BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Idaho parks, which are seeing more visitors than ever, are slated to get a historic influx of funding for upgrades and to tackle a massive maintenance backlog.
The Legislature this year allocated a total of nearly $165 million in capital and operating funds for the state Parks and Recreation Department, and on July 1 that funding will be accessible.
“We’ve never seen this kind of funding coming into the department,” said Craig Quintana, parks department public information officer.
Around $95 million of that will go toward capital improvements, such as improving and repairing marinas, bathrooms and other infrastructure, and around $68.9 million is for the agency’s operating budget. In previous years, a typical annual capital budget for the parks department would come to about $5 million, Quintana said.
These funds will build on investments made last year with federal American Rescue Plan Act money. The Legislature allocated $20 million in federal funds for park projects last year, with a total of $45 million to be provided through 2026.
Idaho’s park system has seen its highest ever visitation numbers the past three years, and the department doesn’t anticipate that slowing down.
Average annual attendance the last three years compared to the average of five years prior to 2020 jumped about 27%.
The surges in use first happened at the beginning of the pandemic, but it’s likely to continue. Last year, the agency performed a public opinion poll and respondents indicated an increased interest in outdoor recreation and that they intend on continuing to recreate outside, regardless of the pandemic status.
Amid such high use, the park system has a $70 million backlog of maintenance, Quintana said. These new funds will go toward erasing that over the next several years, as well as adding 450 new campsites and 25 day-use areas, and rehabilitating 150 boat slips.
One of those projects will include a 50-space RV campground at Eagle Island State Park. Some other projects using this influx of funding include bike-in camping at Hells Gate, a new observatory at the Bruneau Sand Dunes, a backcountry yurt system expansion near Idaho City, and renovations of Kokanee Cove at Ponderosa State Park.
This investment in parks was one of Gov. Brad Little’s priorities for the legislative session and recommended in his proposed budget in January.
In a statement referencing the rededication earlier this month of the Challis Hot Springs as part of the Yankee Fork State Park, Little said, “Our investment will address a serious maintenance backlog in park facilities, ensuring Idaho’s world-class parks stay in top shape.”
Some of the projects previously funded with ARPA funds are already underway, but many of the projects won’t start until later this summer or later. However, over the next several years, visitors should see a number of upgrades at the state’s 30 parks, Quintana said.
“We hope to provide a much better experience for our visitors moving forward,” he said.
As part of the department’s operating budget, the Legislature added funds for 10 new rangers, as well as two maintenance workers and two trail rangers, who go on trails and move obstructions or safety hazards.
There was also money set aside to pursue a potential new funding mechanism for the department. The agency is expected to meet with the state Department of Lands, Department of Fish and Game, and stakeholders to discuss projects, Quintana said.
Possible projects could include the parks department acquiring land from the Department of Lands to expand parks and create new campgrounds, or improving roads and obtaining leases with private landowners to improve access to recreation, he said. These projects may produce stable funding sources that could be supported through fees or other means, he said.
“The governor and the Legislature were sensitive to the fact that things can be loved to death, and if you don’t reinvest in them, they’re naturally going to suffer — those parks, those marinas, those trails, those other resources,” Quintana said. “And so this is heartening for us in that we’re having this major infusion of funds that will allow us to upgrade our game and it to the place where people say that they want it to go.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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