New goals for Tennessee parks

Tennessee will have to find creative ways to develop new partnerships to maintain its state parks and achieve new recreation goals in the coming decade, according to a new 10-year plan.

"Parks have been underfunded in Tennessee for many years," the plan states.

The "Tennessee 2020: Vision for Parks, People & Landscapes" notes that the state's parks generate $37 in "positive economic impacts" for every $1 the state invests in running them. However, at current funding levels, parks will be "challenged to maintain their high standards of excellence in future."

While the report calls for "partnerships" to help support the parks, it also states the General Assembly should enact a dedicated funding source for parks and recreation and should restore permanent funding to the Heritage Conservation trust, the Local Parks and Recreation Fund and the State Lands Acquisition Fund.

It also states the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will recruit a committee of the state's business leaders to provide advocacy for Tennessee parks and recreation.

TDEC Commissioner Jim Fyke called the plan " a catalyst," and Gov. Phil Bredesen, in a letter inside the report, states the plan supports creative solutions to support the state's 53 parks.

"I am a strong believer in developing partnerships and leveraging resources to accomplish conservation goals, and this plan supports that philosophy," he said.

Rep. Richard Floyd, R-Chattanooga, and secretary of the House Conservation and Environment Committee, said he has a passion for parks, but this is not the time to be talking about raising new fees or taxes to increase funding for them.

"Of course right now, we're talking about having this done by 2015. Hopefully, we're going to be in a whole lot better economic situation in the next couple of year. There's no way we could create a funding mechanism right now that's going to meet the goals we have set out," he said.

PDF: Tennessee parks 2020 plan Fast factAn estimated 16.9 million people visited Tennessee's State Parks in fiscal 2008, and their total spending during these trips contributed $1.5 billion to Tennessee's economy and the economies of many rural counties. This impact represented a return of $37 for every dollar the state invested in state parks during the fiscal year.Source: Tennessee 2020 2020 Initiatives* Increase advocacy and funding* Improve parks management* Support local parks and recreation* Develop a Tennessee recreation one-stop website* Partner with the state obesity plan* Get every child outdoors* Provide more school-level environmental education* Partner with state and local agencies to improve land use planning* Develop regional blueways (greenways on water)* Complete development of a state heritage area programSource: Tennessee 2020

Rep. Floyd agreed that the state has a critical need to fund parks.

"I think we owe it to the citizens of the state to have a park system that's second to none," he said.

In 2007, Tennessee's state park system was cited as the best in the U.S

But the 120-page report says the park system currently faces a more complex array of management issues than ever before.

Some of the facilities are an economic drain on the system and may need to be eliminated, while others are growing old and are creating a large maintenance backlog.

Two regional state parks got specific mentions in the plan.

Cumberland Trail State Park, which began in 1998 with an ambitious project of amassing a 300-mile trail crossing 11 Tennessee counties from the Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky border to Signal Point, is offered as a partnership example.

About half of the trail is complete. Over the next eight to 10 years, the state will work with the Cumberland Trail Conference and other volunteers to solicit public and private support to acquire land additional land to complete the trail.

Fall Creek Falls also is offered as a partnership example for education. It provides the Department of Education a year-round environmental education classroom.

Officials developed the Tennessee 2020 plan with input from seven public meetings in four Tennessee cities, several surveys, expert advisors, and park focus groups.

It replaces the state's 2003-08 plan, and has been approved by the National Park Service.

The plans have been required since 1965 for states to continue receiving federal Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars -- which help pay for parks and conservation projects.

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