Red Rock State Park

Don’t let Legislature rob our parks

by

[Source: Ken Travous, Arizona Republic My Turn] – You have to hand it to a guy like Bryan Martyn, executive director of Arizona State Parks. He has a smile of confidence and a can-do attitude that you would expect of a former soldier. I would rather not be there, however, on the day he discovers that neither of those attributes will fix a collapsed sewer pipe. It won’t be long before one of his hikes finds him stepping in the goo of neglect.

It wasn’t always this way. In the mid-1980s, Gov. Bruce Babbitt found a way to partner with the Legislature to begin the process of identifying and conserving key areas with the purpose of securing them for future generations. Red Rock State Park, Slide Rock State Park, Homolovi State Historic Park and Verde River Greenway became part of the State Parks system. Soon thereafter, Babbitt and Sen. Barry Goldwater met in Barry’s backyard to announce their support for the creation of a Heritage Fund that would provide predictable funding for State Parks by tapping lottery-ticket revenue.

At about the same time, State Parks approached the Legislature with a proposal to purchase and develop what is now Kartchner Caverns State Park. The intriguing part of the story revolves around the way this development would be pursued. The Legislature in essence said, “We don’t have any money for this, but if you think it’s that important, why don’t you start acting like a business? We’ll let you keep the money you make at the gate, and you can apply it toward this new park.”

The transformation was remarkable. Parks staff began looking at ways to increase revenue to develop and operate the system. It started to talk about cost centers, revenue opportunities and return on investment.

In 1988, total revenue for the park system was about $800,000. Ten years later, it was almost $10 million. Kartchner Caverns was developed at a cost of $36 million with only a $3 million loan from the general fund needed to open the park in 1999.

Things were looking pretty good, and I guess that’s the problem. In some odd kind of way, employing some type of sideways logic, the Legislature deemed that if State Parks is getting along well, it must be out of our control. So, after 15 years of parks acting like a business, the Legislature decided to act like a government and take their money. A little bit here and there in the beginning, to test the public reaction, and then in breathtaking swaths.

Heritage Fund … gone. Enhancement fund … swiped. General fund? No way. A $250,000 bequest? Oops, they caught us; better put it back.

State Parks now has a mountainous backlog of maintenance projects all because the Legislature would rather wholly own a failure than share a success. We need to put people in the halls that care about those things that we want our children to enjoy, and a governor who will stand in the breach when the next onslaught appears.

Until then, we’ll all be stepping in the goo.

Kenneth Travous was executive director of Arizona State Parks for 23 years.

Strong civic spirit saves our state parks

by

[Source: Arizona Republic Editorial] –  A cavalry of volunteers, local communities and non-profit groups rode to the rescue when more than half of the state park system was on the verge of shutting down. They’ve done a heroic job of keeping the doors open at historic sites such as FortVerde, scenic wonders such as PicachoPeak and recreational playgrounds such as Sedona’s Red Rocks. The value of volunteer work alone was an amazing $5.5 million last fiscal year, which ended June 30. Some parks run on reduced schedules, and some close seasonally. But only one of 27, Oracle State Park, is closed (and there’s a move to provide limited access).

We applaud not only the civic spirit but the financial good sense of those rallying behind Arizona State Parks. In a state that depends heavily on tourism, these are valuable assets with long-term potential. Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, for instance, had a $3.56 million economic impact in fiscal 2007. It’s so important to the region that the communities of Payson and StarValley, plus a “friends of” group, held fundraisers and chipped in cash and labor to keep it running. The rescue efforts are critical stopgaps. But Arizona State Parks must still become financially solid for the long haul. Maintenance and capital projects cannot continue to be neglected.

Step 1 is for legislators to stop emptying the till. They cut off all state support years ago, and now, they’re sweeping up the dollars earned through admissions and concessions. Thanks to all the help, Arizona State Parks ended last fiscal year with a $1.7 million operating profit, but it was siphoned into the state budget, plus an extra $400,000. Besides stopping the revenue raids, Arizonans need to figure out a steady revenue stream for park maintenance and improvements. The cavalry needs permanent reinforcements

Arizona parks rescued by communities and non-profits

by

[Source; Megan Neighbor, The Arizona Republic] –  In the depths of the recession, state budget cuts made it seem almost certain that the gates to manyArizonaparks would remain padlocked. But local communities and non-profit organizations have banded together to keep 14 of the state’s most financially vulnerable parks open by providing more than $820,000 to the cash-strapped Arizona State Parks agency.

For example, the Friends of Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and the towns of Payson and StarValleyare helping provide $35,000 in funding to the namesake park inGilaCounty. Through a contract with Santa Cruz County, the Tubac Historical Society is helping keepTubacPresidioStateHistoricPark’s doors open by providing both funding and operational support.RedRockState Parkin Sedona is being aided byYavapai Countyand the Benefactors of Red Rock State Park. All but one of the state’s other 13 parks remain open, albeit seasonally in some cases, because they take in enough revenue to stay in the black and fund their own operations.

Local authorities and non-profits say they decided to cast a financial lifeline to the more vulnerable parks because they recognize their value – their rich history, intense beauty and, perhaps most importantly, their economic impact. Today, less than two years after major closures seemed certain, 26 of Arizona’s 27 parks are open, although many have abbreviated schedules [to read the full article click here].

Arizona Nonprofits Help Rescue State Parks

by

[Source: Nancy Knoche, The NonProfit Quarterly] – Arizona’s shimmering sun, sweeping sunsets and sacred sites of Sedona draw millions of tourists to its state parks and historic sites. Community leaders recognize that parks are economic drivers in Arizona, having a $266.4 million dollar impact in fiscal 2007. When the 2009 state legislature slashed the state park budget, civic-minded individuals knew it was up to them throw a “financial lifeline” to these state treasures. Today 26 of the 27 state parks are open, but their long-range future remains in question.

Fourteen Arizona parks are remaining open thanks to partnerships developed by state agencies, nonprofits, and local communities. For example, when civic leaders of Payson and Star Valley learned that neighboring Tonto Natural Bridge State Park was scheduled to shut down, they knew they had to act fast in order to preserve the park’s $3.56-million economic impact on the local economy. Despite the fact that both communities faced their own financial challenges, they teamed up with the Friends of theTonto Natural Bridge State Park to cover the park’s operating shortfall by holding fundraising events and engaging citizens in saving the park. Today, the park is expected to be in the black by fiscal 2012.

Elsewhere, a fundraiser for the Yuma Territorial Prison Museum brought in over $70,000 kept the site open while it gathered more support.Red Rock State Park in Sedona is being aided by the Benefactors of Red Rock State Park. Nonprofits are increasingly part of a larger network of agencies, cities, and state parks that have drafted new written agreements regarding park funding and operations. Park managers have shortened hours, raised fees, and closed parks during low seasons. Today, 13 of the 14 state parks with these agreements are operating in the black. Statewide, nonprofit and civic leaders have raised more than $820,000 to keep the parks going.

Critics warn that this is just a “Band-Aid” approach. Several of these agreements expire in a year and future funding is uncertain. Cities and counties continue to be strapped for money. The good news is that the parks are open and continue to generate money for local economies. But how long will visitors be able to enjoy these Arizona treasures? Right now, no one has an answer.