Arizona Heritage Alliance

What do lawmakers have against state parks?

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[Source: Arizona Republic Editorial Board] –Arizonans consistently say they value public land and open spaces.

But Arizona lawmakers slashed funding for state parks during the recession and show no intention of healing those cuts.

That’s a disconnect of colossal proportions.

A Gallup Arizona poll released by the Center for the Future of Arizona in 2009 found that “the state’s natural beauty and open spaces are seen by citizens as our greatest asset.” Nearly two decades earlier, Arizona voters overwhelmingly voted to create the Heritage Fund to dedicate proceeds from the Lottery to state parks and the Game and Fish Department.

Today, no general-fund money goes to state parks. The parks’ share of the Heritage Fund money has been eliminated, and a bill in the Legislature would further limit the funds available to run state parks.

“Parks are limping along right now,” says Walter “Bill” Meek, president of the non-profit Arizona State Parks Foundation, which works to preserve, promote and enhance state parks. He says partnerships with cities and counties that have helped keep parks open are in jeopardy as municipalities face budget woes.

Meanwhile, two bills — House Bill 2178 and Senate Bill 1286 — that would re-establish the parks portion of the Heritage Fund are not expected to make it out of the Legislature. Last year, a parks’ Heritage Fund-restoration bill never got out of committee.

Another bill — HB 2601 — would redirect money from the State Lake Improvement Fund that Meek says has been helping run the parks. It passed committee last week.

How bad are things for parks’ funding? In 2009, Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy estimated it would take $30 million to $34 million a year to operate and maintain the current system of 32 state parks and natural areas. The total agency operating budget for fiscal 2014 is $22.46 million, according to the Arizona State Parks fiscal 2012-13 annual report.

This disconnect between what the public wants and what the politicians do is not just an Arizona thing. Colorado College’s recent “State of the Rockies” poll found that residents of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as well as Arizona, expressed deep love of the public lands and a strong desire for the agencies that manage them to be adequately funded.

This is particularly striking in a region known for criticism of the federal government, yet support for federal land and federal land-management agencies was strong regardless of party affiliation.

Westerners treasure the public lands that celebrate the spirit and beauty that is as vast and liberating as our endless horizons.

So, what’s with the politicians?

The National Park Service faces more than $11 billion in deferred maintenance, according to congressional testimony by NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis last summer. The spending bill approved in January included a modest increase.

Meanwhile, states are pushing for new park lands. Arizona wants to expand Saguaro National Park and Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. This desire to protect unique lands shows foresight as population pressures increase. But land comes with maintenance needs.

Congress and the Arizona Legislature need to recognize that the public’s love of parks and open spaces is not a casual or passing fancy. It’s a deep commitment that has held strong and steady over many years.

Support for public lands should reflect that profound and enduring fact.

Seeking state park status Historical Del Rio as state park?

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Chino Valley Historical Society President Kay Lauster, center, describes the Del Rio Ranch, the first site of Fort Whipple in 1863, this past Wednesday to Bryan Martyn, executive director of the Arizona State Parks, left, and three other historical society members. Not pictured are Paul Aslanian, ranch property manager, Chino Valley Mayor Chris Marley and Supervisor Craig Brown. Martyn is on a statewide Preservation Series Tour.

[Source:Salina Sialega, Chino Valley Review] – “Do the math” is the message Bryan Martyn, Arizona State Parks Executive Director, passed on to seven people he met with this past Wednesday at the Del Rio Springs historical marker on Highway 89 north of ChinoValley. Part of the group continued on with Martyn a quarter of a mile to the Del Rio Ranch, near the site indicated on the marker. The visit lasted about an hour.

“We math everything,” Martyn told the group, consisting of four Chino Valley Historical Society members, Chino Mayor Chris Marley, ranch property manager Paul Aslanlian and Supervisor Craig Brown. “With historical property, it’s the business end of the deal.”

The group questioned Martyn about the idea of creating a state park at the ranch, the first site of FortWhipple in 1863. The Historical Society paid tribute to the arrival of Governor John Goodwin’s party to the fort in 1984 with a celebration at the ranch on Jan. 22. Martyn said it’s a great piece property, but his office has all the property it needs, adding that operations and maintenance quickly eat up money for such historical parks. He also said most people using state parks prefer campground facilities, and especially facilities with trees. Del Rio Ranch has a few trees, and someone in the group commented that more trees could be planted.

