No one, except the oil and gas companies, wants to see drilling in state parks. Yet, it may become a necessity.
Visits to state parks are up (12 million total in 2009), yet state funding is down. In 2009, state parks received $6.7 million from the state’s general fund, while this year the figure dropped to $2.6 million, according to a Denver Post story this past week. Next year, the parks expect to get zero.
The State Parks Board is studying selling oil and gas mineral leases as part of a five-year plan to keep the parks running. The department already has laid off employees and cut salaries. Entrance fees have gone up, and operating hours and maintenance have been cut back. The trends of higher use and higher fees along with less state funding and less maintenance can’t continue if we want to have a healthy, vibrant state parks system.
We think oil and gas drilling should be a last resort, and approached in a careful, environmentally sensitive manner. But the board may find it is necessary to tap the state’s underground resources so we can all continue to enjoy the above-ground resources.
Call it good karma. Jesse Martin, the University of Denver hockey player who broke his neck during a game in North Dakota three weeks ago, defied the odds and walked into a news conference this past week. While it was fantastic to see Martin walking so soon, doctors even say he could play hockey again one day.
Martin, if you recall, is the player who telephoned the opponent who checked him to say he didn’t believe it was a dirty hit. There is such a thing as good karma.
Well-deserved kudos. While a lot of attention is paid to Denver Public Schools and its forward-thinking superintendent, it often seems as if Aurora superintendent John Barry is working under the radar as he tries to turn around Aurora Public Schools with innovative strategies and high expectations for students, teachers and staff. But Barry was recognized for his success this past week as he was named the 2011 Colorado Superintendent of the Year by the Colorado Association of School Executives.
And a tip of our cap to . . . Arvada West High School graduate and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, who was the unanimous winner of this year’s National League Cy Young Award. The hometown boy became the first hurler in history to throw a perfect game and a no-hitter in the same season.
Short Takes is compiled by Denver Post editorial writers and expresses the view of the newspaper’s editorial board.
