May 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 17

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Pennsylvania Park, Recreation, and
Conservation Fund under Attack

et another state is threatened with loss of critical funding for parks, this time the state
of Pennsylvania. Governor Tom
Corbett (R) has proposed to permanently
eliminate the Keystone Recreation, Park,
and Conservation Fund in the FY 13 state
budget. The Keystone Fund, in existence
since 1994, is a dedicated state fund that
would provide $30 million for local and
statewide parks and recreation projects in
FY 13. The fund derives its revenues from a
small portion of the state real estate transfer
tax and has invested more than $360 million since its inception in more than 3,000
local and statewide park, recreation, and
conservation projects. This latest cut to
conservation funding comes on the heels of
recent cuts to the state's Growing Greener

Environmental Stewardship Fund and the
state's Agricultural Preservation Fund.
The impending elimination of the Keystone Fund has stunned parks and conservation advocates in Pennsylvania. The
fund has been exceedingly popular with
the public and has enjoyed broad bi-partisan legislative support up till now; but
due to state budget cuts, is now very much
at risk. Proponents, led by the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, have
been galvanized by the Governor's unprecedented proposal to permanently
eliminate the fund and have mounted an
aggressive statewide effort to mobilize
public opposition to this planned budget
cut. Efforts have included statewide petitions, fact sheets, and outreach to media and citizens. Recent public opinion

surveys have shown extraordinary levels of public support for public parks and
recreation, but hardened ideological positions within the legislature will make
this an uphill fight. Proponents accurately point out that elimination of this fund
will result in a major increase of deferred
maintenance projects in state parks and
forests as well as significantly diminishing funds for local park, recreation, and
open space conservation projects, including the loss of a more than 2-to-1 match for
every state dollar invested.
For more information on the fight to
save the Keystone Recreation, Park, and
Conservation Fund, visit www.conserva
tionadvocate.org/keystone-fund.
-Richard J. Dolesh, NRPA Vice
President, Conservation & Parks

Mcway Falls sunset at Big sur, Julia
Pfeiﬀer Burns state Park, California

PrevIeW

California Forever

AnDreW ZAriVnY/123rf

W
 

hen they read about a
proposal in the middle of
the last decade to build a
six-lane toll road through
San Onofre State Park in Orange County, California, documentary fi lmmakers
David Vassar and Sally Kaplan set out to
produce a film showcasing " the priceless
legacy that state parks protect and to celebrate the individual citizens who worked
so hard to preserve them. " California Forever, a two-part documentary originated
from this inspiration. The first film (75
minutes) depicts the history California's
state parks, beginning in Yosemite in
1864, while the second (60 minutes) features parks that typify challenges faced
by all 278 parks in the California system.
Vassar and Kaplan, principals in the
Ventura, California-based Backcountry Pictures, have many park-themed

documentaries to their credit, including
fi lms on Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and
Yosemite National Parks. Park professionals and advocates alike will fi nd much to
appreciate and learn from in these two
beautiful fi lms on California's parks. As
some observers of the state's park funding crisis have noted, " So goes California,
so goes the country. " If overcrowding,

encroachment by development and budget cuts could jeopardize California's
magnificent park system, then it can happen anywhere in the country. In September PBS will air TV adaptations of the two
documentaries through its affiliate stations.
To view a clip of California Forever, visit http://bit.ly/neify4 or link to the website,
www.cal4ever.com.

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& Recreation

15
May 2012 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2012 - Parks & Recreation
