Governor Kaine today told heads of the various Virginia government agencies that each would need to look for ways to trim their budgets as revenue for April came in below expectations. With most of us shopping less, state sales tax revenue is down and so is income tax revenue as unemployment across the state climbs, although not as high as the national unemployment rate.
With budget reductions looming -- and this after an earlier round of budget reductions -- I thought I'd check in and see how our state parks are doing.
Virginia has more than thirty state parks, and a survey in 2006 of Virginians showed widespread support for public open spaces. A great resource for information about the state parks is available here, on the Department or Recreation and Conservation website.
Governor Kaine's budget for 2010 sees spending of about $42 million, down from about $46 million this year. Go here for a run-down of where the cuts are expected to be felt. One thing seems to be clear from the budget and proposed cuts, the Governor and the legislature seem to be looking first to inside administration reductions and less to outside park projects that would effect how well we all enjoy the parks.
Nevertheless, when using the parks throughout the state this year, keep "leave no trace" principles uppermost in your mind. As the saying goes, tread lightly, leave footprints, nothing else and our beautiful and diverse parks will be there for us today and for our children tomorrow.
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