Limiting Park Access Threatens Body and Soul

[Source: Doug Ramsey, Public News Service-AZ]

Arizona Foothills Magazine

State and local parks in Arizona are cutting hours of operation or even closing because of budget shortfalls. In some cases, new parks are being delayed for years.

Carol Stambaugh, Arizona director for the National Association of Social Workers, says in tough economic times, it’s easy to forget the role of parks in meeting the needs of the whole person.

“The whole person includes not just the health and the wellness, but also the spiritual and emotional wellness of a person. And whenever people are unable to have recreation to unwind, it makes the stress in our life that much harder.”

People always need the recreational opportunities provided by parks, says Stambaugh — and in a down economy, they also need an affordable leisure option. This makes parks important to the lives and health of all Arizonans, she says.

“We’re seeing epidemics of childhood obesity as well as an increase in adult obesity. And parks and activities are the type of things that we need to be investing in now, not cutting.”

Most Arizona state parks are either closed or operating on limited days or hours. Some cities are adding park user fees, while others are postponing the establishment of parks in newer neighborhoods. Several state parks slated for closure have been kept open because of private fund-raising efforts and partnerships with local communities. Stambaugh hopes the support continues until the state’s economy recovers.

“The fact that local communities have contributed and partnered to keep these parks open illustrates that everyone recognizes the importance that parks play in our life as a whole human being.”

Such efforts have kept state parks like Tonto Natural Bridge, Riordan Mansion and Yuma Territorial Prison open on a Thursday through Monday schedule.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Budget woes highlight Arizona, California state parks’ vulnerability

[Source: Keli Clark, Oklahoma Parks, Resorts, and Golf] — We hear news each day of economic woes affecting Wall Street, corporate giants, major manufacturers and small businesses.  Federal, state and local governments are not immune and feel pinched by the pressures of money shortages.  In a recent budget committee meeting, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested the closure of 220 state parks, along with numerous other program cuts, to help alleviate a $24 billion budget deficit his state is facing. According to news reports, citizens at this hearing pleaded passionately to find other ways to keep these resources available and keep the parks open. The protection of historic structures and natural resources, along with the recreational and educational opportunities parks offer, were foremost in their argument to keep the facilities operating.

California is just one example.  The other states also are trying to maintain a balance for taxpaying citizens who pump money into their state’s economy and expect a return on their investment.

On a recent trip to Arizona, I looked forward, as always, to visiting a state park to compare it to an Oklahoma state park experience.  I chose Jerome State Park since I would be staying in nearby Sedona.  As we made our way up the mountain, a sign pointed in the direction of the state park.  To my dismay, a sign that had been placed directly below the main sign said “Closed.”  Not wanting to believe what I saw and hoping it was just closed for lunch, we drove as far as we could on the road only to see the gate shut and padlocked.  Disappointed, we made our way to downtown Jerome and the art galleries and souvenir shops that lined the streets.

In each store, I asked about the closure of the state park and was told each time it was because of budget cuts.  Most of the stores had placed petitions on their counters asking for signatures to support reopening the park.  The citizens of Jerome are passionate about the loss of this state park, and they have good reason.  The town’s economy and residents’ livelihood are suffering because of the closing.  As one store clerk explained, this is the busiest time of the season for them. Unfortunately, the number of people coming this year is about half of what it has been in previous years.  This same clerk said she had been an employee of the park but was forced to find another way to support her family.

Of course, there are two sides to every story.  When I called Arizona park officials, the public information officer explained the park was closed for capital improvements.  A wall had collapsed in the main building, and there was no money in the remaining budget to make immediate repairs, so the park had to be closed for the season.  Besides Jerome, another Arizona park also has been closed for capital improvements, the official said.

It’s an eye-opening experience to see the immediate and ripple effects on the economy triggered by the closing of a state park.  Although the budget situations facing Oklahoma state parks are not as dire as those in California or Arizona, we are facing budget cuts, hiring freezes, and a mandate on needed repairs as our parks continue to keep gates open and operate on a daily basis. As stewards of our land, we should not take for granted what we have available to us.  By continuing to respect what we have and maintaining our parks, we can ensure our future generations have these same opportunities. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

House kills measure that would re-open Arizona state parks on full-time basis

Arizona State House of Representatives (Phoenix, Arizona) by courthouselover.
Arizona House of Representatives (Photo source: courthouselover, Flickr)

[Source: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services] — The state House lawmakers killed legislation Tuesday that would have provided money to reopen state parks on a full-time basis. A total of 36 legislators voted for the measure that would have taken $20 million from a special account designed to deal with urban sprawl and given some of that to the state Parks Board to compensate for cuts in the agency’s budget made by lawmakers in January.   But HB 2088 needed 45 votes because the fund was created by voters in 1998.  And the Arizona Constitution requires a three-fourths margin of the 60-member House — and the 30-member Senate — to alter what voters have approved.

