Arizona
Status: At Risk
31 State Parks |9 Historic Sites
Take Action! Contact your state representatives.
Arizona state parks are in serious trouble, described by some as a system in "imminent danger of complete collapse." The state's $3 billion deficit has been the impetus for systematically starving the state parks program, leaving few options other than a plan to close 13 additional parks by June 2010, on top of another 8 parks that have already been shut down. Of Arizona's 31 state parks, only 9 are open to visitors. Arizona was the last state in the country to create a system for state parks in 1957, and ironically may be the first state to completely shut down.
Problems facing Arizona's state parks are not new, or completely stem from the recent national budget crisis. Since 2002 there have no increases in operating funds for the system. Analysis by the Arizona State University's Morrison Institute on Public Policy estimates it costs $32 to $34 million to properly operate Arizona's state parks system. Only $19 million was available for 2010, generated through earned income sources from the lottery (The Heritage Fund) and park user fees. Unfortunately, the $19 million budget was nearly cut in half as the Arizona Legislature tapped the funds to address the budget shortfalls and the deficit. This raid on the funds left only $7.5 million remaining for operations and maintenance this year. Altogether, funding support for the state parks system has been cut by 80 percent in the last two years alone.
Maintenance and upkeep at Arizona state parks is a particular problem. A backlog of more than $50 million is needed to deal with basic improvements and upkeep within the parks, with more than 50 historic buildings and sites. Yet only approximately $7 million has been spent per year and primarily for routine maintenance only. This has led to some unfortunate outcomes, such as the fate of the 1916 adobe-built Douglas Mansion, located in Jerome State Historic Park. Last year more than 60,000 visitors toured the house, but budget cuts and years of neglect – including water infiltration and deterioration of adobe bricks – forced the house and park to close last February. A chronic pattern of underfunding clearly demonstrates a low priority for Arizona's state parks. Ranking 43rd in the nation, Arizona has one of the least-funded state park systems, amounting to less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the state's overall budget.
For a state known for its natural beauty and tremendous cultural significance, Arizona's state parks attract about 2.3 million visitors annually, according to a study by Northern Arizona University. With state parks serving as economic engines, visitors produce $266 million of direct and indirect activity for counties and cities where state parks are located. As state parks shut down, it could cost Arizona millions in lost tourism.
What is the future of Arizona's state parks?
One by one, Arizona's state parks are closing. Some may remain open, albeit temporarily, with funding and staffing coming together through some unique financial arrangements. Entities are stepping up to fill the void and take over management, a move supported by the Arizona State Parks Board which acknowledges this might be the only means to keep some parks open. Pending final agreements, the City of Yuma will manage Yuma Territorial Prison State Parkand the Arizona Historical Society will take over Riordan Mansion State Historic Park. An agreement to keep Picacho Peak State Park (http://azstateparks.com/Parks/PIPE/index.html) open for at least a year might take shape if the City of Eloy agrees to pay $20,000 to subsidize the operation and maintenance of the park. In May, Picacho Peak was added to the Civil War Preservation Trust's 2010 endangered list, "History Under Siege." One state park that hasn't found a taker yet is Homolovi Ruins, which closed in February.
Translated as "Place of the Little Hills," Homolovi is tied to the Hopi people and their migration further north from the 1200s to the late 1300s. The 4,000-acre site is considered part of the homeland for the Hopi people and rich in archaeological resources. Since becoming a state park in 1993 and until its closing, Homolovi Ruins State Park has been a place of study and reflection, and outdoor recreation.
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