Earlier this week, the Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee approved a $300,000 reduction in the parks and recreation operating budget of $2.8 million. If those cuts stand, State Parks Board Chairman Jeff Packer said, personnel reductions will follow. That, in turn, will force the closure of at least two of Utah's 42 state parks, many of which are staffed by just two or three employees.

"We don't want to close any parks," Packer told a morning news conference at the Capitol. "But with these cuts, we're virtually out of other options."

To address the shortfall, the State Parks Board has drawn up a preliminary list of 11 facilities that could be candidates for closure, including East Canyon, Scofield, Starvation and Green River state parks, and the Camp Floyd Stagecoach Inn and Museum. If the cuts remain in place, the parks would be evaluated for closure at the board's April meeting.

Also facing the budget knife is the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), which will absorb a $210,000 cut in its law enforcement budget if the subcommittee's recommendation is followed. Staff reductions also are planned there. Virtually all of the funds taken out of the Parks and DWR budgets have been shifted over to agriculture programs.

The proposed budget cuts went before the Executive Appropriations Committee late Wednesday afternoon and could yet be restored.

Packer said State Parks and Recreation already has trimmed $1.4 million off its operating budget over the last four years, as part of a larger scaling back of state government because of the recession. Three parks were closed or transferred, and 30 positions lost.

But Packer says he doesn't understand why, in a year which the state is running a budget surplus, that Parks and Recreation is being asked to sacrifice again.

"We can't figure out why our own appropriations subcommittee would cut the budget that contributes so much to the state's economy," he said, arguing that Utah's state park system returns $18 for every dollar the state spends

"The members of the board feel that some legislators undervalue the state parks system."

Or, perhaps nurse a grudge. The brother of Sen. Thomas Hatch, co-chair of the Natural Resources legislative subcommittee, was charged with poaching a trophy bull elk by DWR officers last year. The senator was with his brother when the bull was killed and was included in the investigation. Senator Hatch was never charged, but Ira Hatch was and later pled no contest.

"This year, for reasons everybody is aware of, Senator Hatch has a keen interest in law enforcement for personal reasons," said Debbie Goodman, a legislative lobbyist for the Utah Audubon Council. "We also understand that at least one of his constituents came to him with a personal issue about wildlife law enforcement. He legitimately raised those issues with the DWR and director Styler. I do not fault him for that."

Hatch also is sponsor of Senate Bill 198, which has not been introduced this session. That bill, according to Department of Natural Resources officials, calls for removing the law enforcement function from the agency.

Hatch on Wednesday dismissed any claims of personal bias, pointing to the wide support the budget proposal received from the subcommittee.

"One person cannot do anything up here; it was the committee that made the action," he said. "People are going to think what they want and there's not much I can do about that. . . . We live in a glass house."

jbaird@sltrib.com

---

Reporters Thomas Burr and Brett Prettyman contributed to this story.

Park

Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn

and Museum É

East Canyon É

Green River É

Huntington É

Hyrum É

Iron Mission/Old Iron Town É

Otter Creek É

Piute É

Quail Creek É

Scofield É

Starvation É

General fund

appropriation

$91,700

$82,500

$260,800

$73,300

$70,100

$188,400

$38,100

$11,900

$110,300

$111,700

$44,500