State Parks

Arizona Parks chief asks governor for ‘critical’ $15 mil in funds

by

[Source: Craig Harris, The Republic] – Arizona Parks Director Bryan Martyn said his agency has “critical funding issues” and is asking for additional state funding of about $15.5million for capital projects, operations and staff. Martyn, a self-described fiscal conservative who is just a few months into the parks job, has asked Gov. Jan Brewer, a fellow Republican, for the additional money in the fiscal 2014 state budget, which begins next July 1. “Arizona State Parks is a car running down the road 100 miles per hour with bald tires,” said Martyn, who became parks director May 1. “We need money for tires and gas.”

Matthew Benson, a spokesman for Brewer, said the governor and her budget team will weigh Martyn’s proposals. “The Parks Department request has come in like all other budget requests,” Benson said. “The budget process is under way, and the governor’s proposal will come out in the middle of January.” Benson declined to say whether Brewer would support additional funds for state parks.

Martyn said his department is seeking the additional funds because state parks have experienced significant cuts the past few years and have deteriorated. Parks need improvements, he said, because they are a product on which many Arizonans and out-of-state visitors are willing to spend money for something they enjoy.

Some of the money Martyn seeks would fund electrification of campsites at Catalina State Park near Tucson and new launch ramps for boats, roads and parking at Lake Havasu State Park. Martyn said the enhancements would increase visits by customers.

Martyn also wants to:

  • Build and install a potable-water line from Benson to Kartchner Caverns State Park in Cochise County, replacing the current well that draws water from an aquifer that feeds the caverns.
  • Replace a 40-year-old wastewater-treatment plant for Patagonia Lake State Park near Nogales to bring the facility into compliance with state environmental-quality standards.
  • Maintain base salaries for employees who received raises this fiscal year and add seven staff members for program management and administration.
  • Make non-routine repairs and maintenance within the park system.

The state went into its current budget cycle with more than $800 million in cash on hand. Martyn said he believes the state can afford to make an investment in parks. “I will use the money wisely to enhance the product,” said Martyn, who oversees a $21.1 million annual budget with 146 full-time positions. The state has 30 parks, with 27 in operation.

Martyn, a former Pinal County supervisor with 20 years of military experience, said he also plans to aggressively court lawmakers who will craft a budget with Brewer. “Every day, we have to sell state parks,” he said.

AZ State Parks repairs historic San Rafael home

by

[Source: JB Miller, The Weekly Bulletin] – After years of neglect due to funding cuts, as well as a wildfire that nearly razed one of the state’s most important territorial style homes, Arizona State Parks is now rushing to save the historic headquarters of the San Rafael Ranch. As part of this effort, over a dozen AZ State Parks personnel recently spent two days (Oct 9-10) cleaning house, making repairs, and getting the grounds into shape.

In addition, a new caretaker has been hired to keep an eye on the ranch house and adjoining property located along the U.S.-Mexico border just east of Lochiel. “All hands are on deck,” said Lee Eseman, acting chief of operations, who was busy working on one of the columns along the weathered and termite eaten porch that wraps around the 9,000 square foot house. “Hopefully it is in time.”

In 2008, the state parks system experienced a heavy layoff, leaving the San Rafael State Natural Area devoid of staff. “We had this place pretty much vacant when the recession hit and they started cutting back on our funding. When they did away with the Heritage Fund they did away with all the operational funding for this,” said Assistant State Parks Director Jay Ream. “We’ve had about $2 million over the last few years taken from our operating fund to help out with the state budget. We just couldn’t put people here and keep other parks open too. The problem was if you don’t keep a park open you begin to spiral down.”

In addition to damage to the main house, it was discovered that the adobe walls to the barn were crumbling away. “It’s been deteriorating quickly,” said Eseman, who added that there are also two out buildings “cowboy houses” that need to be maintained. Other challenges include keeping the solar and water systems going. Near one of the bunkhouses, a windmill broke and water had to be trucked in. The vegetation that surrounded the structures had also gotten out of hand, which fueled a wildfire that broke out following what was suspected a lightning strike this past summer.

“The fire in June was a wake-up call,” said Ream about the wildfire that destroyed a nearby pump house before burning all the way up to the historic headquarters. Luckily firefighters from the Patagonia Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department and the Coronado National Forest Service were able to respond quickly enough to douse the flames.

“We dodged a bullet and swore that when we got to the new fiscal year, we were determined to get somebody in here and have a clean-up day,” Ream said. In addition to mowing around the house in order to make it more “fire wise,” the work crew also removed an alarming amount of dead grass that had blown against the buildings. “A clean-up day does two things – one it gets a lot of big projects done in a hurry, but it’s also a nice team-building thing,” Ream said. He said parks personnel also wanted to knock out as much as they could so it wouldn’t seem so daunting to the new caretaker, Jon Erickson, who he described as a “good all-around hand.”

For now the San Rafael House will remain closed to the public. “It’s not structurally sound nor does it have the facilities for the general public (restrooms etc),” said Eseman, adding that safety along the border has also been a concern for AZ State Parks.

Originally a Mexican Land Grant, San Rafael de la Zanja was purchased by Colin Cameron and partners in the late 1800s. Built in 1900, the “Cameron House” was sold along with the ranch three years later to William C. Greene, better known as Colonel Greene the “Copper Skyrocket.” After the death of William Greene’s daughter Florence Greene Sharp, the ranch was sold to The Nature Conservancy in 1998 and eventually Arizona State Parks purchased 3,557 acres of the property in 1999 as a natural area.