Deputy Parks Director Jay Zieman said Tuesday’s action means five parks will remain closed two days a week to save money. It also delays the reopening of three other parks that were shuttered entirely, at least in part to cut costs.   The defeat came when every House Democrat except one refused to support the measure.

Rep. Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, said he was sympathetic to the needs of the Parks Department.  But he questioned the legality of the move.  He pointed out that the constitution forbids lawmakers from tinkering with any program approved by voters. He said the only exception, even with a three-fourths margin, is when a change “furthers the purpose’ of the underlying measure.  In this case, he said voters approved providing $20 million a year for 11 years to help purchase or lease state trust lands in urban areas to keep them out of the hands of developers.  Funding the operation of parks, said Campbell, does not do that.  He also said raiding voter-approved funds sets a “bad precedent.”

None of that placated Zieman.  “We expect to have $98 million in that fund at the end of the fiscal year,’ he said.  “It is maddening to be in a position where you’re closing parks’ because 30 percent of the staff has been let go.

The state has closed Tonto, McFarland and Jerome state parks, though some of the reason they were chosen because of work that needs to be done at each site.  What was not anticipated was the need to go to a five-day-a-week schedule at six other parks: Fort Verde, Oracle, Tombstone Courthouse, Tubac Presidio, Yuma Territorial Prison, and the Yuma Quartermaster Depot.  The state is saving money by chaining them closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Aside from the closures and reduced schedules, Zieman said his agency also has suspended funding grants, even in cases where groups had been given the go-ahead and work had been started.

Rep. Warde Nichols, R-Gilbert, who crafted the legislation, said the move made sense not to tap the funds which “are doing absolutely nothing for our state right now.”  One reason there is so much money in the account because the 1998 law requires that taxpayer funds be matched by other sources, whether public or private.  Those matching funds have not materialized. Beyond that, Nichols said the economy has slowed development to the point where builders are not buying up large swaths of state land.  And Nichols said the funding is just a loan: The legislation would have required the state to put back the $20 million in the future.

But Rep. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, said that payback is not guaranteed, as future lawmakers could simply vote to ignore the mandate. [Note: To read the full article, click here.  To read the Camp Verde Bugle’s editorial on this subject, click here.]

Commentary: Stewardship is the responsibility of every Arizonan

[Commentary by Thom Hulen, Tempe, Arizona Heritage Alliance Board Member] — Stewardship can be defined as the individual’s responsibility to manage his life and property with proper regard to the rights of others and I believe this is what Arizona voters intended when the Heritage Fund was created in 1990. Arizonans realized that they could not take for granted the rich natural and cultural heritage bestowed upon them while Arizona continues to grow.

Since I was old enough to leave the house and wonder through Phoenix’s South Mountain Park on my own I have joyously marveled at the grandeur of the Sonoran Desert and the ancient Hohokam people who left their mark carved onto the boulders lining the canyons dissecting our nation’s largest city park. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of this gift. Then as well has today I think about the men and women who had the foresight to realize that if we do not take a role in our planet’s stewardship what we hold dear may not endure. We can love something to death through use, ignorance, and neglect.

The men and women who strove to create parks, preserves, museums and to protect important prehistoric and historic sites for all generations of people had the compassion and foresight to know if they stood by and did nothing it would someday be too late. When I see condors soaring over the Grand Canyon, photograph the petroglphs at Lyman Lake State Park, wander through the ruins at Homolovi Ruins State Park, or learn about desert plants at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, I not only think about the stewardship of the people who worked hard to preserve bits of our heritage, I also think of the thousands of Arizonans who voted to make the Heritage Fund a reality.

Unfortunately many Arizona legislators have not taken their role as stewards of our state’s natural and cultural legacy seriously and on numerous occasions have sought to ignore the will of the people by failing to adequately fund Arizona State Parks and the Arizona Game and Fish Department though appropriation and to raid the Heritage Fund to pay for other state expenses.

I agreed to join the Alliance’s board of directors because I feel a strong sense of stewardship of our state’s natural and cultural heritage and I believe that the voter’s intension in passing the Heritage Fund was acknowledgment of our responsibility to protect this heritage through our actions and not just sentiments. The Heritage Fund is all about stewardship and we all know that it takes more than hard work and commitment — it takes money to make stewardship happen. My intension for serving on the board is simple. I want to see the Heritage Fund protected, as the voters intended, and see it grow so that present and future generations will have the chance to appreciate Arizona’s wealth of natural and cultural heritage.