| For immediate release January 24, 2006 Bredesen Proposes Eliminating
Access Fees for Tennessee State Parks Nashville - Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that his proposed 2006-2007 budget will include the elimination of access fees at the 23 Tennessee State Parks that currently charge them. "I believe that our state parks, like our public libraries, should be open to everyone," Bredesen said. "I hope the members of the legislature will recognize the importance of this improvement and support it, and I want to recognize Senator Tommy Kilby and Representative Les Winningham in particular who introduced legislation that would have accomplished this goal last year. I believe this is the kind of initiative we can all stand behind and recognize the benefits it holds for Tennesseans." Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke proposed the $924,000 budget improvement that would allow the department to eliminate the access fee program on July 1, 2006. "This accomplishment would not be possible without Governor Bredesen's leadership in regaining control of the state's budget," said Fyke. "We've come a long way from the days when some parks were closed and others forced to rely on access fees to help fund the upkeep and maintenance of their facilities. Through improved management, Governor Bredesen and our parks professionals are making Tennessee's public lands more open and accessible than ever before." The General Assembly will receive Governor Bredesen's 2006-2007 budget - the fourth he has proposed with no new taxes - on Feb 6, 2006, when he makes his State of the State address. The access fee program was established in 2001 when several state parks were also closed to the public by the previous administration due to the budget crisis it faced at that time. The access fee program, which was originally scheduled to be implemented in phases across Tennessee's system of 54 state parks, had only been put into place at 23 parks when Bredesen took office in 2003. "Eliminating access fees will make it possible for us to put all our parks back on a more equitable and consistent footing, and make them even more attractive for both Tennesseans and our out of state visitors," said Fyke. Those parks in the access fee program require visitors to purchase a daily pass of $3 per vehicle. Multi-visit passes and reduced rates for overnight guests are available, and every Wednesday is a free day. All revenue collected from access fees remains in a dedicated fund for the maintenance and upkeep of Tennessee State Park facilities. The Department of Environment and Conservation oversees Tennessee's 54 state parks and 69 state natural areas. For more information about Tennessee State Parks, visit www.tnstateparks.com or call 1-888-TN-Parks. ****** Editor's Note: A list of the 23 state parks that are currently part of the access fee program is available at: www.tnstateparks.com/feefaq.shtml ###
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For more information contact: Lydia Lenker
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