OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission announces the launch today of a new interactive website that allows the agency to provide improved public service and information about parks and programs.

The website, found at www.parks.wa.gov, has undergone a seven-month redesign process by State Parks staff working closely with CivicPlus, a private company that specializes in government website development. The new site has enhanced functionality, a cleaner layout and user-friendly navigation.

CivicPlus, based in Kansas, has developed more than 1400 government websites across the nation. The company was selected through a formal Request for Proposal process.

New website features include:

• Park videos and slide shows

• A site-wide search function

• Individualized park and agency meeting and events calendars

• Mega menus that allow more web pages to be found higher in the site structure

• Automatic archival or removal of expired items

• Google translation tool

• Google maps and park tours

The new website is intended to increase engagement with the public and to improve the flow of information between the agency and stakeholders. Visitors can sign up to receive automatic updates and alerts for park closures, agency events, meeting announcements and more.

The new website is best viewed on the most current versions of Internet browsers.