Arizona’s rural areas to suffer from state park closures

Poppies in bloom attracted visitors for years at Picacho Peak Park, with cars lining the highway to get off the exit (Photo: Steven King)

[Source: Lindsey Gemme, Casa Grande Dispatch] — Inciting protests on the Capital Mall of over 100 people earlier this month in response to closing of state parks, it looks like all but one in Pinal County will be a victim of the budget crisis starting June 3 if another solution isn’t found soon.  Should Picacho State Park close, like many parks in similarly rural areas, local businesses would suffer without the thousands of locals and out-of-staters coming through for poppies and events like the Civil War re-enactment.

According to the Arizona State Parks executive director Renee Bahl, state parks will net only $8 million, nowhere near covering the $26 million in operational budget expenses last year. That $26 million budget, which was still $10 million short, according to republican State Senator Frank Pratt, will see a searing cut down to $7.5 million. With that additional deep cut, the State Parks Board voted earlier this month to close 21 of the Arizona’s 30 recreation, state and historic park areas.

Beaudry RV Co. concerned with Arizona’s decision to close state parks

Arizona’s decision to close half their state parks has Beaudry RV Company concerned for RVers as well as the state.  RVers flock to Arizona during the winter months and bring millions of dollars in tourism to the state.  Having parks like Red Rock State Park in Sedona close will be a huge loss as a destination for RVers as well as Arizona.

Last year California’s proposal to close state parks resulted in a strong outcry from park advocates, forcing Governor Schwarzenegger to come up with an alternate solution to fund parks. Other states such as Iowa, Lousiana and Idaho may close all or part of their state parks.

The Arizona State Parks lost over two thirds of its $26 million budget in the last fiscal year. 8 parks have been closed, 13 more by June of this year.  This leaves only 9 parks open with no guarantees.  “Many local towns depend on tourism revenue that the parks create, closures could be disastrous for these communities,” says Thom Sylvester at Beaudry RV Company.  “This raises some red flags.  We strongly encourage those who enjoy our great state to write local representatives in opposition of the closures.  It is a great loss to our state.”

The Game & Fish Heritage Fund: What its loss will mean to Arizona

On January 15, 2010, the Governor’s office released a budget plan that proposes to permanently eliminate the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s voter-approved $10 million Heritage Fund and redirect all Arizona State Lottery revenue to the state’s general fund.  That proposal has been sent for consideration by the Legislature.

Adoption of this proposal could have significant impacts on Arizona’s land use and growth that will be vital for the state’s economic recovery, as well as affecting outdoor recreationists and the future well-being of the state’s wildlife.

Arizona Game and Fish is a business-model agency that receives no Arizona tax dollars.  The department acknowledges the difficulties the state faces in addressing the budget situation, but it is critical that the customers who pay the bills in this “user pay, user benefit” model are informed and educated on the potential statewide effects that could result from a permanent elimination of Heritage funding.  Those effects potentially include constraints on land use that could affect our state’s economic recovery.

The 45-minute video below is from an informational public presentation and webcast given by the department on Feb. 2 at its Phoenix office.  The presentation covers the history of the Heritage Fund, what it’s used for, how it benefits Arizona, and the impacts to Arizona citizens if the fund is lost.

Downtown Phoenix rally urges lawmakers to keep state parks open

[Source: ABC.news.com, Tara Twietmeyer, 2-2-2010] — The lawn at the State Capitol was packed with demonstrators Monday holding signs that read, “Closed parks? Shame on you!”  In the midst of major budget cuts nearly 200 people gathered to try and persuade the states lawmakers to find money to keep state parks open.  “We understand the Legislature has a tough budget to deal with, but there’s no reason for them to do what they did to parks,” Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club Arizona Chapter said.

Last month, after new budget cuts from the Legislature, the Arizona State Board voted to close 13 state parks by the end of June.  Eight others are either already closed, were transferred to outside control or are being kept open through an outside funding source.

Monday, demonstrators said closing even more parks would bring more money problems to rural areas which rely on tourism. They are proposing a bill that would charge Arizonans an annual fee when they register their vehicle, which would allow them into parks for free [Note: To read the full article, click here.] Photos (c) Tye R. Farrell