Friends of Wisconsin State Parks (FWSP) is a 501c3 organization that represents Friends Groups and WI residents that use state lands. There are approximately 87 Friends Groups that support various state park, trails, recreation areas, and forest properties. These local Friends Groups provide thousands of volunteer hours and have delivered over $100M dollars to help support state lands infrastructure and programs.
There has been a gradual deterioration of infrastructure and operations since general-purpose revenue was cut in 2016. The State is underfunding state lands. State Park's maintenance backlog and necessary infrastructure improvements are estimated to be close to $1B. Wisconsin is one of the only state park programs in the country attempting to run park operations on a fee-based system. Fees are increasing and not all people can afford it. The State should be obligated to maintain and invest in state lands for current and future generations.
Parks are one of the best ideas our forefathers had. Putting away some of the state’s finest areas for everyone to enjoy is imperative. Parks are not simply a commodity that can be managed through funds raised by fees and then cut to balance budgets. That approach ignores planning and stewardship of this important resource.
The impact of state parks on local economies and tourism is enormous. Local businesses rely on state park visitors to sustain their businesses.
Comparing Wisconsin to other Park systems
Using diversified revenue streams, Minnesota funds its system at $70M annually. Approximately $24M comes from the State’s General Fund, $19M from user fees, $6M from lottery revenue, and $18M from Legacy Park and Trails Fund. In 2008, Minnesota passed a constitutional amendment that dedicates a portion of sales tax for outdoor recreation. Parks have received over $350M in Legacy funding thus far.
Michigan’s state parks also have several revenue streams. These include a $500M endowment fund, oil and gas revenues, user fees, general fund, and recreation passport. Michigan annual funding is estimated at over $60M annually.
In contrast, Wisconsin has no legacy fund, endowment fund, or lottery revenue. Over the last ten years, park operation costs are reported in the $17-19M range which represents fees collected from visitors (Infrastructure improvements often use Stewardship funding) Up until 1995, Wisconsin parks were funded equally from tax-payer GPR (general purpose revenue) and fees. Since then, tax-payer support has been slowly whittled away.
Legislative Priorities
- Increase spending authority for Parks. The legislature controls how much revenue parks can spend from the Segregated Parks Fund. The legislature required parks to be operated as a business. Parks have increasing revenue due to collect fees but can’t invest it back due to legislative control. It would be valuable for Parks to have this flexibility. This would allow Parks to hire more naturalists and educators to engage visitors and drive additional revenue. The Joint Finance Committee allowed some funding through the Parks Segregated Fund in the last budget.
- FWSP recommends increasing electrical campsites from 35% to 50% to meet public demand. Current statutes limit how many campsites have electrical access. After the initial capital outlay, this generates additional revenue due to increased demand for this type of camping experience.
- FWSP supports the reauthorization of stewardship above current levels and the segregated component that funds Friends Groups projects. Governor Evers proposed increasing this component from $250,000 to $1M annually. These are matched 50% by Friends Group monies which doubles investment in state properties. Unlike most snowmobile and ATV aid programs which are not user matched.
- FWSP supports 4th Grade State Parks Admission. Governor’s Budget includes a gratis annual state parks admission sticker for families of 4th graders. This component has minimal DNR cost and it engages future generations to natural resources.
Long-Term Legislative Priorities Provide Solutions to Park Funding
- Work with DNR and the legislature to develop sponsorship opportunities. This would allow DNR to identify donors by signage or other means for projects such as pavilions, visitor centers, trail and other infrastructure projects. The UW System and Tourism already do this. It would be helpful to allow Parks to solicit donations similar to other agencies. Current capital deferred projects are estimated to be close to $1B. Currently, Friends Groups are fundraising over $60M for projects. This would be supportive to Friends Groups at Willow River, Lakeshore, Devils Lake, and other state parks which are involved in large capital projects.
- Explore additional and sustainable funding sources for State Parks. These include tax initiatives and gaming proceeds for funding capital development projects and operational costs. Endowments and other types of legacy funding are common in many other state park systems.
- The DNR should maintain responsibility for the planning of co-managed state trials. The current agreements allow planning to be the responsibility of county partners which have caused trail use to “flip” based on local situations. This is untenable for Friends Groups who have made a long-term commitment to these state properties and for the long-term stability of the state trail system.
