On Wednesday, August 27, the Board of Directors for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources responded to Governor Sonny Purdue's request for budget reductions by approving a budget proposal that could result in the closure of six state parks and seven state historic sites in addition to other reductions that could affect your favorite park!
Tell the Governor that, while you understand the need to fiscally responsible during these tough economic times, our state parks and historic sites need to remain open and operating as they do now.
We the undersigned believe that Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites are integral to the state and the communities surrounding them. Our national-award winning system contains sites of natural, cultural and historical significance to Georgian%u2019s and the nation. With more than 10 million visitors annually from all over the world, the parks and historic sites provide education, recreation opportunities and, possibly most importantly, economic benefits to the state. Annually, the total economic impact of park visitation exceeds $769 million for the state and local economies.
The Division of Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites has done its part to help reduce costs through implementation of voluntary cost saving measures and required budget reductions for the past five years. In addition, Friends of Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites and its local chapters have helped to supplement ever-shrinking budgets through the contribution of more than $2 million in volunteer support, financial contributions and capital improvements at no cost to Georgia taxpayers.
We believe that the recent budget proposal approved by the Georgia DNR Board of Directors cuts too deep into the State Parks & Historic Sites operating budget. We believe that ALL parks and historic sites should remain open and operating as they do now, without outsourcing, changes to operating hours or modifications to service delivery.
We believe that the public benefit of the parks far outweighs the savings that will result from park closures and changes. We ask the Governor to leave the parks budget intact. We commit to doing our part to help the parks by visiting them, volunteering or donating time or money where we can. We are committed to helping the parks and historic sites to remain open and ask the Governor for the same commitment.
