Arizona State Parks, a promising new beginning

Source:  William C. Thornton Special to the Arizona Daily Star – February 21, 2019

Arizona’s legions of outdoor enthusiasts can all breathe a little easier. Sue Black’s tumultuous reign is over and there’s a strong steady hand on the tiller at Arizona State Parks and Trails. Bob Broschied came home to Arizona after serving five years as Executive Director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper described Bob as “an incredible leader with strong vision”. We’ve turned the page, but there’s an important lesson to be learned from the Sue Black era. With the job of Parks Director comes the awesome responsibility of managing natural and cultural resources for present and future generations. We must never again allow revenue generation to take priority over stewardship of the resource.

There’s more good news. The current legislative session offers the best opportunity in ten years to Restore the Parks Heritage Fund. The Arizona Parks Heritage Fund may be the best investment of lottery dollars many Arizonans never heard of. Enacted by voters in 1990, the Heritage Fund directed $20 million to be divided equally each year between State Parks and Game and Fish. Heritage fund grants often served as seed money for matching funds from other sources. Total yearly investment was typically more than double the direct $10 million appropriation.

Parks grants have built and improved trails, campgrounds, picnic facilities, boat docks and ramps. Historical restoration grants have helped preserve important parts of our rich cultural heritage including Flagstaff’s Riordan Mansion, Yuma’s Territorial Prison, and Tucson’s Mission San Xavier del Bac. Every community in our state has benefited from Parks Heritage Fund grants.

Heritage funded improvements to parks and historic sites helped attract 3.2 million visitors, about half from out of state, in 2018. That’s more than double the combined home game attendance of the Arizona Cardinals, ASU Sun Devils, and UA Wildcats. State Park visitors generate more than $300 million in economic activity each year in the mostly rural host communities. In response to the economic downturn and decline in tax revenue the legislature swept the remaining balance of the Parks Heritage Fund into the general fund and inexplicably eliminated the fund in 2011.

ADVOCACY ALERT – HB 2701- House Bill to Restore the Parks Heritage Fund 

Dear Friends of the Heritage Fund

On behalf of the entire Alliance Board, I am pleased to let you know that House Bill 2701 (HB2701) has been introduced to restore the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund (“Fund”) with $10 million each year in Arizona Lottery funds (as originally conceived by Arizona voters in 1990).  Sponsors of the bill are Representatives Osborne, Cano, Cobb, Dunn, Fernandez, Kavanagh, Toma and Senator Kerr.

HB 2701(state parks; lottery; heritage fund) has been assigned to the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee and is on the agenda to be heard this Tuesday, February 19 at 2:00 p.m. in HHR1.  Here is a one page summary of HB2701 for your reference.

You can communicate your position through the Legislature’s Request to Speak (RTS) system. If you don’t have an account for the Legislature’s Request To Speak System, please link here for detailed instructions. You can also call or email the House Committee members directly and let them know you want them to SUPPORT HB 2701.

State Senator Phone Email
Russell ” Rusty” Bowers 602-926-3128 rbowers@azleg.gov
Andres Cano 602-926-3027 Acano@azleg.gov
David L. Cook 602-926-5162 Dcook@azleg.gov
Timothy M. Dunn, Vice Chair 602-926-4139 Tdunn@alzleg.gov
Kirsten Engel 602-926-5178 kengel@azleg.gov
Mark Finchem 602-926-3122 mfinchem@azleg.gov
Rosanna Gabaldon 602-926-3424 rgabaldon@azleg.gov
Gail Griffin, Chair 602-926-5895 ggriffin@azleg.gov
Jennifer Longdon 602-926-3264 jlongdon@azleg.gov
Becky A. Nutt 602-926-4852 bnutt@azleg.gov
Thomas “T.J.” Shope 602-926-3012 tshope@azleg.gov
Myron Tsosie 602-926-3157 mtsosie@azleg.gov
Michelle Udall 602-926-4856 Mudall@azleg.gov

Senate Bill 1241 which was introduced earlier this month, restores the Fund, but only allows for grants, donations, and direct appropriations. SB1241, which received a 7-0 favorable vote of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, will now be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 2 p.m. in Senate Room 109. You can communicate your position by using the Legislature’s Request to Speak (RTS) system or contact the following Senate committee members directly and let them know you want them to SUPPORT SB 1241.

State Senator Phone Email
Lela Alston 602-926-5829 Lalston@azleg.gov
Sean Bowie 602-926-3004 sbowie@azleg.gov
Heather Carter 602-926-5503 hcarater@azleg.gov
David Gowan, Chair 602-926-5154 dgowan@azleg.gov
Sine Kerr 602-926-5955 skerr@azleg.gov
Vince Leach, Vice Chair 602-926-3106 vleach@azleg.gov
David Livingston 602-926-4178 dlivingston@azleg.gov
Lisa Otondo 602-926-3002 Lotondo@azleg.gov
Michelle Ugenti-Rita 602-926-4480 Mugenti-rita@azleg.gov

From the time Arizona voters approved the creation of the Fund to the Great Recession when it was defunded and removed from statute, the Fund served our state well with its dedication to parks, outdoor recreation, open space, non-motorized trails, outdoor and environmental education, and historic preservation. It is our hope that this Legislature restores the Fund after satisfying all other current encumbrances, and to bring the Fund back to effect in a responsible and deliberate manner.

