It’s important to continue supporting state parks
Published 4:47 pm Saturday, July 25, 2015
Earlier this year, it was announced that as many as 15 of Alabama’s 22 state parks would close in May, but public support stopped that from happening.
In April, State Parks director Greg Lein announced that parks would stay open for the time being thanks to the public’s support. Although that was a small win for our state parks, it’s important that the public doesn’t allow it’s support to wane now.
Among the parks on the closure list was Paul Grist State Park in Selma. The public has a chance to show it’s support of the park Aug. 15 during a family fun day at the park.
The event will include biking, hiking, swimming, fishing, geocaching, hayrides and paddleboarding.
“It would be great if people would come out to support the park. Without support from the community, we wouldn’t be able to keep the park open and available for their use,” said organizer David Kinman.
Admission into the park for the fun day will be regular prices: children 5-and-under are free, children ages 6-12 are $1, adults 13-61 are $3 and seniors 62 and over are $1.
We encourage the communiy to show its support for Paul Grist State Park during this fun day and any other time it can. With Alabama’s budget crisis still ongoing and completely unsolved, there’s still a chance the state parks could be among the items cut.
Although we hope that isn’t the case, it’s always important to show support for one of our area’s greatest assets. State parks are great places for families to get together and to enjoy nature. Let’s continue to support them.