And you figured right. It's a great example of non-government conservation. The fact that Deer Lake Park is on the beach is inconsequential. It can work there just like it did in Freeport. My only worry would be that the slimey governor that's in office now would try to sell it to JOE on his way out the door.
Deer Lake State Park [update - not closing]
- Thread starter SHELLY
- Start date
-
Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
And you figured right. It's a great example of non-government conservation. The fact that Deer Lake Park is on the beach is inconsequential. It can work there just like it did in Freeport. My only worry would be that the slimey governor that's in office now would try to sell it to JOE on his way out the door.
I found this article on USA Today
By Laura Bruno, USA TODAY
State parks and historical sites are facing cuts as governors seek to plug budget holes.
From scenic vistas and campgrounds to historical buildings, the cuts have forced closures and curtailed visiting hours.
Illinois has taken among the most drastic actions so far, closing seven parks and cutting the historical preservation budget in half, from $5.6 million to $2.8 million, according to David Blanchette, spokesman for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
That has meant the shuttering of 12 historical sites, including the Lincoln Log Cabin, where Lincoln's father and stepmother lived, and the Dana-Thomas House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, effective Dec. 1, Blanchette said.
"There's a hole, a sadness ? we wanted to put a black wreath on the door because we're certainly in mourning, said Gayle Manning, 67, of Petersburg, Ill., a longtime Dana-Thomas House volunteer.
The closures could bring wider economic problems, including delayed maintenance, parks advocates say.
"As all states are promoting tourism, what kind of message does this send?" asked Jim Peters, president of Landmarks Illinois, a historic preservation advocacy group. "There is the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars for restaurants ? retail shops and hotels."
State park cuts put in place nationwide include:
?New York: Seventy-five parks and historical sites will see a service reduction, from features closed for the winter to early closure of 10 campgrounds, said Eileen Larrabee of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
?New Jersey: The state backed off a plan to close nine parks and instead closed administrative offices at 19 parks, affecting access to restrooms and shops, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
?Ohio: Three cuts, amounting to $5.7 million, were ordered this year, according to Dan West, chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "It's getting progressively hard to take these types of cuts and yet keep state parks open," he said.
?Georgia: The closing of six state parks and seven historical sites were proposed for next year, says Beth Brown, of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
?Florida: Nineteen state parks are at risk of closing, said Doug Tobin of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Bruno reports for the Daily Record in Morris County, N.J.
By Laura Bruno, USA TODAY
State parks and historical sites are facing cuts as governors seek to plug budget holes.
From scenic vistas and campgrounds to historical buildings, the cuts have forced closures and curtailed visiting hours.
Illinois has taken among the most drastic actions so far, closing seven parks and cutting the historical preservation budget in half, from $5.6 million to $2.8 million, according to David Blanchette, spokesman for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
That has meant the shuttering of 12 historical sites, including the Lincoln Log Cabin, where Lincoln's father and stepmother lived, and the Dana-Thomas House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, effective Dec. 1, Blanchette said.
"There's a hole, a sadness ? we wanted to put a black wreath on the door because we're certainly in mourning, said Gayle Manning, 67, of Petersburg, Ill., a longtime Dana-Thomas House volunteer.
The closures could bring wider economic problems, including delayed maintenance, parks advocates say.
"As all states are promoting tourism, what kind of message does this send?" asked Jim Peters, president of Landmarks Illinois, a historic preservation advocacy group. "There is the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars for restaurants ? retail shops and hotels."
State park cuts put in place nationwide include:
?New York: Seventy-five parks and historical sites will see a service reduction, from features closed for the winter to early closure of 10 campgrounds, said Eileen Larrabee of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
?New Jersey: The state backed off a plan to close nine parks and instead closed administrative offices at 19 parks, affecting access to restrooms and shops, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
?Ohio: Three cuts, amounting to $5.7 million, were ordered this year, according to Dan West, chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "It's getting progressively hard to take these types of cuts and yet keep state parks open," he said.
?Georgia: The closing of six state parks and seven historical sites were proposed for next year, says Beth Brown, of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
?Florida: Nineteen state parks are at risk of closing, said Doug Tobin of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Bruno reports for the Daily Record in Morris County, N.J.
I may be beating a dead horse here, but...
Once upon a time, we had one state park in SoWal: Grayton Beach State Park.
Then, in the late 1960s/early 1970s (don't have to time look it up right now), Lois Maxon donated the Wesley House, the antiques she had filled it with, and the gardens she had planted (or had someone else plant) down to the site of the old Wesley/Strickland timber mill to the state. At that point, we had Eden, later named Eden Gardens State Park.
In the mid-to-late 1980's, a developer - maybe more than one - announced plans to develop the pristine, sensitive, historic acreage between Beach Highlands and Four Mile Village. This was not an eco-friendly development plan; instead, it was gaudy. Simply gaudy. Long story, but the developer ran out of gas in the savings & loan crisis and after much petitioning, the state bought it. Hello Topsail.
I am not quite sure how Deer Lake came into being; apparently it was during a time when I wasn't paying attention. I remember riding ATV's back there in the mid-1980's (I know, I know, I didn't know then, sorry) and I remember that being the place that became popular with the nudies after the development of Rosemary Beach got underway. During the last decade, we have seen every square inch of this coastline greedily developed, often without any thought and often with disrespect as to what nature intended or what the future will hold. While we as residents have benefitted from the services and neighbors that came with the development, the one thing that is most precious to us - a quiet, serene afternoon at the beach - has slid further and further away.
