Online votes could net $100,000 for Lake MacBride State Park

SOLON - For Iowa's state parks, money has been hard to come by. But Lake Macbride State Park recently netted one grant and is now battling parks nationwide for a larger one.

Coca-Cola has named the 2185-acre park west of Solon a contender in its “America Is Your Park” online voting contest. The honor carries a $10,000 prize and the possibility for up to $100,000 more. Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials said the money would be used to enhance the park's fitness programs and increase its offerings of healthy foods and beverages.

Voting has already begun at www.livepositively.com, and it will last until Sept. 6.

Minnesota's Soudan Underground Mine State Park was atop the leader board last night. With just more than 21,000 votes, Lake Macbride was about 3,700 votes short of the competition's top 10 contestants.

Funding for Iowa's state parks has plummeted in recent years. The Legislature's allocations to the DNR have fallen from about $21 million six years ago, to $12.5 million in the budget that awaits Gov. Terry Branstad's signature.

That budget contains a provision that could more than double seasonal maintenance crews at state parks to 173 - a level still far below those in the past.