Why the Fund is important. Arizona’s local, regional, and state parks and recreation facilities are economic development generators that encourage the spending of tourist dollars, attract businesses whose workforce choose jobs in locations with quality of life benefits, strengthen community cohesion, and increase property values. Historic preservation initiatives in our rural communities and urban areas promote economic development by creating jobs, revitalizing historic areas, increasing property values, and promoting heritage tourism.

Thank you for all the work you do to improve our state’s quality of life and to support the reinstatement of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at mail@azheritage.org or call 602-528-7500.

Janice Miano
President, Board of Directors
The Arizona Heritage Alliance
azheritage.org

SB1241 – Restoring the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund

Dear Friends of the Heritage Fund

I’m excited to let you know that a bipartisan group of Arizona state senators has introduced Senate Bill 1241 (“SB1241”) to restore the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund (“Fund”).  Senators Brophy McGee, Boyer, Carter, Kerr, Navarrete, Otondo and Pratt have introduced SB 1241 – state parks board: heritage fund– for restoring the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.

The bill has been assigned to the Natural Resources and Energy Committeeand is on the agenda to be heard this Wednesday, February 6 at 2:00 p.m. in SR109.  Here is a one page summary of SB1241 for your reference.

We request that you please submit your position through the Legislature’s “Request to Speak (RTS)” system. If you don’t have an account for the Legislature’s Request To Speak System, please link here for detailed instructions. In the meantime, please call or email the following legislators and let them know you want them to SUPPORT SB 1241.  

State SenatorPhoneEmail
Sylvia Allen602-926-5409sallen@azleg.gov
Andrea Dalessandro602-926-5342         adalessandro@azleg.gov
David Gowan602-926-5154         dgowan@azleg.gov
Sine Kerr, Vice Chair602-926-5955         skerr@azleg.gov
Juan Mendez602-926-4124          jmendez@azleg.gov
Jamescita Peshlakai             602-926-5160    jpeshlakai@azleg.gov
Frank Pratt, Chair602-926-5761         fpratt@azleg.gov

From the time Arizona voters approved the creation of the Fund to the Great Recession when it was defunded and removed from statute, the Fund served our state well with its dedication to parks, outdoor recreation, open space, non-motorized trails, outdoor and environmental education, and historic preservation. It is our hope that this Legislature restores the Fund after satisfying all other current encumbrances, and to bring the Fund back to effect in a responsible and deliberate manner.

Why the Fund is important. Arizona’s local, regional, and state parks and recreation facilities are economic development generators that encourage the spending of tourist dollars, attract businesses whose workforce choose jobs in locations with quality of life benefits, strengthen community cohesion, and increase property values. Historic preservation initiatives in our rural communities and urban areas promote economic development by creating jobs, revitalizing historic areas, increasing property values, and promoting heritage tourism.

Thank you for all the work you do to improve our state’s quality of life and to support the reinstatement of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at mail@azheritage.org or call 602-528-7500.

Janice Miano
President, Board of Directors
The Arizona Heritage Alliance
azheritage.org

James Goughnour of Payson nominated to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission

Source: Arizona Game and Fish Department Press Release – January 23, 2019.

Governor Doug Ducey today announced the nomination of James E. Goughnour of Payson, Arizona, as a member of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

Goughnour, an Arizona resident of 42 years, is an outdoors enthusiast and driving force for wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation in the Payson area. He is the owner of Rim Country Custom Rods, a small business that designs and builds custom fishing rods and repairs rods and rod components. Prior to starting his business, he worked 26 years for General Dynamics Aerospace Systems Group in Scottsdale, where he held a number of management positions, culminating in a position as a project manager for all aspects of the Aerospace Operations Program.

Goughnour is the immediate past president of the Mogollon Sporting Association (MSA), a not-for-profit 501(c)3 volunteer organization that raises funds to benefit wildlife conservation and youth education programs throughout the Mogollon Rim area. He serves as the MSA organizational interface with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) and the Tonto National Forest to receive project requests and coordinate with MSA to provide funding and volunteers.

Goughnour is also active with and has chaired the Payson Special Volunteer Committee, where he led a group of approximately 100 volunteers, business owners, and county and town representatives to develop a plan to attract national-level bass fishing tournaments to Roosevelt Lake and promote Payson by designating it as the “Host Town” for these events. 

He serves as chair of the Gila County Roundtable, a group of Gila County anglers working with AZGFD to enhance fishing conditions at Roosevelt Lake. As part of this partnership effort, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2014 donated more than 400,000 Florida-strain bass fry for stocking into Roosevelt Lake. 

Goughnour is an active member of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, Forest L. Wood, the National Rifle Association, and the Tonto Rim Sports Club. He works with the Payson Parks and Recreation Department and AZGFD in the planning and execution of the annual Payson Wildlife Fair. He is also an active participant in the Kids Fishing Program at Green Valley Lake. 

Goughnour earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. His appointment is pending confirmation by the Arizona Senate.