Saving Arizona’s State Parks
When it comes to politics, the equation is often simple: angry people plus money equals results. With Arizona’s state parks, money seems in short supply, but anger is on the rise.
Citing the state’s woeful budget shortfall — sweeping through every state department and even causing a Republican governor to lobby for a tax increase — members of the Arizona State Parks Board opted to shut down parks to save money.
The latest hit closed Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and Jerome State Historic Park.
One group, The Arizona State Parks Foundation, hopes to guarantee the future of the parks system by sewing the seeds of a grassroots lobbying campaign to protect the parks.
But even if angry people put voices and money behind a bid to protect parks, do not expect easy solutions. In the last few decades, politicians have argued parks should pay for themselves, something proven hard to manage.
States such as Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio tried to turn parks into moneymakers with resort-style lodging and golf courses. While nice places to visit, these parks still often need state money to keep the doors open and golfers swinging.
A few states — North Carolina in particular — believe in the broadest possible access, charging few fees to access parks. Others get creative. A state lottery helps out Oregon parks.
The whole mess boils down to one simple question: who pays for parks. In a state with a disastrous budget, expect solving that equation to generate plenty of anger, some pricy lobbying and, unfortunately, few solutions acceptable to everyone.
