State Parks

New lot to give Phoenix’s South Mountain hikers more parking

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[Source: Cathryn Creno, Arizona Republic 11-10-2009] – The number of parking spaces at the Telegraph Pass entrance to South Mountain Park  will more than double – to 83 spaces – by the end of this month. Both hikers and residents who live near Telegraph Pass, just off of Desert Foothills Parkway and 6th Street in the Ahwatukee Foothills, have long complained that the lot’s current 39 spaces don’t come close to handing the flood of daily visitors to the park.

Hikers have complained about having to circle the lot until spaces come open. Residents gripe that their streets sometimes fill up with cars belonging to hikers who get tired of waiting for parking spaces [to read the full article click here].

State Parks task force recommends $15 surcharge at MVD

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Source: Chrystall Kanyuck, Arizona Capitol Times.com 11-5-2009] –

A task force appointed by Gov. Jan Brewer recommends adding $14 or $15 to annual vehicle registrations to help sustain Arizona State Parks. The recommendation from the Task Force on Sustainable State Parks Funding includes the ability for vehicle owners to opt out of the fee. However, all drivers with Arizona license plates would receive free admission to state parks. 

The proposed fee echoes a recommendation in a report last month by Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy. Paul Senseman, a spokesman for the governor’s office, said the recommendation is worthy of public discussion. 

“There have been cuts for many years, and the parks are in critical need of funding,” he said. 

With the state addressing a budget crisis, Arizona State Parks has seen its operating budget cut to $19 million in the fiscal year that began in July from $26 million the previous year. Entrance fees, which helped fund capital improvements, are now used to cover operating costs [to read the full article click here].

State parks are in dire need of public’s support

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[Source: Arizona Republic Editorial 10-26-2009]  – This discussion was done with Rich Dozer, who is the Chairman of the Governor’s Sustainable State Parks Task Force.

1. Many Arizonans may not realize what a diverse state park system we have.

Arizona has 31 state parks on a total of 63,847 acres, and the parks are all different from each other, in size, scope and purpose. There are recreation parks, such as Catalina, Lake Havasu, Picacho Peak, Slide Rock and Tonto Natural Bridge. There also are historic and cultural parks, such as Jerome, the Tombstone Courthouse and the Yuma Territorial Prison [to read the full editorial click here].