User:Yoga smith/sandbox

About Me
Hello, I go to Winona State University and am part of a Wiki project. I was born and raised in the Twin Cities (Bloomington). I love sports, music and the outdoors. I am a very easy going person and usually can get along with everyone i meet...for the most part. I will be graduating from Winona State in December of 2011 if all goes as planned. Leaving here I will have a major in Public Administration, and a minor in Mass Communication. I am exited for this project and hopefully this can expand my Wiki knowledge and I can frequently update pages.

Yoga smith (talk) 23:09, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

POLS 410 Assignment: For my topic I have decided to do something regarding state parks and their funding in regards to who is in office. I have enjoyed state parks throughout my life and really think that they are important pieces to our state. This includes our economy and recreational activities. So my hypothesis is "State parks receive more funds when democrats are the majority party in the state." This can include the Governor, the senate, and the house. The hypothesis seems to make sense because democrats usually are willing to spend more on state recreation, but their could be disputes here. To study this could be intriguing and valuable to future techniques in state budgeting and or policies.

Review of Literature
For my literature review I am trying to find topics where state parks are discussed, as well as budget articles, or maybe political views on what should be done with state parks, and how much money should be allocated towards them. This is relevant as seeing if paying for this service benefits the state and its citizens. Ironically, cuts to state parks budgets are coming exactly at the time of one of the greater surges in visitation in the history of many state parks. New York reported two million more visitors in 2009 than in 2008, a 5 percent increase in one year; North Carolina a 13 percent increase over the previous two years; Pennsylvania up 3.2 million; Michigan 1.7 million, Florida, 700,000. The National Association of State Park Directors estimates America's 5,000 state park units annually receive 725 million visits that generate as much as $20 billion in economic activity, with an return-on-investment of about $2.3 billion in state funding. The author here talks a lot about the prospect of cutting out state park allocations with state fiscal budget cuts needed, and if this is really needed to help provide prosperity in these select states, and help their future budget. Here some states have the idea that closing the state’s department of Parks and Recreation agency and transferring the responsibilities to the department of lands, which control public lands would save up to ten million dollars. The 2011 budget could be a key player into which programs will prevail, and who will stand up to fight these park cuts including where they really only present .5 percent of the total state budget but it seems to always be a fund that people seem to think we can have without. Stated here is that these parks are basically towns for citizens in the area and park workers. There is so much involved here that volunteer work here cannot be used as costs and fees do occur. With the gaining state deficit park cutting could become a reality.

This article is based off of the DNR and state parks in Minnesota, and how there might need to be an overhaul for this budget session. Usually funds are not changed but this year the new majority lead republicans in the house and senate promised something would be done to allocate funds to other agencies or programs. This project fund comes in from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (created in 1988) and it takes seven cents of every dollar spent on playing the lottery goes into it. This project panel just the last year used these funds to create the new Lake Vermillion State park, as well as helping migratory birds recover from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Some democrats believe that this cannot be changed so quickly as one has to respect their formers, and they work that they have been on for years. It has been thought to not be reopened and to continue to fund these activities. Some think that they fund produces to many unnecessary surveys and studies that otherwise could create pliable revenue.

This article refers to the past governor of Minnesota Arne Carlson, a Republican. Gov. Arne Carlson will ask the 1998 Legislature to provide about $150 million over the next two years for environmental and outdoor-recreation programs, including money to improve state parks and restore wildlife habitat. Carlson said Wednesday that he would request that $114 million come from the sale of state bonds; the remainder would come from the state budget surplus. If approved, the total package would be one of the largest biennial allocations for environmental and outdoor-recreation programs ever in Minnesota. The record-bonding program for such programs occurred in 1994, when the DFL-dominated Legislature approved $115 million, or about $125 million in current dollars. Carlson, a Republican, had recommended hefty spending on such programs that year, and he signed the necessary bills into law. Carlson embraced a past cleanup program that had been set into place by the DFL dominated legislation. Supposedly in the past the governor had gone easy on polluting industries, but not here. Some are upset that he is providing money for unnecessary areas, and there is areas where funding needs are much more prominent.

Minnesota DNR has a plan now what they want to be done with sales tax money over the next 25 years. This really helps as legislature now has a very simple view of what will be done when the DNR and parks service receive these funds based off of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Act passed in 2008 allocating the projected $1.3 billion will come from a portion of the 3/8 of 1 percent increase in the state sales tax authorized by voters when they passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Act in 2008. About one of every seven dollars rose until 2034 is dedicated to state and regional parks and trails. The rest goes to habitat, clean water and the arts. Many executives think that now is the time to buy land to be protected in the state, as most real estate is at extreme lows, a perfect time to think about the future and designate these areas.

With state funding being less available for recreation and any type of park activities fishing and hunting user fees might be on the rise soon. The requests would raise the annual fishing license fee from $17 to $24, and the small game license fee from $19 to $22. A deer license would increase from $26 to $30. Other options of these licenses could be made for shorter trips. The Minnesota DNR has more vacancies than normal with as much as 100 still needing to be filled. Federal excise tax revenue tied to the sale of guns and ammunition has helped the wildlife portion, but this does not affect fisheries. Staffs on lakes are down, and many needed surveys are unable to be done. Recreational areas are also in need of improvements. With these rises in fees the work will be made possible. The fisheries budget has the most ground to make up. Its currently on track to spend $4.3 million more than it takes in through license and designated revenues. These new possible fee’s are based on surveys of anglers and hunters in the state. They want people to come out and do these activities, as they are large industries in the state, add jobs, and add billions of dollars in revenue to the state economy. If these items are not paid for but the state or in other ways the fishing and hunting industry will be a much different scene for our grandchildren, and not for the better.

As one can see state parks all over the United State are at risk for being closed down due to the evaporation of state funds, and future budget cuts. This is an easy area to do so as it supposedly doesn’t benefit the state as much as other policies and programs do. Some agree and some disagree, but who really does want these parks to be here, and who in the past has made sure funds are available for them?