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Virginia
Association For Parks |
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NEWS
RELEASE Park
Advocates Call for Improved State Budget
Saturday,
March 24, 2001, was a beautiful day. The sunshine and mild temperatures
made it a perfect day for hiking, biking or fishing, activities one can
expect to see at any one of Virginia’s 45 state parks and natural
areas. However, on this date, state and national park advocates from all
across the Commonwealth gathered at Twin Lakes State Park in Green Bay,
Virginia, to discuss the current plight of Virginia’s state park
system. The gathering at Twin Lakes was the meeting of the Virginia Association For Parks (VAFP), an Association established three years ago after a statewide “Friends” groups held a training workshop hosted by Friends of Fredericksburg Area Battlefields (FoFAB). VAFP is considered to be the first organization of its kind in the country. “I believe the realization that Virginia spends less money on state parks than any other state in the county, has really galvanized our resolve to work together to improve our park system,” said Robert Williams, Jr., Co-Chair and one of the founding members of the organization. A recently
released report from the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD)
revealed startling information. With the current condition of
Virginia’s economy and subsequent state park budget cuts, the state
has slipped from 49th to 50th of all 50 states in
terms of per capita income spent on state parks. A primary goal of the Association is to strengthen the existing park support organizations and establish a new organization for the parks that do not currently have one. “When we started this organization,
only 9 state parks had a Friends group.
Now, 23 state parks have a Friends group and two more are in the
process of being established,” claimed Laud Pitt, Co-Chair of the
Association. VAFP is providing leadership for a strong voice in support of Virginia’s park systems. Through a park advocacy team in each of the five state park districts, VAFP will help raise awareness of park needs and form or lead other Friends groups. A mentoring team will be available to assist newly established Friends groups with organizational advice and technical assistance. As the state continues to grow at an alarming rate, our cultural, environmental, historical, and recreational resources will become threatened. “The park services at the federal, state and local levels all can benefit from a citizen organization like VAFP that serves all parks,” commented Davinder Khanna, senior vice president of the National Park Trust, who is one of the founding board members of VAFP. “National Park Trust is pleased to support the work of VAFP hoping to utilize its talents and help other states set up associations representing federal, state, and local parks, and build a support for “a national system of parks.” www.parksonline.org/vap
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