StateImpact on OETA: The Last Weekend at Walnut Creek State Park
Walnut Creek State Park near Prue in Osage County closed for the season on Oct. 1, and might never open again.
Oklahoma’s state parks, lodges, golf courses and travel information centers are managed by the Parks Division, which is organized within the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.
The tourism department has suffered a 22 percent budget cut since 2009, and officials in 2011 announced plans to close or transfer seven state parks, a move that Executive Director Deby Snodgrass said would save taxpayers $700,000 a year.
The parks were sparsely attended, generated little revenue from activity fees, and often duplicated amenities of more popular parks nearby, Snodgrass said.
Cities ended up taking over five of the parks; American Indian tribes assumed management of the other two.
Currently, Oklahoma has 35 official state parks.
FISCAL YEAR | APPROPRIATION |
---|---|
2011 | $11,117,884 |
2010 | $10,222,308 |
2009 | $11,486,806 |
2008 | $12,827,001 |
2007 | $14,541,892 |
Walnut Creek State Park near Prue in Osage County closed for the season on Oct. 1, and might never open again.
Walnut Creek State Park closed indefinitely last weekend, the latest in a series of park closures that started in 2011.
When budget cuts led the Oklahoma tourism department to find new homes for seven state parks in 2011, two of them went to Native American tribes.
In April 2011, Oklahoma was dealing with a half-billion dollar budget shortfall.
In Sulphur, barricades warn the public away from entering the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, which is closed.
As StateImpact reported on Wednesday, Oklahoma’s state parks are not impacted by the federal government shutdown.