The Arizona Preservation Foundation is honored to receive the 2022 John H. Chafee Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Policy from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. APF has been a long-standing partner of the Arizona Heritage Alliance and we are mentioned in the following video. On YouTube, the AZ segment starts at the 7 min. mark: https://buff.ly/3NDOCap
Article by Jim McPherson, President of the Arizona Preservation Foundation and Vice-President of the Arizona Heritage Alliance – July 6, 2022.
While the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund appropriations was cut in half from $5 million last fiscal year to $2.5 million this fiscal year, the State Legislature and Governor approved other significant funding for parks, trails, historic preservation, and wildlife conservation. Over and above funding for the staffing and operations of Arizona Game & Fish and Arizona State Parks & Trails (the two state agencies that the Arizona Heritage Alliance advocates for every day), investments were made for the following initiatives:
In addition, the Alliance has always supported the leveraging of funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) with all related grant programs managed by state and local governments. The Alliance applauds the recent announcement by the U.S. Department of the Interior that $5,695,464 from the LWCF will be invested in Arizona for outdoor recreation and conservation efforts, strengthening public lands and waters, building new outdoor spaces, and expanding access to outdoor recreation.
The Alliance thanks the thousands of Arizonans who called, wrote, emailed, texted, and used the Legislature’s Request to Speak service this past legislative session to voice their support of the State Parks Heritage Fund and Arizona’s historic and natural resources overall.
Thank you for supporting the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund. On June 28, 2022, the Governor signed the 2022/2023 Budget which included an one-time appropriation of $2.5 million to fund the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund. Please feel free to email or call us at 602,738.8381 if you have any questions or need more information.
Support Flyer – Vote Yes on SB1270
List of 2021/2022 ASP Heritage Fund grant awards (as of 6.29.2022)
2021/2022 Estimated Totals of ASP Heritage Fund and ARAP grant awards (as of 6.29.2022)
Arizona Heritage Alliance Email blast – 2022 Legislative Session is Open
Alert: SB1270 is on AZ Senate Appropriations Committee 2.1.2022 Agenda
Live Webinar on Background of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.
Letter to the Editor by AHA Board Member Natalya Brown – Phoenix Independent
Letter to the Editor by AHA Board Member Natalya Brown – Daily Independent
Letter to the Editor by AHA Board Member Steve Farley – Tucson Daily Star
Guest Column by AHA President Russ Jones – Yuma Sun
Letter to the Editor by AHA Board Member Bryan Martyn – Daily Independent
Colorado College released the results from their 2022 Conservation in the West Poll. It’s chalk full of resources that you could incorporate into your discussions with decision-makers and communications materials on the benefits of public lands spaces to Arizonans, Here’s a few resources to highlight:
Alert: SB1270 is on the AZ House Land, Argiculture and Rural Affairs Committee 3.14.2022 Agenda
February 2022 Poll – Arizona Statewide Issues – Prepared for the State Innovation Exchange by TargetSmart
Alert: SB1270 Still Needs Your Support to Restore the ASP Heritage Fund in the Lottery
FY 2023 Executive Arizona State Parks Budget Handout
Letter to Editor submitted by Arizona Heritage Alliance President, Russell Jones – January 20. 2022
The restored Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund needs to be fully-funded by the Legislature this session
For many of us, our most treasured childhood memories are romping in a neighborhood park
or taking a hike in Arizona’s wide-open spaces. Every community in our state, regardless of size, has a place where parents and their children picnic; throw, kick, hit, and dunk a ball; or stare in wonderment at Arizona’s unique flora and fauna. These special places provide wholesome outdoor recreation.
Historic downtowns and neighborhoods, where previous generations grew up, went to school, and conducted business, have been restored to their original beauty enabling Arizonans to continue to live near their jobs, schools, and local services.
Urban sprawl and destructive fires have impacted our open spaces, and historic buildings and cultural sites have faced destruction as time, the elements, or neglect have taken their toll.
The Arizona Heritage Fund was created in 1990 as a voter-Initiative which passed with over 62% majority. It directed $10 million annually from state lottery to the State Parks Heritage Fund to be used for local, regional, and state parks; trails and open spaces; and cultural heritage sites.
It also created a separate Arizona Game & Fish Heritage Fund, with its own $10 million annually from state lottery revenues. The Game & Fish Heritage Fund uses its money to protect and manage habitat for Arizona’s wildlife.
Since the creation of the State Parks Heritage Fund 32 years ago, over $89 million in grants have been reinvested in parks, trails, open spaces, and cultural sites in communities across Arizona. With local matching funds added in, $207 million has been spent in projects statewide.
In 2010, the state legislative majority decided — as part of their plan to address severe budget shortfalls during the Great Recession — to repeal the State Parks Heritage Fund. Over the twelve years since the State Parks Heritage Fund was eliminated, the Fund has lost $120 million that should have been used for parks, trails, and cultural sites in accordance with the wishes of the voters.
In the 2019 legislative session, SB1241 was passed with bipartisan support, and signed into law. While SB1241 put the State Parks Heritage Fund back into statute, it did not restore the annual $10 million from Lottery revenues.
In the 2021 session, Representative Joanne Osborne (LD13) introduced a Bill to finance the Fund. Osborne’s Bill received strong public support as well as bipartisan legislative support. Through the final budget negotiation process between the House, Senate, and Governor in June of 2021, the outcome was a one-time appropriation of $5 million for Fiscal Year 2022.
As the 2022 Legislative Session begins, with large Budget surpluses and the Arizona Lottery encumbrances have been repaid and removed, the Board of the Arizona Heritage Alliance, other heritage and environmental stakeholder groups, and hundreds of Arizonans who have communicated their views to the Legislature believe it is time to reinstate the funding to the State Parks portion of the Heritage Fund.
It is time to make Arizona’s precious heritage whole again – now and into the future.
Russ Jones is a former State Representative from Yuma. He is currently President of the Arizona Heritage Alliance and sits on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Power Authority, dealing with the water and power needs of Arizona.
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