By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— Supporters of the state parks system joined together at a rally at Oak Mountain State Park Sept. 12 to address concerns with the funding crisis threatening Alabama state parks.

Members of the Alabama State Parks Partners, a coalition of park users and organizations interested in supporting the park system, explained that all Alabama’s state parks could be forced to shut down if legislature fails to provide level funding to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“We all know that this public service program, that is the state park system, enhances our quality of life, and I’m embarrassed that I have legislators tell me, this year, that the state park system is not an essential part of state government,” said Alabama State Parks Director Greg Lein.

For the past four years, about $30 million has been transferred from the Department of Conservation to general funds in legislation. Lein said legislation met in a second special session the week of Sept. 7 and proposed to transfer an additional $3 million from the fund.

That number is almost guaranteed to increase once the budget gets to senate, according to Lein. The Department of Conservation has never had an interest in closing the parks, but Lein said the parks cannot afford a fifth year of transferring.

“At certain levels those transfers cancel our maintenance projects, they cancel our improvement projects and they cancel our enhancement projects,” he said. “At other levels, which are now being proposed, they stand the very real chance of actually overdrawing the cash in our funds and collapsing the park system.”

Doug Adair, the executive director of the Alabama Wildlife Center, asked for responsible stewardship from the state government. AWC is headquartered at the park where they rescue, rehabilitate and release about 3,000 of Alabama’s native birds each year.

Being located the middle of about 10,000 acres, Adair said OMSP provides wonderful wildlife habitat to release rehabilitated birds and a habitat where Alabama’s families can experience wildlife encounters.

“When you have that wildlife experience and you have that connection, that can often last a lifetime and really helps all of us preserve the resources we are blessed with here in Alabama,” he said.

In wildlife biodiversity and species, Alabama is second only to Florida. Adair said the Alabama state park system should be a model for state government as it’s more than 85 percent self-funded.

“For a responsible investment in the basic upkeep and maintenance of our state parks, there is an exponential return of more than $375 million each year for the state of Alabama.”

Attendees of the rally also heard from Natalie Kelly, committee member of Alabama State Parks Partners Steering and founder of My Green Birmingham and Sustain, and Rick Hawkins, board member of the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers.

Each of the four speakers urged supporters to contact senate and legislature about the future of the state parks. Lein told audience members not to wait and to express their genuine concerns in a diplomatic way.

“I absolutely believe that the park system is essential to the spirit of Alabama, it’s essential to the people of Alabama and it’s essential to the state of Alabama’s economy,” he said.

For more information, visit Alparkspartners.com.