Are Our State Parks Endangered?

Aug. 25 -- The nation’s 3,266 state parks are in jeopardy from encroaching urban development and government’s lack of commitment to land acquisition, a conservation group said today.

State parks attract 10 times as many visitors as national parks, despite having fewer acres and far smaller budgets, according to the National Park Trust. But Congress gets an “F” for protecting state parks, the trust says.

The group’s research found more than 90,000 acres in state parks threatened by overuse, traffic, adjacent commercialism, encroachment, land development, rising land values and privately owned land within the parks’ boundaries.

“If these trends continue, park visitors may one day find interstate highways, residential areas and shopping developments completely surrounding their parks,” trust president Paul Pritchard said at a Washington press conference announcing the report’s release.

The group identified what it sees as the most endangered state parks and the 10 states with the most threatened parks. Georgia topped the list, followed by North Carolina, Minnesota, Nevada and West Virginia. Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Montana rounded out the top 10. The study was based on surveys filled out by state park officials, but 18 states did not respond, including California, Texas, New York and Alaska.

Here are three examples of endangered state parks, according to the trust: Blackwater Falls, W. Va.: Republican Gov. Cecil Underwood recently crafted a deal with a developer who plans to build condos on a canyon rim. The housing would be accessible by park roads, generating more traffic in the park. Rosebud Battlefield, Mont.: The site of a historic battle led by General Custer, the park is threatened by potential development of a privately-owned portion of the battlefield. Wormsloe Park, Ga.: The current construction of two lanes to the park road is creating significant noise and air pollution.