Aslanian described to Martyn the ranch’s water rights on the creek, which he said was the second oldest water right filed in Arizona. Aslanian, along with Brown and historical society members, told Martyn about many of the ranch’s historial features, including the county’s oldest cemetery at the ranch, a water tank used by the Sante Fe railroad, the Harvey House farming and care of mules used at the Grand Canyon and more. They toured the ranch’s mule barn, dairy building, and quartermaster’s house at the ranch.
Aslanian said what he pictures at the ranch is a tourist spot featuring a restaurant and weekend historical re-enactments and other activities.”It sounds like great potential here,” Martyn said. “There’s nothing in this world that is free.” He cautioned that his agency doesn’t do city parks.

Martyn discussed Heritage grants with the group, especially smaller projects costing $20,000-$40,000. Martyn encouraged the historical society members and local officials to “stay passionate and keep driving at it.”

Martyn is traveling around the state on what he calls a Preservation Tour with a three-part message: to thank rural Arizona for state parks and protect those resources, to examine public access to state land but not at the expense of the resources, and to show that parks are an economic driver for rural Arizona.

 

Game and Fish offers additional Heritage Grants award opportunity

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[Source: Yuma News Now] – The Arizona Game and Fish Department announced the availability of additional Heritage Grant awards in two categories for the 2014 grant cycle. Grant proposals will be accepted until Friday, March 14 at 5 p.m. MST in the environmental education and outdoor education categories.

Applicants should review the revised Heritage Grant eligibility funding windows (eligibility criteria) and application forms at www.azgfd.gov/w_c/heritage_apply.shtml to obtain specific guidance for goals and objectives listed within each grant category.

The grants are supported by revenue from Arizona Lottery sales and are available to projects that focus on wildlife. In the last grant cycle. Game and Fish used Heritage funds to award more than $415,000 to 32 grant projects across Arizona. When combined with matching money from other sources, the projects being funded total nearly $1 million invested in Arizona.

Started in 1990, the Heritage Fund was established by Arizona voters to further conservation efforts in the state, including protecting endangered species, educating our children about wildlife, helping urban residents to better coexist with wildlife, and creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation. Over the years, Game and Fish has awarded more than $13 million in grants to communities across the state. Arizonans can help raise money for the Heritage Fund every year simply by buying Arizona Lottery tickets.

Application proposals can be submitted either electronically to [email protected] or mailed directly to Arizona Game and Fish Department, ATTN: Wildlife Grant Administrator, 5000 W. Carefree Highway,  Phoenix, AZ 85086. No faxed applications will be accepted.

More information on the grants and application forms can be found at www.azgfd.gov/w_c/heritage_apply.shtml or contact Robyn Beck at [email protected]. For more information on the Heritage Fund, visit www.azgfd.gov/heritage.

Arizona State Parks Director takes Historic and Archaeological Preservation Series on the road

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[Source: Verde Independent] – Arizona State Parks Director Bryan Martyn is coordinating public meetings and will travel across the state in a new program called “The Director’s Historic and Archaeological Preservation Series,” which will focus on Arizona‘s historic and cultural treasures.

The Arizona State Parks department not only manages all 27 State Parks, but also the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which has various roles in 90 communities across the State. Martyn will engage local leaders, residents, museum leaders and other preservation enthusiasts in discussions about Arizona‘s important historic and archaeological resources.

SHPO manages the nationally acclaimed Site Steward program that protects archaeological resources throughout Arizona. The program has more than 1,000 volunteers to oversee millions of acres of state/federal and tribal land. (Watch video: Harrison Ford www.AZStateparks.com/SHPO/index.html). The SHPO also reviews properties for the National Register of Historic Places, reviews actions that might affect historic properties, provides technical assistance to historic property owners and Certified Local Governments, and oversees historic matching grants.

“I am planning meetings about our important historic and archaeological resources that need to be preserved and promoted for tourism, such as the historic State Parks. But I also am interested in supporting the “Main Street Program” which is now managed by the State Historic Preservation Office. I hope to start a dialogue about how we can work together to protect resources and re-adapt or re-use historic resources and focus on how these resources provide economic benefits for the communities. My goal is to bring attention to critical historic structures and how they could be protected through adaptive re-use.”

A schedule of each town visited will be posted on AZStateParks.com (Director’s Series) and the public is welcome to contact him about issues in their communities as they relate to historic and cultural resources and talk with him while he is there. Follow the series on Twitter and Facebook at AZStateParks. If you would like to contact the director, email [email protected]. (Below are preliminary sites to visit with a final schedule posted on the website weekly.)

For more information about the Director’s Historic and Archaeological Preservation Series or for information about all of the Arizona State Parks visit AZStateParks.com or call (602) 542-4174.