recommendations that emerged from all of 

 the public comment included: 



• Concem over and opposition to the 

 recommendation to repeal the Primitive 

 Parks Act. 



• Opposition to proposed fee increases. 



• Support for some fee increases. 



• Concem and questions about Parks 

 Division budget allocations. 



• Support for the budget priorities listed in 

 Recommendation 15 (and specifically 

 support for giving priority to maintenance 

 of existing park resources and facilities). 

 Support for increasing and improving law 

 enforcement in the parks system. 

 Support for enhancing the tourist and 

 economic development potential of state 

 parks. 



Support for developing thematic links 

 among parks. 



Support for developing policy on the 

 commercial use of parks. 



Opposition to allowing tourism and 

 commercial use to drive parks 

 management. 



Support for improving relations with tribal 

 governments. 



The committee reconvened in Helena on 

 November 14, 2002, to revise the report 

 based on public comment and the 

 committee's own further deliberations. 

 Significant changes were made to several 

 recommendations and are incorporated in this 

 final report. Most notably, the 

 recommendation to replace the Primitive 

 Parks Act was dropped in favor of asking 

 Parks Division to develop, under 

 administrative rule, a systematic management 

 and planning framework, after which the act 

 would be revisited to determine whether it 

 would be appropriate to amend or repeal it at 

 that time (see Recommendation 3). 



The committee also clarified that actions to 

 enhance the parks' economic development 

 potential and visitor experiences should be 

 consistent with the park system mission and 



vision and with the budget priorities listed in 

 Recommendation 15. These budget priorities 

 were revised to more clearly emphasize 

 maintenance of existing park resources and 

 faciliues (with the exception of Region 6, 

 where acquisition is the first priorit)^. 



History and Status of the State Park 

 System 



Montana's state park system began in 1939 

 with the acquisition of Lewis and Qark 

 Caverns from the federal government. Since 

 then, the system has grown— largely through 

 the initiative of local citizens and 

 communities— to include 42 state parks (see 

 Appendix B for a map of state parks across 

 the state). The system features natural areas, 

 cultural and historical sites, and recreational 

 areas, all providing a broad range of 

 recreational and educational opportunities, 

 from the historical and cultural resources at 

 Pictograph Cave and Bannack, to the water- 

 based fun of the Smith River and Flathead 

 Lake, from the fossils and nature trails of 

 Makoshika, to the near-urban developed 

 swimming holes of Whitefish and Spring 

 Meadow lakes. 



Nearly 1.4 million people visit Montana state 

 parks each year. In 2000, 72 percent were 

 Montana residents. According to FWP, the 

 most popular park activities are learning about 

 Montana history, fishing, boating, picnicking, 

 camping, hiking, and wildlife viewing. 



In Fiscal Year 2002, the Parks Division had an 

 operations budget of about $12 million, 

 including 110.66 full-time equivalents (FTEs). 

 This budget and staff are responsible for the 

 state parks system as well as more than 320 

 fishing access sites (which are managed by the 

 Parks Division but are not part of the parks 

 system), a community grants program, and a 

 trails program, with a total land base of more 

 than 60,000 acres (33,532 of which are in 

 parks). The primary focus of the Futures 

 Committee II was the Sute Park program. 



State Parks Futures Cormittee, DeoenixrS, 2002 



