Published in the Concord Monitor – July 13, 2010

‘Gov. John Lynch has made ensuring our state parks remain jewels for all to enjoy a priority” – Lynch campaign website, July 8, 2010.

“There isn’t one park that isn’t in disrepair.” – State Parks Director Ted Austin, Union Leader, July 7, 2010

Which of these two statements do you believe tells the real story of New Hampshire’s state parks?

A recent front-page story in the New Hampshire Union Leader which was reprinted in the Monitor on July 8 (“Tourist season highlights state parks’ disrepair, Local & State section) detailed the utter neglect and embarrassing situation that New Hampshire’s park system finds itself in.

State Parks Director Ted Austin was quoted saying, “Most of our vehicles can’t pass state inspection.”

If Lynch has truly made the park system a priority, then the Union Leader article should get his blood boiling and New Hampshire can expect to see some executive leadership focused on solving this problem.

Unfortunately, if history is any guide, we shouldn’t count on it.

To be fair, the problems faced by the park system were not caused by the current administration or by the recent economic downturn. In fact, this is a problem that has been years – if not decades – in the making and is a result of bad policies, officials turning a blind eye, and politicians being unwilling to oversee and invest in the public assets they are entrusted to maintain.

This analysis may sound harsh, but that is the only rational conclusion that can be drawn after reading the park system’s 10-year strategic development plan released in January, listening to the statements made by the state parks director and reviewing the history of park funding.

New Hampshire is the only state in the country that literally does not support its state park system – no money from the general fund is allocated to our parks.

There are many instances where we can be proud of doing things our own way, but this is definitely not one of them.

The current funding scheme was signed into law in 1991 and mandates that the entire operation, care, maintenance and marketing of the park system be funded solely by user fee revenue.

That is 92 properties, encompassing the state’s important natural and historic assets, two ski areas, 606 buildings, 380 employees, as well as all the marketing and advertising to reach out to potential visitors – all funded by some beach-goers, campers, hikers, swimmers and skiers.

This decision immediately created a structural deficit in the park system which has had unfortunate and real-world consequences. According to Austin, the deficit has averaged about $400,000 per year.

This has led to deferred maintenance, operating losses, lost opportunities and staff shortages over the past two decades.

It should have been immediately obvious to those in the Parks Division, leaders in the Department of Resources and Economic Development and our elected officials that the self-funding scheme would be incompatible with the mission of the park system and the state’s responsibility to manage it.

Instead, it has taken 20 years and newspaper reports of overflowing toilets and prostitutes setting up shop in a state park parking lot to bring widespread public attention to the problem.

Many question the priority that DRED has given to the park division, and some have suggested that the Parks Division be moved from under its management.

For a state that relies on its natural beauty, recreation opportunities and tourism as its economic backbone, it is surprising that we focus more on our liquor stores, scratch tickets and presidential primary than we do for the park system that attracts – overflowing toilets and all – 6 million visitors who contribute an estimated $545 million annually to the state’s economy.

So here we are – in bad economic times with what should be one of the state’s economic calling cards crumbling before our eyes.

We need a coherent vision, an action plan and a commitment from our elected leaders to finally get a handle on the real needs of our parks.

New Hampshire deserves more than a line on a campaign website indicating that our park system is a priority. We can all see clearly that it simply hasn’t been.

(Jim O’Brien is executive director of Conservation New Hampshire.)