According to the San Rafael State Park website, the purchase was made with Heritage Funds, which are used to preserve open areas. In 2008 the ranch headquarters was designated as a National Historic District. “It’s an investment in Arizona’s future,” Ream said while looking out of one of the windows at the surrounding San Rafael Valley. “Fifty years from now people will be seeing this as one of the greatest places in the world. I’ve seen maps of what Arizona is supposed to look like in 2050 and vast places like this will be the places people will want to visit.”

State support is essential

by

[Source: Arizona Republic Editorial] – Budget cutting left the state’s park system seriously wounded. Now, Arizona has to decide if it will leave the parks bleeding. Will the next generation find the kind of robust park experience envisioned by Arizonans who supported state funding for parks with the 1990 Heritage Fund initiative and land acquisition through the 1998 Growing Smarter referendum?

That vision included public support to grow and enrich parks.Or will your grandchildren find a few remnants of an anemic system?

That could be the consequence of years of budget cuts to the state park system, which saw its funding slashed from about $54.7 million in fiscal 2008 to $25.7 million in the past fiscal year.

A report from the state Auditor General’s Office says the Parks Board “was established as a publicly funded agency to provide a system of state parks for the public to enjoy. The loss of state funding … created a need for the state parks system to transition from being publicly funded to paying for its own operating expenditures. However, park receipts have not been sufficient to cover park operating expenditures.”

There was no public outcry to “transition” the parks from state support. In fact, the public repeatedly has used the ballot box to express support for the parks and open spaces.

No wonder. The parks serve a variety of public interests.

Economic: A 2009 study by Northern Arizona University found that state parks visitors had a statewide impact of more than $266 million, plus an additional $22.8 million in state and local taxes. Parks help rural economies.

Recreational: State parks offer hiking, camping and other outdoor experiences.

Educational: Historic landmarks, such as Yuma Territorial Prison State Park, preserve Arizona’s colorful heritage.

Spiritual: Arizona is enriched by the grace, beauty and culture of state parks.

A robust park system says something positive about a state’s vision of itself and its future.

Some might argue that Arizona has plenty of federal land and national parks to satisfy its needs. But Kartchner Caverns, Catalina State Park, Picacho Peak or Tubac Presidio are special, uniquely Arizonan places that deserve state park status. Arizona’s 30 state parks are jewels worth keeping in the public trust for future generations — including your grandkids’.

Arizona’s budget was in deep trouble in 2008 and subsequent years. The Legislature and Gov. Jan Brewer had to make painful cuts. However, in 2010, alternatives were proposed to help keep the parks whole. A proposal for a vehicle-registration fee to provide long-term stable funding for the parks never made it out of committee.

Stonewalling that idea suggests some of our elected officials have philosophical reasons for wanting to limit public funding to the parks. But the voting public supports parks.

The auditor general’s report found that reduced funding, coupled with reduced visitation, create long-term risks for the sustainability of the parks. The report lays out some options for partnerships and other alternatives that are worth exploring.

But state support is essential.

Arizona must move beyond the crisis mentality of recession-era budgets and plan for a state park system worthy of Arizona’s amazing history and eye-popping natural heritage.

It’s time to heal the wounds inflicted on Arizona’s park system.

Audit: Arizona state parks need more funds, visitors

by

[Source: Yvonne Wingett-Sanchez, The Arizona Republic] – The future of Arizona’s state parks is at risk, a new audit says, and their long-term financial sustainability depends on expanded partnerships and marketing efforts.

An Auditor General’s Office report released Wednesday portrayed the parks system as in dire need of funding. The Legislature and Gov. Jan Brewer cut funding to about $25.7 million last fiscal year from about $54.7 million in fiscal 2008, the report said. The audit also found that low and declining visitation was among the factors that pose long-term risks for the parks. Auditors recommended the Arizona State Parks Board, which manages the state’s 30 parks, continue to expand partnerships with local governments and organizations and create a new marketing campaign to showcase the parks. Auditors also said the board should study how the parks system can become more financially sustainable.

The 30 state parks cover a total of 62,000 acres, with 28 percent of the land owned by the state and 72 percent leased or under easement from federal and state entities. There are four types of parks, ranging from environmental-education parks such as Boyce Thompson Arboretum to recreation areas such as Kartchner Caverns. About 2 million people visited the state parks in fiscal 2011, the report said.

Cristie Statler, executive director of the Arizona State Parks Foundation, said the audit results were no surprise given years of deep budget cuts to parks funding by the governor and lawmakers. “They swept entrance fees, gift-shop money, donations, as well as eliminated the $10 million annual Heritage Fund allocation to state parks,” she said. Statler pointed out that, time and again, surveys say Arizonans overwhelmingly support state parks and open spaces and believe such areas add to a region’s economic health. “The only reason we have state parks open right now is because partners around the state, municipalities and non-profits, have supported … a huge number of state parks — about 19 across the state,” Statler said. “Were it not for these partnerships — I kid you not — these parks would be closed.”

In some partnerships, for example, cities will agree to share certain park expenses. Statler said she understands the need to continue to expand such partnerships but questioned auditors’ recommendation of a marketing campaign. “If you don’t have money, how can you promote the parks?” she asked. “To admonish the state parks board or direct them to continue to expand partnerships is to relinquish any state responsibility for the state’s park system.”

The audit also found:

• Arizona has one of the lowest number of park visits among Western states, and state parks compete with many national and local parks for visitors.

• The loss of state funding for park operations has created a need for the system to transition from being supplemented from state coffers to earning enough revenue to cover its own operating expenses. Historically, park revenue has not covered operating expenditures, until recently.

• The board has taken steps to increase revenue, including adding electrical hookups at campsites, an improved reservations system and a new fee schedule that charges lower fees to attract campers during the off-season and higher fees when sites are at a premium.