Open Space In the News

Last week, the State House steps were the scene of an urban camp-out: more than 300 people and riled-up speakers, as well as tents, fishing rods, kayak paddles and Gen. George Washington on horseback. That's be cause, right now, some of the two million people who use the parks slated for cuts will have better luck camping out at the State House than in a state park come July 1.

The instigation for the rally was the news on April Fool's Day that Gov. Jon Corzine is proposing to close nine state parks and reduce services to three other parks to shave $4.5 million from the state budget.

The logic was very rational: These were the state parks that at tracted the least amount of people. Think of it as a twisted public policy version of the TV show "The Biggest Loser."

In the weeks since, the parks proposal has proven to be a politically losing issue. The governor has recently started proposing half- measures to alleviate the pain of full park closures, from promoting "passive recreation" that would still ban swimming and camping, to raising revenue by selling off corporate sponsorship of public land.

Parks are the environment's third rail. The governor is still feeling the pulse of public anger that reverberated since the announcement. More than 17 million people used the state's parks last year; more than two million people visited the parks that are proposed to be closed -- High Point, Round Valley, Worthington State Forest, Jenny Jump, Parvin State Forest and Monmouth Battlefield, to name a few. And while Washington Crossing State Park isn't slated for closure, its hours and access are targeted for reduction.

Members of the public have been vocal in protesting the cuts. They have been organizing im promptu rallies, calling and writing the governor and the Legislature. And one can be sure that the pub lic isn't calling for "passive recreation," whereby a potential camper needs to wonder whether the campgrounds are open.

And the proposal to offer corporate sponsorship for state parks makes one wonder if the State House will be up for sale next.

Gov. Corzine has said repeatedly that he has been forced to make "tough budget choices" in that he has been forced to scale back New Jersey's budget. And certainly, Wall Street bond houses might agree with the governor's record of fiscal acumen. But these latest cuts seem like they are penny-wise and park-foolish.

The budget was already slashed at the state Department of Environmental protection in the early '90s -- thus, it is not a top-heavy department. And the DEP's Divi sion of Parks and Forestry has 40 percent fewer staff members than it did in 1994 -- and 40 percent more land to manage.

We don't often think of campgrounds as being part of the economy, but we should. Outdoor recreation is a critical engine of one of New Jersey's most important in dustries: tourism. Our state parks help drive the outdoor industry -- including wildlife watching, hunting and fishing -- which contributes $3.9 billion to the state economy each year.

Even more alarming is that the proposed parks closures go against the will of the people. The public has consistently voted to use state money -- their tax dollars -- to preserve open space. Two years ago, in a statewide ballot question, New Jerseyans strongly approved dedicating money for the badly underfunded parks system. And last November, voters reaffirmed their will that open-space preservation and its funding should be maintained -- even in a tight fiscal climate.

The governor has already floated the idea of raising user fees at parks. Even better would be for the state to re-examine the process for leasing state land to utility companies and others. Often, these leases are massively below market value and could generate an additional $10 million if properly rene gotiated.

The willingness to close parks is not a good sign for the governor's commitment to support long-term dedicated funding for the Garden State Preservation Trust, the state's anti-sprawl tool that preserves open space.

Ultimately, parks are for the people of New Jersey, and we urge the legislative leadership and Mercer County's delegation -- Sen. Shirley Turner, Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, as well as Sen. Bill Baroni, Assembly members Linda Greenstein and Wayne DeAngelo -- to hang tough for our parks. Even in times of need, we shouldn't restrict state lands from the public, and we need the Legislature to restore their full funding.

 

Doug O'Malley is the field director for Environment New Jersey, a nonprofit advocacy group that represents more than 20,000 citizen members across the state.