state parks amendment 2 info

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