Heritage Fund

Arizona State Parks Board votes to reinstate Heritage Grants, but legislature’s OK still needed

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[Source: Bonnie Bariola, Florence Reminder] — The Heritage Fund was established through voter initiative in 1990.  The approval of this initiative allows up to ten million dollars each year from the Arizona Lottery to be allocated to Arizona State Parks for the following uses.

  • State Parks Acquisition and Development (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually
  • State Parks Natural Areas Acquisition (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually
  • State Parks Natural Areas Operation and Management (4%): Up to $400,00 annually
  • Environmental Education (5%): Up to $500,000 annually
  • Trails (5%): Up to $500,000 annually
  • Local, Regional and State Parks (35%): Up to $3.5 million annually
  • Historic Preservation (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually

In January 2009 due to state budget cuts, the Arizona State Parks Board voted to suspend all existing Heritage Fund Grants.  As a result 28 Historic Preservation Grants, 10 Local, Regional and State Parks Grants, and 10 Trails Grants that were one to 90 percent complete were suspended.  These 48 grants totaled $6,049,024.  Eleven grants that were 91-99 percent complete were allowed to continue. [Note: To read the full article, click here]

Viewpoint: Cynical budget plan could close more Arizona state parks

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[Source: Doug Frerichs, Arizona State Parks Foundation] — If state legislators stick to their latest budget plans, hundreds of thousands of state parks visitors are likely to have far fewer parks to visit next year, while recession-reeling Arizona communities could suffer major losses in parks tourism and money. At issue are House and Senate Budget Bills that would strip fee-generated revenues from Arizona State Parks, forcing the cash-strapped agency to close more parks or expend funds set aside by voters specifically for parks enhancements and community grants.  In addition to parks already shut because of legislative raids on State Parks earlier this year, the bill could force closure of such scenic sites as Red Rock State Park near Sedona, Oracle State Park north of Tucson, Yuma Quartermaster Depot, Tubac Presidio, and other prized locations.  Even Kartchner Caverns, the jewel of the state system, stands at risk.

In a cynical move, Senate leaders would confiscate State Parks fee-generated income, leaving the agency to rob the Arizona Heritage Fund to sustain a skeleton parks system.  The Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 1990, sets aside $10 million annually from the State Lottery for grants to finance community parks, historic preservation, and conservation projects.  Beyond cynicism, the latest budget schemes would strip away a portion of donations made to benefit state parks by private donors acting in good faith.

To her credit, Gov. Jan Brewer has proposed a more honest, pragmatic approach that would let State Parks keep its fee monies and not subvert purposes of the Heritage Fund.  The governor also recognizes that State Parks — in addition to its superb recreational, historic and natural values — is an economic engine that regularly draws more than 2 million visitors a year and pumps $250 million in tourism spending into local economies.  The governor also has appointed a Sustainable State Parks Task Force to recommend new ways of funding and maintaining such sites as Slide Rock, Riordan Mansion, Dead Horse Ranch, Lake Havasu and Kartchner Caverns state parks — places that annually draw huge numbers for fishing, boating, birding, hiking, camping, and pure enjoyment of our state’s great places.

State Parks is not an agency to be slashed when Arizona communities need tourism dollars.  Despite this, the latest budget measures would repeat mistakes made earlier this year when lawmakers lopped the State Parks’ budget by $34.6 million, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in parks staffing, closure of three parks and reduced operations at six more.  And all this on top of the fact that State Parks has had no general fund or capital budget increases for a decade.

Our state parks were bought and built by Arizonans over the course of half a century.  They were enhanced and improved with major efforts of volunteers. They have provided two, and now three generations with experiences and memories of some of Arizona’s best places.  Raiding the agency, stripping it of its small state general fund support, and forcing the State Parks Board to cannibalize the Heritage Fund are sure fire ways for legislators to destroy what’s good in government, hurt local economies, and leave the future with less.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Doug Frerichs is a board member and past president of the Arizona State Parks Foundation, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for and supporting Arizona’s state parks system. He lives in Scottsdale.

Maria Baier named as Arizona State Land Commissioner

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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer today named Phoenix City Council Member Maria Baier as the new Arizona State Land Commissioner.  Upon her departure from the Phoenix City Council, Ms. Baier will manage and direct the State Land Department, whose mission is to manage state trust lands and resources to enhance value and optimize economic return for the trust beneficiaries, consistent with sound stewardship, conservation, and business management principles supporting socioeconomic goals for citizens here today and generations yet to come.  The mission is also to manage and provide support for resource conservation programs for the well being of the public and the state’s natural environment.

“I am very honored to add Ms. Baier to my cabinet,” Governor Brewer stated. “She brings numerous years of outstanding experience in the public and private sectors, with expertise in the areas of land use, natural resource management, growth and development and environmental quality.”

Ms. Baier was elected as a Phoenix City Councilwoman in 2007.  Most recently, she Chaired the Economy, Commerce and Sustainability Subcommittee.  She has also been a member of numerous additional committees including the Downtown and Aviation Subcommittee, Housing and Neighborhoods Subcommittee, Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee and the League of Arizona Cities and Towns Executive Committee.  In addition, she served as the City of Phoenix Representative on the League of Arizona Cities and Towns and on the Maricopa Associa­tion of Governments Transportation Policy Committee.

Ms. Baier has also spent the past several years as President of MBC, Inc. a sustainability consulting firm specializing in sustainable land use and natural resource management practice.  Prior to that, she was President and CEO of Valley Partnership, a trade organization whose pri mary mission is to “advocate responsible development” primarily on behalf of the commercial real estate development and Director of the Trust for Public Land Arizona Field Office.

Additionally, Ms. Baier spent ten years on the Executive Staff of the Office of the Governor, State of Arizona, serving two administrations.  She served as Senior Policy Advisor in the areas of natu ral resources, growth and development, environmental quality, and criminal justice.  She also has a background in communications, having served as Deputy Director of Communications and Lead Speechwriter while with the Governor’s Office and as Public Information Officer for the Office of Attorney General of the State of Arizona.

She is an active member of the Arizona State Bar and volunteers on numerous state boards and commissions including the Trust for Public Land Arizona Advisory Board, Great Hearts Acad­emies Board of Directors, Valley Partnership Board of Directors, Agricultural Protection Commission and Central Arizona Partnership Board of Directors.  She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the College of Liberal Arts at Arizona State University in Tempe and went on to receive her Juris Doctor from the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona in Tucson.  Ms. Baier resides in Phoenix with her husband Chris and their two daughters.

Proposal would bring Yuma’s Quartermaster Depot under local control

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[Source: Joyce Lobeck, Yuma Sun] — A new vision for Yuma Quartermaster Depot was proposed to the Yuma City Council that would return the historic attraction to local control and make it a true community park open at no charge to the public. The proposal was presented by Charles Flynn, executive director of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, who oversees the city’s efforts to redevelop the riverfront.

The idea came out of the uncertainty about the future of the park under Arizona State Parks, which has faced severe budget cutbacks.  Originally slated for closure earlier this year, the Yuma landmark was spared, but the days of operation were cut back. Flynn told the council he is concerned that reprieve may well be temporary in the face of the state’s budget deficit, now projected to be close to $4 billion.

If the state decides to close the park, that would come just as the riverfront redevelopment is finally coming to fruition with the recent opening of the Hilton Garden Inn and companion Pivot Point Conference, he said. “This is a critical component of riverfront development that is outside local control,” he said. The park provides green space and a historic attraction as well as a venue for special events.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]