes this — RCW 4.24.210. This law clearly says that private landowners are released from liability for public recreation on their land. It includes all forms of recreation such as hiking, bicycling, fishing, hunting, horseback riding and motorized recreation.

I feel it is a disservice to the public and to all recreational users to make and publish misleading statements, which encourage landowners to close their land to recreation.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Letter: Property owners can allow public recreation on their land."