01-14-2010, 07:01 PM
From the Idaho Statesman (Boise Paper-1/14/10)
Harriman deed puts Gov. Otter's plan for parks at risk
The same state park that led to the creation of Idaho's parks agency could save it today.
Idaho could lose one of its premier parks if lawmakers approve Gov. Butch Otter's idea to eliminate the Department of Parks and Recreation and shift some of its duties to the state Department of Lands. The state's parks agency was created in 1965 when Roland and Averell Harriman agreed to donate the 11,000 acre "Railroad" ranch in Island Park. The park includes scenic stretches of the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, in the shadow of the Tetons. The Union Pacific heirs had one condition, though: Idaho had to create a professional agency to manage it and other state parks.In a preliminary legal analysis to the parks board, the Idaho attorney general's office said that condition still stands, and the move would be very difficult to defend. "If it went to court, the state would probably lose," board member Ernie Lombard said the board was told.While park board members can comment on what they were told, the attorney general's office considers the communication protected under attorney-client privilege, said Bob Cooper, a spokesman for Attorney General Lawrence Wasden."We haven't received a request for an opinion," Cooper said.Otter's proposal has caught the attention of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the two Harrimans. They are watching and considering their options, said a member of the family who did not want to be identified."We're all very upset the state may not want to live up to the agreement to the original deed and gift," he said.He doesn't want the land back, but he wants the state not to step away from the responsibility it agreed to in the 1960s - to maintain and operate state parks in a way that preserves the state's natural heritage.The family's foundation still supports parks programs, including a recent youth writing camp at Harriman State Park.If the family did sue to get the land back, Lombard estimates the park would be worth more than $50 million today.Until 1965, the state had three state parks managed by the Department of Lands. Now, Idaho has 30 - though Dworshak was recently transferred to county management, and the state has started looking at other partners as Otter's plans became more clear. The Harriman deed and similar issues have been under study by Otter's staff, said David Hensley, his chief counsel. "The governor would never jeopardize losing Harriman or any other park in this process," Hensley said. It's one of the reasons the parks proposal was presented as "conceptual" and Otter gave the parks board and its director Nancy Merrill a chance to present alternatives. But the governor wants the parks to become self-sufficient, Hensley said."While we are doing that, we have to keep the best interests of the people of Idaho in mind, especially those who access the parks."The proposal would eliminate most of the $6 million in general taxpayer dollars the parks get. The biggest budget savings would come from the sale of the $5 million parks headquarters on Warm Springs next to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. "The ultimate goal of the governor was that we have a robust discussion on this," Hensley said."Everything's on the table."
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Harriman deed puts Gov. Otter's plan for parks at risk
The same state park that led to the creation of Idaho's parks agency could save it today.
Idaho could lose one of its premier parks if lawmakers approve Gov. Butch Otter's idea to eliminate the Department of Parks and Recreation and shift some of its duties to the state Department of Lands. The state's parks agency was created in 1965 when Roland and Averell Harriman agreed to donate the 11,000 acre "Railroad" ranch in Island Park. The park includes scenic stretches of the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, in the shadow of the Tetons. The Union Pacific heirs had one condition, though: Idaho had to create a professional agency to manage it and other state parks.In a preliminary legal analysis to the parks board, the Idaho attorney general's office said that condition still stands, and the move would be very difficult to defend. "If it went to court, the state would probably lose," board member Ernie Lombard said the board was told.While park board members can comment on what they were told, the attorney general's office considers the communication protected under attorney-client privilege, said Bob Cooper, a spokesman for Attorney General Lawrence Wasden."We haven't received a request for an opinion," Cooper said.Otter's proposal has caught the attention of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the two Harrimans. They are watching and considering their options, said a member of the family who did not want to be identified."We're all very upset the state may not want to live up to the agreement to the original deed and gift," he said.He doesn't want the land back, but he wants the state not to step away from the responsibility it agreed to in the 1960s - to maintain and operate state parks in a way that preserves the state's natural heritage.The family's foundation still supports parks programs, including a recent youth writing camp at Harriman State Park.If the family did sue to get the land back, Lombard estimates the park would be worth more than $50 million today.Until 1965, the state had three state parks managed by the Department of Lands. Now, Idaho has 30 - though Dworshak was recently transferred to county management, and the state has started looking at other partners as Otter's plans became more clear. The Harriman deed and similar issues have been under study by Otter's staff, said David Hensley, his chief counsel. "The governor would never jeopardize losing Harriman or any other park in this process," Hensley said. It's one of the reasons the parks proposal was presented as "conceptual" and Otter gave the parks board and its director Nancy Merrill a chance to present alternatives. But the governor wants the parks to become self-sufficient, Hensley said."While we are doing that, we have to keep the best interests of the people of Idaho in mind, especially those who access the parks."The proposal would eliminate most of the $6 million in general taxpayer dollars the parks get. The biggest budget savings would come from the sale of the $5 million parks headquarters on Warm Springs next to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. "The ultimate goal of the governor was that we have a robust discussion on this," Hensley said."Everything's on the table."
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