Invest in Iowa’s state parks

Many of us have known that Iowa’s state parks are underfunded. But until we saw reporting from The Gazette’s Erin Jordan, we didn’t know the massive extent of repairs needed in parks that draw 16 million people each year.

Jordan told us of a report prepared by a now-retired official with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. His estimate for needed park repairs is $100 million.

Without those repairs, Iowa’s state parks will remain in a state of decay. Jordan wrote of leaking roofs, rotting park shelters and sewage lagoons in need of updates.

At Lake Macbride, two shelters have rotting beams and carpenter bees have damaged other structures, The beach concession building should be replaced. Buildings at Palisades-Kepler State Park need gutters and damage from the 2020 derecho hast yet to be repaired. At Wapsipinicon State Park, a hole in the roof of a Boy Scouts lodge id covered with a sheet of plywood.

On to of all of that, many parks are not accessible to people with disabilities.

So how much additional funding did DNR Director Kayla Lyon seek from the Legislature to address these issues. The astounding answer is none.

This is governmental malpractice. Lyon, appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, is presiding over the degradation of state parks. Iowans gave great responsibility to Reynolds and Lyon with the expectation our state parks would be properly protected, maintained, and improved. They clearly have failed, drastically, to meet this responsibility.

This is not happening because state government lacks resources. Reynolds’ proposed budget for the next fiscal year will create a nearly $1 billion surplus. The state has billions of dollars socked away to cover budgetary holes created by wave after wave of income tax cuts.

So, Republicans’ insatiable thirst for tax cuts leaves many priority areas, including state parks, underfunded. The needs are many. The dollars are available. But we lack the political will to address pressing needs.

If the state won’t act, maybe communities that depend on state park visitors can take on the problem. Just like cities that create districts where private business taxes itself to pay for improvements, perhaps state park communities could raise funds to pay for improvements the state ignores.

We make this suggestion understanding full well that it shouldn’t have to come to this. State Parks should be a state priority, a vital asset that improves our quality of life and draws in visitors. If our current leaders won’t do it, we need to elect leaders who will.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com