NC Governor proposes closing state parks two days a week

As budget woes mount across the country, the governor of North Carolina is proposing to close state parks two days a week in order to make ends meet.

In Governor Beverly Perdue's proposal, she recommends reducing funding to the Division of Parks and Recreation by 10%:

"To avoid reductions in permanent staff, this reduction will require the closure of most parks two days per week. The division has the flexibility to manage this adjustment to minimize the impact on programs, services, and activities."

The savings from this proposal would amount to roughly $3 million.

The budget proposal also recommends that the Rendezvous Educational State Forest and the Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest be closed due to low attendance.

The information concerning state parks and forests in this proposal begin on page 238 of this PDF file.

Interestingly, just last week, North Carolina’s state parks and state recreation areas reported near-record visitation in 2010, with 14 million visits.

With federal lawmakers and bureaucrats continuing to spend our money like there's no tomorrow, the question that comes to mind; Will the day of reckoning come to our National Parks at some point?


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com