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News Release
Office of Governor Don Sundquist
Press Secretary - Alexia Levison
Office (615) 741-3763 - Fax
(615) 741-1416
http://www.state.tn.us/governor

FOR RELEASE: April 10, 2002

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES REOPENING OF STATE PARKS

NASHVILLE - Gov. Don Sundquist today announced the reopening of state parks closed last fall. Effective Friday, April 12, 2002 , Bledsoe Creek, Bruton Branch, Burgess Falls , Dunbar Cave , Indian Mountain , Johnsonville, Panther Creek and Port Royal state parks will reopen for day use seven-days a week. All other parks currently closed on Mondays and Tuesdays will also resume a seven-day a week schedule.

"I am very pleased that we now have the funds to reopen parks for the enjoyment of all Tennesseans," Sundquist said. "I hope this year the General Assembly will reach consensus on a solution to keep state parks open long term."

On Monday, April 22, 2002 (Earth Day), the remaining parks, which include Big Cypress, Big Ridge, Frozen Head, Henry Horton and Norris Dam State parks will reopen for day use seven-days a week. House Mountain State Natural Area has been leased to Knox County and will reopen as a county park.

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Milton H. Hamilton, Jr. shares the governor's excitement about reopening parks and his concern for future funding. " Tennessee 's state parks are one of the best park systems in the nation, and they deserve ongoing support," Hamilton said. "We need a long term solution that will address the recurring budget concerns that plague state parks."

The General Assembly recently appropriated one-time funding from the State Lands Acquisition Fund to the Department of Environment and Conservation to reopen parks for the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends on June 30, 2002 . Fourteen state parks were temporarily closed last fall due to a $3.2 million shortfall in the Division of State Parks budget. Approximately 35 other parks experienced a reduction in operating hours, closing on Mondays and Tuesdays.

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Action #1: Send a letter to your favorite legislators or one of the target legislators (members of the Finance Committee).

In general, e-mail correspondence is not considered as effective as a letter or a phone call, but do what you can.

We suggest that you fax a letter to the target legislator directly. Call Tennessee Conservation Voters (TCV) at 615-251-0309 if you do not have the legislator's number, or get it to the TCV office at fax 615-248-6545 and TCV can get it to them.

If you like, also send the letter via e-mail to legislators. Make the title of the e-mail "Funding for State Parks" and put the letter as a message, or attach it and make sure to say that you also sent the letter via fax.

Here are some points you can make. Be sure to write the letter in your own words, however. Make it short and to the point. (Members of the Finance Committee follow)

* I am a concerned citizen writing in regards to possible ways to fund our state parks. I know you are faced with the difficult task of balancing our state budget and will discuss this issue in the near future.

* It is critical that we continue to invest in lands and natural areas in the state of Tennessee .

* Tennessee and its counties are growing at an unprecedented rate. Our state is growing at a rate of 10% per year, with certain counties experiencing much higher rates, 14-18%.

* Fourteen middle Tennessee counties made the list of top 5% of hot growth spots across the country. Two cities were in the top 1%, Spring Hill and La Vergne.

* As Tennessee begins to host more industry and residents, we experience certain effects as a result of this growth. Land Use patterns change. Farm land, forests and natural areas, give way to subdivisions, roads, sewers and highways. As we build more roads and residential housing, we are under an obligation to balance this growth with an investment in open spaces, greenways and natural areas.

* Having parks, trails and greenways enhances quality of life for residents and is a major factor in their decision to live in certain areas.

* Natural areas and parks can provide measurable economic benefits for counties in which they are located. Fall Creek Falls for example, located in Van Buren County plays a valuable role in keeping the local economy healthy. The park contributes a substantial amount in tax revenue, around $182,000 in local taxes during 1998, this was 40% of the total revenue base for the county. Natural areas are more than a cost, they can actually be an economic benefit.

* Additionally, accordingly to the Department of Tourism, Tennessee state parks are the biggest visitor attraction to the state. We should be adding to the amount of parks we have, rather than slashing funding and closing parks.

* We are not unaware of the budget situation, but these natural areas are too important the quality of life on Tennessee residents.

(1)Tennessee Department of Transportation, we should not be building roads when we cannot fund the state parks or land acquisition,
(2) Dept of Tourism, we should not be spending millions of dollars on a "Tennessee Sounds Good to Me" ad campaign when the state cannot afford to keep parks open.

Action #2 CALL your local legislator and the targets above and express your opposition to the diversion of state lands acquisition or wetlands funds into the general fund. Guideline for calling:

* State your reason for calling, to express my opposition to the closing of state parks.

* Tell them why you are opposed to the closing: Our state parks are an important part of the Tennessee economy and quality of life.

