Cutting recreation

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It may seem ironic that Gov. Sanford is publicly calling on South Carolinians to exercise more even as he plans to slash funding for recreational amenities at state forests and parks. But with South Carolina suffering an ongoing state budget crisis, funding for forests and parks right now must be very low on the priority list.

The budget crisis of the past three years has severely impacted public education, universities, law enforcement, prisons and the state Department of Social Services. Lawmakers face a $350 million revenue shortfall this year.

As a part of Gov. Sanford's proposed budget cuts, South Carolina forests would lose as much as $200,000 for recreation services. As many as six employees may have to be fired, and some trails used by hikers and bicyclists might be closed, according to the state Forestry Commission. Another 50 state forest jobs might be lost under other budget cuts proposed by Sanford.

As for state parks: Gov. Sanford and the Legislature already have reduced funding by more than $3 million. As a result, 130 staff positions — including dozens of park ranger positions — have been eliminated. In order to recoup at least some critical funding, state park officials had to take the unpopular step of raising admission fees.

Temporary budget reductions for forests and parks are unfortunate but can be justified only because of the ongoing budget crisis that lawmakers helped create with their unwise budgeting decisions. But when the economy rebounds and state tax revenues begin to climb, lawmakers should recommit to adequately funding South Carolina's popular state forests and parks.