Arizona Game and Fish Department

Free state parks from Legislature

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[Source: Bill Meeks, Arizona State Parks Foundation, Arizona Republic Opinion] – When the Parks Heritage Fund was eliminated, the Legislature didn’t touch the $10 million Game & Fish Heritage Fund. Why? Because the hook and bullet crowd — the state’s 390,000 licensed fishermen and hunters — are a fearsome adversary.

In contrast, parks and open space advocates are almost invisible to lawmakers. More than 2 million people visit state parks every year, but we don’t know who most of them are or how to reach them.

So, how do we solve the disconnect between lawmakers and Arizona’s heritage?

We should eliminate it by vesting responsibility for today’s parks system and future open space needs in a state parks district not subject to legislative largesse. We can’t plan, build and operate a parks system the way we do now, lurching from one financial crisis to another.

Never mind the details now. Today, the Legislature probably would not refer such a measure to the voters. Getting it on the ballot as an initiative is a million-dollar proposition.

In the meantime, parks supporters need to seek out parks-minded legislative candidates by nailing down their views and commitments during the primary elections. The Arizona State Parks Foundation can assist in this process.

For its part, the foundation is working to vastly improve its social media capabilities in order to attract and motivate a larger corps of supporters and donors.

We are also working to establish a strong interface with the statewide business community. State parks are an economic engine contributing more than $260 million to the Arizona economy. They would contribute much more if they could operate on all cylinders.

Bill Meek is president of the non-profit Arizona State Parks Foundation headquartered in Phoenix.

Hands off the Heritage Fund, lawmakers

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[Source: Arizona Republic Editorial Board] – Lawmakers, show some respect for voters.

In 1990, Arizonans overwhelmingly approved the Heritage Fund, directing $10 million a year in Lottery revenue each to the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Parks Department. This reflected a deep commitment to some of Arizona’s greatest resources: a rich history, diverse wildlife and dazzling natural landscapes.

The Legislature took the state parks’ share during the recession, and has unwisely rejected a number of efforts to restore that funding.

Now some of the Game and Fish share is at risk.

A portion of Game and Fish Heritage money is supposed to be spent on acquisition of land as habitat for threatened and endangered species. A strike-everything amendment to a House-passed bill would allow it to be used for operation and maintenance.

This goes against the “heart and soul” of what voters intended when they passed the Heritage initiative, says Beth Woodin, member of the Arizona Heritage Alliance and former Game and Fish commissioner.

What’s more, it’s sneaky.

This is a stealth effort to do something the public probably would not approve.

To that point, the altered bill was held in a Senate committee last week after it began to attract attention and opposition. It should disappear entirely.

If the Game and Fish department needs more money, let it ask for the funding. Then invite the Heritage Alliance and others who respect the spirit of this voter-approved law to be part of a discussion about what changes make sense.

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.

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.