* Tell the Legislators an alternative: Divert money from the Department of Transportation budget, highway funds, and the Department of Tourism budget.

* Ask that the staff person take this message and deliver it to the legislator and thank them for their time.

Senate Finance Committee members: (as always, Area Code 615 for callers outside the Nashville area; if no fax # is listed, that member does not have a listed fax in Nashville )

Tennesseans for State Parks
~ a coalition to protect our state parks ~

We support a

Penny for Parks

One penny of Tennessee 's gas tax would generate the $3.2 million to keep our state parks open and $10 million to protect additional parkland in Tennessee . Each penny generates approximately $13 million, which is less than 1% of TDOT's $1.4 billion budget.

Why use the Gas Tax?

1. Tourism - Tourism is the second largest industry in Tennessee , contributing more than $9 billion to Tennessee 's economy and $600 million in tax revenues. Money-spending, gas-buying tourists come to Tennessee to visit parks. The top tourist attractions in Tennessee are state parks, attracting 29 million visitors. (We get 3 times more visitors in our state parks than to the Great Smoky Mountains . State parks get more visitors than our commercial tourist attractions. Tourists who come to Tennessee to visit our State Parks contribute gas taxes that could be reallocated, or added to, for reopening our state parks.

2. Use the Fund that Paves Tennessee to help mitigate for land lost. Tennessee 's Transportation plan calls for a 4-lane road that connects every county seat in Tennessee to a major interstate (53 of the 95 county's roads are complete). TDOT's dedicated fund builds new roads everywhere. Roads destroy farmland and forests, pollute rivers and streams, and fragment our landscape destroying wildlife areas and increasing sprawl. The Gas Tax should help replace land lost to road building.

Why is this important?

* Tennessee ranks 7th in the nation in loss of open space to roads and other development. We lose 85,000 acres each year. Tennessee ranks 8th in the nation in loss of farmland. Tennessee is rich with native plant and animal life, with more than 4,000 species. We are one of the top ten richest states in America for biological diversity; yet, we are ranked among the most threatened in the nation due to loss of natural areas. Our quality of life and economy depend on protecting "the greenest state in the land of the free." It's what we're famous for. Businesses, new residents and tourists come to Tennessee because of the beauty of our homeland and it's at risk - partly due to road-building.

* Nationally, we have more freshwater fish and crayfish than any other state in the U.S. Our rivers are the global center of freshwater mussels. Tennessee ranks in the top four nationally for imperiled aquatic species (ranked by the Nature Conservancy). Road construction is harmful to our rivers and streams.

* With 29 million visitors annually, our state parks are already overused. With a state population that is projected to increase to 6 million people by 2010 (from 3.9 million in 1970), a larger population will accelerate the fragmentation of our landscape into smaller individually-owned parcels. We need more land for parks not less.

* At a time, when our state's budget needs revenue, it makes no sense to close some of our largest tourist draws. ( Burgess Falls alone attracts 400,000 visitors per year.)

* Corporate entities, conservation groups and individuals have been generous with land gifts. Thousands of acres of state park treasures have been donated for public use to the State of Tennessee . These gifts will cease if we can't trust our own "Conservation" department to conserve and manage our lands.

* Parks scheduled for closure are incredible Tennessee treasures like Burgess Falls and House Mountain . Some places are so special, so scenic they have statewide significance and should be preserved by the state of Tennessee . House Mountain is more than a city park.

* State Parks has proposed park entry fees. If you close the parks, you can't collect fees.

* 108 dedicated park employees are losing their jobs. Many of these individuals are career employees with a passion for conservation. When you lay them off, you're also kicking them out. To supplement their low wages, state housing is often provided.

* Tennessee ranks among the bottom, nationally, of "flexible" federal transportation funds it spends on projects other than roads (at only.6%).

A penny of the gas tax represents less than 1% of the Tennessee Department of Transportation budget. Tennessee already leads the nation in per capita spending to build and maintain roads. We need good roads but not at the peril of parks, forests, farms, and wildlife.

Support a Penny for Parks by calling your legislator and the Governor and by joining other Tennesseans for State Parks.

One penny of Tennessee 's gas tax would generate the funds necessary to address our current crisis to reopen parks and would ensure the future of our Tennessee State Parks system. One penny of the state gas tax could fund the $3.2 million to keep our state parks open and $27 million to protect additional parkland in Tennessee , ensuring a quality park system for future generations. Each penny generates approximately $30 million, which is 2% of TDOT's $1.4 billion budget.

