Report: Western parks are threatened by development, overuse

WASHINGTON - State parks in Nevada, Colorado and Montana boasting attractions ranging from marine fossils to Indian petroglyphs are threatened by encroaching development, inadequate facilities or overuse, according to a National Park Trust report released Friday.

The conservancy group listed in the first report of its kind that nearly 5,300 acres are threatened in Nevada at Berlin-Ichthyosaur, Lahontan, Rye Patch, Valley of Fire and Washoe Lake parks.

In Colorado, about 3,000 acres are threatened by development around Roxborough, Barr Lake, Chatfield and Cherry Creek parks.

In Montana, about 1,200 acres are threatened by development around Bannack, Makoshika, Rosebud Battlefield and Pictograph Cave parks.

''The solitude that you expect in a park now is being lost to high rise buildings, second homes and lawnmower noise,'' said Paul Pritchard, president of the National Park Trust.

The findings were based on surveys filled out by state park directors, but 18 states didn't submit answers, including the three largest: California, Texas and New York.

Park officials said in some cases the threats have existed for years or were exaggerated. In Nevada, for example, the concerns at Berlin and the Valley of Fire involve inactive mining claims that could be revived but which have been dormant for years.

''I don't see the sky falling,'' said Wayne Perock, administrator of the Nevada division of state parks. ''There is nothing that is going to be earthshattering.''

The trust suggested protecting parks by buying more land, cultivating agriculture and forests to shield parks from development, forcing public agencies to avoid development near parks and spending more to beautify public lands.

''State parks face virtually the same challenges afflicting national parks, often with fewer resources and less political fanfare,'' Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement accompanying the report. ''Parks are strained from pressures of increasing visitation, inadequate infrastructure, environmental threats and encroaching development.''

The National Association of State Park Directors endorsed a bill pending in Congress that would dedicate $3 billion a year for land conservation efforts, including $900 million split between federal and state governments to buy land. But some Western Republicans have criticized the legislation as a federal land grab and an open checkbook for spending.

There are 3,266 state parks nationwide totaling 10.8 million acres. The trust study followed a study a year ago of national parks by sending questionnaires to state park directors in October 1999 asking how many acres were threatened.

On the Net:

www.state.nv.us/stparks

www.parktrust.org