Des Moines Register
12-24-07
Establish reliable funding for outdoors
The Register has published editorial after editorial arguing that Iowa needs a
reliable and sustainable source of funding for conservation and recreation. We
call it the "water-torture method" of opining and reserve it for causes we consider
critical to the state's future.
Dependable funding for the outdoors in Iowa - including trails, waterways and
wetlands - is one of those causes.
Iowa has no reliable, steady source of revenue for parks, green spaces and
recreational trails. The state ranks an embarrassing 48th in the country in funding
recreation and 49th in the percentage of land set aside for public use. The
Resource Enhancement and Protection program, which funds the state's natural
and cultural resources, has been shortchanged year after year. Lawmakers
stopped funding Restore the Outdoors, which dedicated dollars to restoring state
parks. A park user fee to raise money for recreation, established in 1985, was
eliminated.
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The result: Projects in state parks haven't been completed. Trails aren't
connected. Landmarks crumble. When lawmakers don't make the outdoors a
priority, the state's natural places and the Iowans who enjoy them fall victim to
budget squeezes.
There is hope. The 2005-06 Iowa Legislature established an advisory committee
for sustainable natural-resources funding. Members continue to work on options
and are expected to make recommendations to lawmakers next year to create a
sustainable mechanism.
Lawmakers should move quickly to do so. One option would be dedicating a
portion of the sales tax to recreation and conservation the way Missouri does.
However the money is raised, though, lawmakers should preclude raiding that
fund for other spending.
Dependable funding for the outdoors would generate a host of benefits. It would
improve the quality of life, make this a more attractive place to live and work,
encourage people to live a more active lifestyle, increase property values, spur
tourism and protect our natural resources for future generations.
It's also important for a reason that should appeal to all lawmakers: An
investment in natural resources is an investment in economic development.
That's supported by a new study from Iowa State University, released last
week, that documents the economic value of the state's natural resources.
One major finding: Just four types of recreational amenities - lakes, state parks,
county parks and trails - generate an estimated $2.63 billion in spending each
year. "Including secondary or multiplier effects implies that more than 27,400 jobs
and $580 million in income are being generated in the Iowa recreation industry,"
according to the study.
The 55-page report also offers evidence of how important outdoor opportunities
are to Iowans. More than 25 million visits are made to Iowa state parks and lakes
each year. County parks are visited by 23 million visitor groups.
For some lawmakers, the most persuasive argument to invest in anything is an
economic one. These are perhaps the same elected officials who have
repeatedly scrambled to give money to the private sector in the name of
"economic development."
Since funding recreation is also an exercise in economic development, legislators
should work just as hard next session to dedicate needed dollars to Mother
Nature.