[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.