state parks amendment 2 info
Post on 07-Jan-2017
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History of Alabama’s State Parks
• Construction of the Alabama State Parks began in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps
• Celebrated 75 years of public service in 2014• State Parks’ mission: To acquire and preserve natural
areas, develop, furnish, operate, and maintain recreational facilities, and to extend the public’s knowledge of Alabama’s natural environment
Alabama’s state parks have an economic impact of $375 million each year
• Visitors to state parks spend an estimated $152.4 million
• Parks support 5,340 Alabama jobs
• Workers earn a total of $140 million
• Parks generate $10.9 million in local and state tax revenue
State Parks By the Numbers
• Over 250 miles of trails• Thousands of acres of
water-adjacent land• More than 2,000 modern
campsites•Two parks with cave tours• Three miles of pristine Gulf
Coast beachfront• Eleven parks received an
Award of Excellence from TripAdvisor in 2016 for outstanding customer reviews
Alabama’s state parks receive NO money from the General Fund
• 80-90% of parks’ funding comes from user fees• Majority of that revenue comes from overnight guests
• Remaining funding comes from cigarette and use taxes
• More than $15 million earned by state parks has been transferred to the General Fund budget since 2010
2015: Five parks closed due to continued administrative
funding transfers
Three parks have since re-opened under alternative
operations models
• During the 2016 legislative session, Senator Clay Scofield (R-Arab) sponsored SB 260 calling for a constitutional amendment to permanently protect parks funding
• SB 260 passed, and Amendment 2 will be on the ballot November 8
Protect Our State Parks
Amendment 2 will ensure user fees stay where they belong: in our beautiful parks system improving the experience for
all visitors.
Yes on Amendment 2
• Amendment 2 will permanently end the practice of administrative transfers from parks to the General Fund
• Amendment 2 will guarantee that all funds earned by or allocated to state parks STAY in parks
• Amendment 2 will allow state parks to continue to offer recreational opportunities like hiking, camping, biking, and fishing
• Amendment 2 will ensure that state parks can contribute to our state and local economies
ALParksPartners.com
Join the fight to permanently #FundALStateParks!
Stay updated on news
Join as an individual,
business, or organization!
Engage on social media
Contact your legislators
Raise money for the parks!
Connect with park volunteers
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8
• Register to vote, find your polling place, and read sample ballots at AlabamaVotes.gov
• Deadline to register to vote is October 24
• Vote YES on Amendment 2
How to Help Before Election Day
• Visit ALParksPartners.com to volunteer • Recruit new organizations, businesses and individuals in our
fight to permanently fund Alabama’s State Parks. Direct them to our website to sign up as members and take the survey to sign up for specific tasks
• Join our social media mailing list to receive 1-3 messages and graphics per week to share on your social media pages
• Host a community meeting to educate the voters about the history of the State Park System’s funding transfers
• Distribute information about the referendum at local businesses
• Set up a table to distribute information at community festivals, farmers’ markets, local breweries, community meetings, college campuses, etc.
Alabama State Parks Partners Steering Committee
Bob Baumhower – Aloha Hospitality, CEO
Philip Darden – Central Alabama Mountain Pedalers, President
Sandra Killen-Burroughs – Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourism, Membership Recruitment & Legislative Liaison
Natalie Kelly – Sustain and My Green Birmingham/Montgomery
Bee Frederick – Southeastern States Manager for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
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