The State Legislature is considering closing all state parks due to budget problems. Lisa has more information, but here's a link to one story:

http://www.azcentral....

The link below has email addresses of state legislators. There is a menu item to see which district you live in, so that you can direct your email to your legislator. As far as I know for writing to lawmakers, keeping it short and to the point is best, and briefly explaining how their choices may personally effect you is helpful. This takes just a few minutes, and could make the difference of whether Take a Hike can do stuff like Siphon Draw or the Superstition Ridgeline.

http://azheritage.wor...

Thanks!

Thanks for opening a discussion, Laura. The parks if closed cannot remain in the possession of the state of Arizona. Either the Federal government will have to come in a acquire the land or the land will be sold to the highest bidder (who does not have to keep trailheads open to the public).

As far as I know for writing to lawmakers, keeping it short and to the point is best, and briefly explaining how their choices may personally effect you is helpful. This takes just a few minutes, and could make the difference of whether Take a Hike can do stuff like Siphon Draw or the Superstition Ridgeline.

http://azheritage.wor...

You might initiate a larger response if you post a short sample letter/email here. That way we could cut, paste, sign, and then email the letter of protest to the appropriate legislator.

I realize that a template is good, but I made a personal note based on my own situation (as a relative newcomer to AZ). I think even a short note such as the following is good, but I'm not sure if form letters work as well. Perhaps someone else with some experience with this will chime in? The following letter is pretty generic, so it would be particularly helpful to adapt to your personal experiences, such as replacing the part about source of pride for Arizonans and important for wildlife with something that touches you personally. Signing with your name an address to show that you are, in fact, a constituent, is also helpful.

"Dear Lawmaker:

As a constituent, I am writing to ask you to vote against legislation that would completely close all Arizona State Parks. The parks are a source of pride for all Arizonans, and an important resource for wildlife as well. As I understand it, closure of the parks may mean the parks will be sold into private ownership, which would potentially mean the loss of these important resources forever. While I realize it is a difficult economic time for Arizona, I hope you will consider other options that will not lead to the loss of state parks, potentially forever.

Sincerely,"

Thanks Laura. I think your template does the job. And it is easy to customize. For example, someone might want to change the second sentence to read, "The parks not only provide us recreational opportunities but serve as wildlife refuges and ecological corridors, and they are a source of pride for all Americans."

I'm betting that everyone will remove the quotation marks before emailing the letter to their legislators. :)

You can hit up legislatures, County supervisors, congresspeople, and senators. You can also go to the State Parks website and post comment there.