the Way of the Turtle

COMING SOON TO A NYS PARK NEAR YOU -
Park Closures?
Wednesday, January 20, 2009

NYS Governor Patterson released his proposed 2010-11 budget recently... and it's not looking good for NY State Parks. According to the budget documents, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) oversee nearly 4.9 million acres of open space statewide, including 2.6 million acres in the Adirondack Park and nearly 288,000 acres in the Catskill Forest Preserve. Additionally, the State park system comprises 214 parks and historic sites. The proposed budget cuts the funding for both by 12.5 - 13 % as one of many attempts by the Governor to close the enormous budget shortfalls being faced by New York State.

In and of themselves, these reductions don't seem terribly extreme. The problem is, the OPRHP has already seen their budget cut by 25% over the past 18 months. According to a press release from Parks & Trails NY, this has resulted in the loss of nearly 1000 permanent and seasonal staff. The additional cuts seem likely to force the state to reduce services and close at least some state parks, at a time when we need affordable options close to home for outdoor relaxation and vacations. Some reports estimate that $5 in revenue are gained for every $1 the state spends on parks; sadly, the understandable attempt to reduce the budget shortfall seems likely to not only cost us access to some of our outdoor areas, but also to cost the state and local communities much needed revenues.

I don't know what the right answer is - the budget needs to be balanced (or at least brought closer to being balanced) but we also need our parks and green spaces. PTNY has information on their site about contacting the governor and state representatives to let them know how important this issue is. Perhaps investing in our parks could be a way to add much-needed jobs and revenue in NY, at a time when they are most definitely needed. Only time will tell just how much of a commitment NYS is willing to make to our wonderful park system... though I suspect we're likely to see less rather than more.

JMH