The Glens Falls Post-Star has a story about state parks facing cut-backs.
Gov. David Paterson's proposed state budget calls for $29 million in spending cuts at New York's 35 historic sites and 135 state parks, including Moreau Lake State Park and Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.
This is just the latest in a series of cuts. Over the past 18 months, the parks budget has been cut by 40%. In addition to the cuts to the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historical Preservation (OPRHP), the Department of Environmental Conservation is also looking at more cuts. |
Fred LeBrun at the Albany Times-Union weighs in on these cuts:
When I say disproportionate cuts, the truth is staggering. The proposed budget cuts most state agencies and programs by single-digit percentage points. But the Environmental Protection Fund, which fuels a host of environmental programs, farm protection and rural economic development, would be cut by a third. That, after the EPF was swept in the recent past of a half billion dollars.
These just another blow in a series of blows to state parks. While many advocacy groups have pushed for the acquisition of lands by the state, and creation of parks over the years, there has been little emphasis on maintaining existing parks. OPRHP has an astonishing 650 million dollar maintenance backlog. The sad part is that approximately 100 million of that figure was "shovel ready," and the state didn't request a dime for it from the stimulus funds. It's not just OPRHP. DEC also runs campgrounds and day-use areas in the Adirondacks and Catskills, along with being responsible for wilderness camping areas, trail systems, fishing access points, and boat launches. All of them also need regular maintenance, and funding has been skimped for years.
It's a sad truth, even on the national level, that people love their parks. Environmental groups are always advocating for the creation of new ones, or adding to them to protect various lands and waters. The problem is that no one bothers to see that there's money to run them and maintain them. That, you see, requires taxes, and people don't want to pay taxes. It also requires legislators and the Governor to make the commitment to that. It's not the case. It turns out maintenance is the easiest thing to cut.
The current cuts are going to make an already bad situation worse. Maintenance has been deferred for years, and facilities are deteriorating. These cuts will ensure the deterioration continues. It's quite likely that some of the infrastructure will be beyond repair. Some parks that will be closed will not be reopened, because they're no longer usable. Trails will be closed - and some have been - because they're no longer safe. Access to recreation opportunities will decrease.
This has impacts beyond just the loss and deterioration of state parks. The parks, trails, camping, and other recreational opportunities are major economic engines for many upstate areas. As these are closed, as they become unusable, the local economies are affected. Which means less tax revenue, employment, and exacerbating an already depressed economy.
At some point, preferably soon, the state and it's people need to really decide about their parks. If you want them, you have to pay for them. If we can't take care of what we got, why should we add more? |