1. Tourism Tourism is the second largest industry in Tennessee, contributing more than $9 billion to Tennessee's economy and $800 million in tax revenues Money-spending, gas-buying tourists come to Tennessee to visit parks. The top tourist attractions in Tennessee are state parks, attracting 29 million visitors. (We get 3 times more visitors in our state parks than to the Great Smoky Mountains . State parks get more visitors than our commercial tourist attractions.) Tourists who come to Tennessee to visit our State Parks contribute gas taxes that could be reallocated, or added to, for reopening our state parks.

2. Use the Fund that Paves Tennessee to help mitigate for land lost. Tennessee 's Transportation plan calls for a 4-lane road that connects every county seat in Tennessee to a major interstate (53 of the 95 county's roads are complete).TDOT's dedicated fund builds new roads everywhere. Roads destroy farmland and forests, pollute rivers and streams, and fragment our landscape destroying wildlife areas and increasing sprawl. The Gas Tax should help replace land lost to road building.

Tennessee ranks 7^th in the nation in loss of open space to roads and other development. We lose 80,000 acres each year. Tennessee is rich with native plant and animal life, with more than 4,000 species. We are one of the top ten richest states in America for biological diversity; yet, we are ranked among the most threatened in the nation due to loss of natural areas. Our quality of life and economy depend on protecting "the greenest state in the land of the free." It's what we're famous for. Businesses, new residents and tourists come to Tennessee because of the beauty of our homeland and it's at risk - partly due to road-building.

Nationally, we have more freshwater fish and crayfish than any other state in the U.S.Our rivers are the global center of freshwater mussels. Tennessee ranks in the top four nationally for imperiled aquatic species (ranked by the Nature Conservancy).Road construction is harmful to our rivers and streams.

With 29 million visitors annually, our state parks are already overused. With a state population that is projected to increase to 6 million people by 2010 (from 3.9 million in 1970), a larger population will accelerate the fragmentation of our landscape into smaller individually-owned parcels.We need more land for parks not less.

At a time, when our state's budget needs revenue, it makes no sense to close some of our largest tourist draws.( Burgess Falls alone attracts 400,000 visitors per year.)

Corporate entities, conservation groups and individuals have been generous with land gifts. Thousands of acres of state park treasures have been donated for public use to the State of Tennessee . These gifts will cease if they feel they can't trust our own Conservation department to conserve and manage our lands.

Parks scheduled for closure are incredible Tennessee treasures like Burgess Falls and House Mountain.Some places are so special, so scenic, they have statewide significance and should be preserved by the state of Tennessee . House Mountain is more than a county park.

State Parks have initiated some park entry fees. If you close the parks, you can't collect fees.

108 dedicated park employees are losing their jobs. Many of these individuals are career employees with a passion for conservation.When you lay them off - you're also kicking them out. To supplement their low wages, state housing is often provided.

Tennessee ranks among the bottom, nationally, of flexible - federal transportation funds it spends on projects other than roads (at only.6%). Mass transit would reduce our dependency on road-building.

People who support a Penny for Parks should contact their legislators and contact the Governor's office at 615-741-2001.To locate your legislator, visit: www.legislature.state.tn.us Or e-mail tenngreen@earthlink.net to join other Tennesseans for State Parks.

(For the State's comments on the State Parks Closings, visitwww.state.tn.us/environment/parks./qanda.htm)

State Parks' Futrure Still Uncertain
It's the time for folks to enjoy Tennessee 's state parks, but the future is very uncertain for some of those parks.

Money to keep the parks open runs out in about five weeks.

When it's time for fun in the sun, thousands celebrate in Tennessee 's state parks.

"Parks are for families, to keep kids and people out of trouble. They need to keep the parks open," said Donald Stewart, at Dunbar Cave State Park .

But keeping them open is easier said than done.

The state is hundreds of millions of dollars short of a balanced budget with no easy solution in the near future. Money to keep the parks be running will gone in about five weeks.

Christy Hyche takes her son Will to Dunbar Cave State Park to feed the geese. She hopes lawmakers find money somewhere for parks. "I think it would be nice for people to relax and know that they had the money, but since they're not real sure, we'll just have to wait it out and see. I know there are a lot of money crunches in a lot of areas. "

State parks have suffered before. Last year, the governor shut down 13 of the parks because of budget troubles.

Some parks are still reeling from cuts.

Many park goers believe it's all politics.

"The Governor just closed the parks because it was a statement, saying look, we want an income tax and if we don't get an income tax we're going to close the parks. So it's just a political statement," said Nina Lisenby.

Even on an overcast day the crowds are as large as ever at Dunbar Cave .

Since the last round of budget cuts, the state has had to rehire about 300 employees, but some parks still face staffing shortages.

The deadline now is June 30th. If there's no funding lined up by then all state parks will shut down.

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