Finding a quiet place at the county accesses has become a ridiculous impossibility, and this - to me - is the attractiveness of the state parks. They can get crowded, but typically your fellow beachgoers show restraint in their behavior and their respect for the environment there. It would be a travesty, and ultimately a irrepairable tragedy, to see Deer Lake and/or Topsail fall once again into the greedy grasp of a developer.
Crawling down from the soap box...
Once upon a time, we had one state park in SoWal: Grayton Beach State Park.
Then, in the late 1960s/early 1970s (don't have to time look it up right now), Lois Maxon donated the Wesley House, the antiques she had filled it with, and the gardens she had planted (or had someone else plant) down to the site of the old Wesley/Strickland timber mill to the state. At that point, we had Eden, later named Eden Gardens State Park.
In the mid-to-late 1980's, a developer - maybe more than one - announced plans to develop the pristine, sensitive, historic acreage between Beach Highlands and Four Mile Village. This was not an eco-friendly development plan; instead, it was gaudy. Simply gaudy. Long story, but the developer ran out of gas in the savings & loan crisis and after much petitioning, the state bought it.
Hello Topsail.I am not quite sure how Deer Lake came into being; apparently it was during a time when I wasn't paying attention. I remember riding ATV's back there in the mid-1980's (I know, I know, I didn't know then, sorry) and I remember that being the place that became popular with the nudies after the development of Rosemary Beach got underway. During the last decade, we have seen every square inch of this coastline greedily developed, often without any thought and often with disrespect as to what nature intended or what the future will hold. While we as residents have benefitted from the services and neighbors that came with the development, the one thing that is most precious to us - a quiet, serene afternoon at the beach - has slid further and further away.
Finding a quiet place at the county accesses has become a ridiculous impossibility, and this - to me - is the attractiveness of the state parks. They can get crowded, but typically your fellow beachgoers show restraint in their behavior and their respect for the environment there. It would be a travesty, and ultimately a irrepairable tragedy, to see Deer Lake and/or Topsail fall once again into the greedy grasp of a developer.
Crawling down from the soap box...
I think the RV park makes it hard to mess with Topsail. It puts them into a position where the campers can cover the expenses for maintaining the rest of it, and it's politicially hard to get rid of a state park that's self-funding.
I may be beating a dead horse here, but...
Once upon a time, we had one state park in SoWal: Grayton Beach State Park.
Then, in the late 1960s/early 1970s (don't have to time look it up right now), Lois Maxon donated the Wesley House, the antiques she had filled it with, and the gardens she had planted (or had someone else plant) down to the site of the old Wesley/Strickland timber mill to the state. At that point, we had Eden, later named Eden Gardens State Park.
In the mid-to-late 1980's, a developer - maybe more than one - announced plans to develop the pristine, sensitive, historic acreage between Beach Highlands and Four Mile Village. This was not an eco-friendly development plan; instead, it was gaudy. Simply gaudy. Long story, but the developer ran out of gas in the savings & loan crisis and after much petitioning, the state bought it.
I am not quite sure how Deer Lake came into being; apparently it was during a time when I wasn't paying attention. I remember riding ATV's back there in the mid-1980's (I know, I know, I didn't know then, sorry) and I remember that being the place that became popular with the nudies after the development of Rosemary Beach got underway. During the last decade, we have seen every square inch of this coastline greedily developed, often without any thought and often with disrespect as to what nature intended or what the future will hold. While we as residents have benefitted from the services and neighbors that came with the development, the one thing that is most precious to us - a quiet, serene afternoon at the beach - has slid further and further away.
Finding a quiet place at the county accesses has become a ridiculous impossibility, and this - to me - is the attractiveness of the state parks. They can get crowded, but typically your fellow beachgoers show restraint in their behavior and their respect for the environment there. It would be a travesty, and ultimately a irrepairable tragedy, to see Deer Lake and/or Topsail fall once again into the greedy grasp of a developer.
Crawling down from the soap box...
completely agree. I still have not heard a peep from Sonny at the TDC, but will continue to see if there are some alternatives that will keep Deer Lake open. It seems to me the easiest approach might be simply to add it to the list of state parks that require a fee.
It breaks my heart when I think of how beautiful this area used to be and how I did not appreciate it (especially the Dunes) as much as I should have. I just never thought that developers would build on all the dunes. They (the Dunes) had always been there and those of us who grew up with them, would not have thought to build there.
On an issue like this, if you already have an unreturned call into him, I would suggest calling again. Maybe we should all call him?
The whole talk of State owned parks reminds me of something from when I was younger. There was a private landowner in NJ who had created a retreat. At some point, for some political reason, the State took the land through eminent domain. The State needed the land for a public park. The State opened a great public golf course. Later, when they realized they could not effectively run all the course operations they joint ventured with local businesses. All you needed to know was the name and number of my Senator and some contacts within NJ DEP and you were pitching your plan to privatize.
Politics is a business. The more liberal, the more self refuting.
Politics is a business. The more liberal, the more self refuting.
Sonny has been out of town; he returned my email today. He will be checking with the state officials and will get back to me. He said he would ask them for detailed information and what their plan is...
A.) You're referencing New Jersey.
B.) You're talking about a public golf course. That's a far cry from a state park on a rare coastal dune lake.
In fact as far as I know the closure of Deer Lake State park is actually effectively closing 25% of the parks in the United States that have coastal dune lakes.
Since it'll come up the only other ones with/or on coastal dune lakes would be Tops'l State park, Grayton Beach state park, and Camp Helen state park.
There's something contained in what I said above that you may not see the first time you read it. ;-)