Schumer: Federal Program Could Undo Cuts and Prevent Closures of Fort Ontario and Other Central New York's State Parks - Major Driver of Region's Tourism Economy

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Senate energy bill could provide the funding necessary to reverse cuts to state parks and reduce the risk that Fort Ontario State Historic Site and other regional parks would have to be closed in the future. It could also allow the New York State Parks Department to make critical upgrades and improvements to our state's parks. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which is funded through offshore oil and gas drilling royalties, has historically been authorized at $900 million per year to help acquire, develop and maintain outdoor recreation facilities but Congress has only appropriated the full allotment twice in the last 40 years. The new bill, which could be voted on as early as September, contains the full allotment, which could provide almost unprecedented resources to the state.

Standing at Fort Ontario, Schumer was joined by the Friends of Fort Ontario, who fought last year to keep Fort Ontario open. Schumer made the case that state and municipal parks make an enormous contribution to communities and New York's tourism economy, and should not fall victim to state budget difficulties.

"These dollars, already being collected by oil and gas drilling companies, have hardly been used for their intended purpose and should be spent on parks and outdoor recreation as Congress intended." said Schumer. "In the last year we have seen park closures and programs New Yorkers have come to expect eliminated because of squeezed state budgets. By providing the state more funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, our state parks will have greater flexibility to restore cuts to popular parks like Fort Ontario and make long overdue improvements that will ensure our state's parks remain national treasures for years to come."

Every year 45,000 visitors come through the Ft. Ontario gates with another 300,000 using the park and the camp ground. All totaled activity at Fort Ontario pumps $13.5 million into the local economy every year. Fort Ontario was first built by British settlers in 1755 and was known as the 'Fort of Six Nations'; later the site would play a role in the American Revolution when it was abandoned by the British after critical defeats. Development of Fort Ontario as a state historic site began in 1949, since it has been a yearly destination for thousands of New Yorkers and a critical part of the region's economic engine.

For over 40 years, the LWCF has used revenue collected from offshore oil and gas development to purchase lands from willing sellers for the purposes of conservation and to provide grants to states for recreation planning, acquisition of lands and waters, and facility development. It is authorized at a spending level of $900 million per year. However, Congress has fully funded the program only twice since its inception and rarely has the fund come close to matching the full amount authorized. Appropriations over the years have varied wildly and have been a mere fraction of the total amount authorized. The result is a program that moves forward in fits and starts, to the detriment of our parks systems.

All across New York this year, access to state parks was in jeopardy as the State tried to fill its budget gap. Some parks were closed entirely while others underwent severe cuts that limited access and that held up vital improvements. Specifically, Fort Ontario was slated to close this year due to budget constraints- a move that would have turned away the thousands of visitors who come to Fort Ontario each year. Below is a list of state parks in Central New York that faced closure or service cut-backs in the last year:

Central Region

· Chittenango Falls State Park (Madison)--Close Park
· Clark Reservation State Park (Onondaga)--Close Park
· Fort Ontario State Historic Site (Oswego)--Close Historic Site
· Helen McNitt State Park (Madison)--Close Park
· Herkimer Home Historic Site (Herkimer)--Close Historic Site
· Hunts Pond State Park (Chenango)--Close Park
· Oquaga Creek State Park (Broome)--Close Park
· Old Erie Canal State Park (Onondaga)--Close Park
· Oriskany Battlefield/Steuben SHS (Oneida)--Close Historic Site
· Pixley Falls State Park (Oneida)--Close Park
· Robert Riddell State Park (Delaware)--Close Park
· Selkirk Shores State Park (Oswego)--Close Public Swimming Beach

At its high point in 1979, New York State received roughly $24 million from the LWCF, which was used to provide grants to municipalities to undertake State Park development and land acquisition projects. Since 1965, the LWCF has partially funded 1,250 projects within the state. Virtually every community in New York has acquired and/or developed outdoor recreational facilities with the help of the LWCF.

Over the past year, due to severe state budget shortfalls, New York State Parks has had to close recreational areas and cut back operations throughout the state. Funding from LWCF to New York State Parks for outdoor recreation projects could relieve pressure on its strained budget allowing the state to focus its resources on keeping parks open and operating at their full capacity.

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