grants, and the trails program. Of this total, 

 2.2% comes from the state general fund, 26% 

 comes from various programs administered 

 by the federal government, and the remainder 

 comes from a mix of fees and state tax 

 sources (see Appendix E). 



The financial resources of the Parks Division 

 are allocated according to the categories 

 shown in the pie chart in Appendix E. 



Recommendation 14 ; Principles to Guide 

 Funding 



The following principles should guide the 

 funding of Montana State Parks: 



1. Montana state parks are a valuable resource 

 to the state of Montana, with a great yet 

 unfulfilled potential to provide 

 opportunities for recreation, education, 

 conservation, interpretation, and economic 

 development. 



2. Without proper stewardship, the quality of 

 state park resources and visitor experiences 

 will decline. 



3. It is important to optimize the effectiveness 

 of park management, particularly when 

 funding is scarce. This may include the 

 reallocation of resources, programs, 

 staffing, and funding. For this purpose, and 

 consistent with all relevant laws and 

 regulations, reaUoaition may include 

 mothballing, trading, or disposing of park 

 lands and resources, and reprioritizing 

 programs and services. These actions 

 should be taken only as a last resort, and, 

 as far as possible, only when public access 

 to the lands and resources can be 

 preserved, preferably through 

 administration by another public agency. 

 Parks that would more appropriately be 

 managed as FASs (such as AckleyLake) 

 should be transferred to the FAS program. 

 FWP should develop a policy and criteria 



to determine when and how to reallocate 

 parks system lands and resources. 



4. State parks cannot be self-sufficient and 

 should be supported in part by public 

 funds. 



5. State parks should be managed to enhance 

 their capacity to be more self-sufficient, 

 consistent with the mission and vision 

 statements presented earlier in this report. 

 Park users should be expected to support 

 the parks and programs they use, yet parks 

 should not be inaccessible to people on 

 low incomes. 



6. When economic conditions allow, funding 

 should be responsibly increased to sustain 

 and improve the park system. 



Recommendation 15 : Budget Priorities 



The Parks Division should use the following 

 priorities to allocate its financial and human 

 resources: 



First: Maintain existing park resources and 

 facilities. 



Second: Protect public health and safety, 

 which may include enforcement. 



Third: Enhance the experience of visitors. 



Fourth: Acquire land and resources (with the 

 acquisition of in- holdings taking priority over 

 purchase of completely new properties). In 

 Region 6, the acquisition of one or more new 

 parks is the top priority. 



Fifth: Support new construction. 



Funding Strategies 



Given the demonstrable need to increase 

 funding for the state parks system, the 

 Futiures Committee offers the following 

 strategies. Rather than seek unanimous 



10 



State Parks Futures Committee, Deoember3, 2002 



