Arizona Lottery

Take the Arizona Trail User Survey!

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Click here to take the Arizona Trail User Survey.  This study is part of an effort to develop plans for the State Trails Program and the Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Program.  The survey is being conducted by the Arizona State Parks Board and Arizona State University to ask for input into the trail planning process. 

Your participation in this survey is very important.  Your answers will help set priorities for trail management in Arizona, and help determine how a portion of the Heritage Fund and the Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Fund should be spent.  The Heritage Fund comes from Lottery revenues and the OHV Fund comes from gasoline tax dollars.  Some of these funds go directly to provide recreational trail opportunities and facilities for all Arizona residents and visitors.

The survey will take approximately 15 – 20 minutes to complete.  Your answers to this survey are completely confidential. Your name will not be connected to your answers in any way.  Your participation in this survey is voluntary; however, you can help us very much by taking a few minutes to share your opinions.  Please forward this e-mail to other Arizonans interested in trails.  If you have questions about the survey, send an e-mail to Arizona State Parks.

El Mirage to break ground on 1st phase of $3 mil park

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[Source: Lily Leung, Arizona Republic] — Construction of a $3 million park in El Mirage began this month and will be marked with a groundbreaking ceremony this week. Heritage Park, a two-phase city project, will sit on 13 acres south of Peoria Avenue, between El Mirage and Dysart roads.  The John F. Long Estate donated the acreage for the park, which is expected to be finished by January 2010.

The groundbreaking is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, and the public is invited. “The city is committed to improving the quality of life for our residents,” El Mirage City Manager BJ Cornwall said.  “It will offer amenities for everyone in our community to enjoy.”

Half of the cost of the $1.5 million first phase will be paid for with help from the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund, for which $20 million of Arizona Lottery revenue is set aside annually to build and maintain parks, trails, natural, and historic areas and wildlife-conservation activities across the state.  The first phase of the park includes construction of a central pavilion for concerts and community events, amphitheater lawn seating, multiuse fields, a playground, and picnic areas.  The first phase is scheduled to be completed in January.  [Note: to read the full article, click here.]

Arizona state legislative update (Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club)

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The Arizona State Senate passed a budget early on the morning of June 26 and the House passed the same budget that night.  It is on its way to the Governor.  Considering they are making up a nearly $2 billion shortfall, it could have been a lot worse — although most environmental programs are already underfunded.  The Legislature cannot get the votes to really increase revenues substantially, so cuts, fund transfers, bonding, and rollovers are the focus. 

The Arizona State Parks system is hit hard again with over $7.4 million in fund transfers; at the Department of Water Resources, the Arizona Water Protection Fund dollars were rolled back again; and the Department of Environmental Quality had $8.6 million in fund transfers.

The Governor and Legislature did not hit the Heritage Fund, however.  These dollars are critical to parks and wildlife and are inadequate as is.  Please thank the Governor and legislators for keeping the Heritage Fund intact.

  • You can reach the Governor at [email protected].  Or, call 602-542-4331 or outside the Phoenix area 1-800-253-0883.  You can also write to: The Honorable Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona, 1700 W. Washington, 9th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85007 or by fax at 602-542-1381.
  • To contact your state legislators, go to www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp.  If you are not sure who your legislators are, go to www.vote-smart.org (you will need your 9-digit zip code) or call the House or Senate information desks.  If you’re outside the Phoenix area, call your legislators’ offices at 1-800-352-8404; in the Phoenix area call 602-926-3559 (Senate) or 602-926-4221 (House).  Correspondence goes to 1700 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2890.