Strategy 11 (56 % support); The Parks 

 Division should create a "park tmst" at 

 one or more state parks. A trust is a legal 

 assignment of certain powers to one or more 

 persons, called trustees, who manage assets 

 for the benefit of another. In the context of 

 state parks, the idea would be to require the 

 trust to cover all costs either from revenues 

 generated from park assets or from private 

 contributions of funds, property, or services 

 by individuals, corporations, or charitable 

 foundations. 



Strategy U (44 % support) : The 

 Legislature should levy a land conversion 

 tax— a tax collected when undeveloped 

 land is developed for any non-agricultural 

 puipose. Some Committee members saw this 

 as a way to raise revenues to support parks 

 while providing an incentive for Montana 

 landowners to leave rural lands undeveloped. 

 Other Committee members were opposed on 

 principle to creating new taxes. 



Strategy 13 (33 % supp ort): The 

 Legislature should increase the amount of 

 the severance tax on natural gas 

 production, specifically coal bed methane, 

 firom 15% to 30% and dedicate some or all 

 of the proceeds to the state parks. 



Strategy 14 (33 % support) ; The 

 Legislature should increase the 

 accommodations (orbed) tax by 4% and 

 maintain the existing allocation of the 

 revenue by this tax. This strategy would 

 raise about $728,000 per year for the state 

 parks s)'stem. 



OTHER Policy 

 Considerations 



Recommendation 16 : The Legislative and 

 Executive branches should recognize the 

 economic value of Montana's 

 environmental assets, including state 



parks. Strategies for economic 

 development should build on these 

 environmental assets while sustaining the 

 resources. 



Montana's public lands, scenic open space, 

 cultural and historic sites, rivers, and wildlife 

 provide a quality of life uncommon outside 

 our borders. Our relatively unspoiled 

 envirorunent— including the state parks 

 system— is also a major economic asset, 

 attracting tourism and small business to the 

 state and offering a promising foundation for 

 economic development. State govemment, 

 and the parks system in particular, should play 

 an important role in supporting such 

 economic development and enhancing 

 residents' quality of life. 



Tourism is a major economic driver in 

 Montana with tremendous growth potential. 

 In communities across the state, private sector 

 services (hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, 

 retail stores, guides, etc.) are expanding to 

 capture tourism dollars, significantly 

 diversifying and rejuvenating local economies. 



According to a 2002 study done by the 

 Institute for Tourism and Recreation 

 Research, the most important activities for 

 visitors to our state are watching wildlife 

 (50%), day hiking (46%), picnicking (36%), 

 history (35%), and visiting museums (25%). 

 These activities are dependent on the natural, 

 cultural, and historic landscapes and resources 

 held in the stewardship of local, state, and 

 federal govemment. Without public 

 stewardship of these public resources, 

 Montana's tourism potential would be 

 severely diminished. 

 Currently, a number of state agencies 

 administer tourism- related programs and 

 manage tourism-related resources. The 

 Montana Department of Transportation 

 manages rest stops. The Montana Heritage 

 Commission acquires and develops historic 

 sites such as Virginia and Nevada cities. Tlie 

 Montana Historical Society manages historic 



13 



State Parks Futures Convrittee, DeoemberJ, 2002 



