Sun
Sep 30 2007
07:15 am
Tennessee State Parks named best in the U.S.
By: R. Neal

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association have named Tennessee State Parks the best in the U.S.

Tennessee was recently awarded the 2007 Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. The other two finalists were Georgia and Utah.

Among Tennessee's accomplishments since 2003:

• Reopening 14 parks that had been previously closed;

• Removing access fees from the 23 state parks that had instituted them;

• Acquiring properties with exceptional conservation value from Bowater;

• Partnering with the Nature Conservancy and conservation-minded timber companies to protect 124,000 acres on the Northern Cumberland Plateau;

• Working with community organizations and other partners to open the first Boundless Playground at a state park anywhere in the country at Warriors’ Path State Park;

• Purchasing renewable “Green Power” in all state parks where it’s available.

A panel of parks and recreation professionals judged state park programs on "long-range planning, resource management, citizen support systems, environmental stewardship, program and professional development and agency recognition."

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KO's picture

I didn't know that about the

Submitted by KO on Sun, 2007/09/30 - 9:14am.

I didn't know that about the removal of access fees. That is a welcome change. I always viewed access fees as an additional and unjust tax on the poor. I hope the state continues to make progress in eliminating the access fees in all the parks. Unfortunately, as soon as the next budget crisis rolls around, I bet the access fees will be the first taxes to be reinstated.

www.herstonlaw.com

Andy Axel's picture

Speaking of egregious and

Submitted by Andy Axel on Sun, 2007/09/30 - 10:13am.

Speaking of egregious and regressive taxes, you can thank the 9.25% sales tax for making this all possible.

I was surprised when Radnor Lake stopped charging fees - but a year's access tag is $30, and that's good at any Tennessee state park.

I hardly think of this as a "tax," especially with all of the programs that Radnor hosts for which they do not charge.

____________________________

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talidapali's picture

I don't mind fees for...

Submitted by talidapali on Sun, 2007/09/30 - 4:34pm.

Special activities like camping and science programs. I'm glad they removed the simple access fees though. At least now, folks can take their kids somewhere that's sort of wild and untamed without having to scrape up a fee to enter the gates. Maybe they could also start a summer program that will let low-income families use the camping facilities for a reduced fee?

_________________________________________________
"You can't fix stupid..." ~ Ron White"
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Thag13's picture

Back in the Day at Norris,

Submitted by Thag13 on Mon, 2007/10/01 - 6:24pm.

Back in the Day at Norris, Camping permits were really cheap. Like 2 or three bucks.

I went back to Norris this weekend for a day trip. I love going to the over look and driving in the old park. We had a nice picnic

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