CITIZENS URGE PARK EXPANSION

Expanding Missouri's state parks will help preserve the state's natural resources, but financial constraints may hinder substantial additions to the park system, officials with the Department of Natural Resources said.

The DNR held a public meeting Thursday in Cape Girardeau, one of seven being held across the state. The meetings are to solicit comments about the current status of the state park system and what changes should be made to the system to meet the needs of Missouri citizens.

Some expansions to existing parks will be under consideration next year, officials said. The nearest of these would be at Hawn State Park near Ste. Genevieve.

A recent study by the DNR revealed state parks are being threatened by overcrowding, pollution, soil erosion and other factors.

Alan Journet, professor of biology at Southeast Missouri State University and a member of the Trail of Tears chapter of the Sierra Club, urged DNR officials to expand state parks and create new ones.

Journet said that only 5 percent of Missouri's land is protected, while there are more than 800 species in the state that are endangered.

"I think we have the opportunity to address the problem of endangered species here," Journet said. "If each state does nothing, these species will suffer."

Wayne E. Gross, director of the Division of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said the state is faced with "financial realities" when it comes to expanding state parks and protected land.

Upkeep of the state's parks and historic sites are funded through a sales tax, which generates about $23 million per year. The system also utilizes roughly $3 to $4 million in park user fees, Gross said.

The sales tax, approved by voters in 1984 and 1988, will expire in 1998, Gross said.

"We are working with a finite amount of money here to consider this expansion," he said.

Tracy Mehan, director of the DNR, said there is a "sense of insecurity" within the state park system because of the lack of permanent funding.

"We're going to have to make sure we spend our dollars wisely," Mehan said.

State Rep. Ollie Amick, who attended the meeting, said now is not too early for DNR officials and legislators to be concerned with establishing ways to fund the park system.

Gross said that expanding Trail of Tears State Park near Jackson is a long-term goal of the DNR.

About three years ago, he explained, the DNR sought to add 500 acres to the south end of the park to include land along the Mississippi River. The proposal was shot down in the legislature and currently, Gross said, the owners of the land don't want to sell it.

Gross said about 15 million people are expected to visit state parks this year, an increase of 10 percent over last year. He said that in the past 10 years, the number of people using state parks has increased more than 50 percent.

Amick said the state park system should be used to promote economic development and tourism in the state. He said the state could benefit by making the parks a larger component in the tourism industry.

Gross said that while other states such as Kentucky have commercialized their parks to further tourism, it isn't the desire of the DNR to follow suit.

"We know we're a part of the tourism industry, but that's not the primary objective," Gross said.

After the series of public hearings concludes in mid-December, the DNR will publish a summary of its findings.