JEFFERSON CITY聽鈥 With just three weeks left before he leaves office, Gov. Jay Nixon Friday announced the addition of three state parks to Missouri鈥檚 collection of outdoor public spaces.
The new parks, spanning more than 8,000 acres in southern Missouri, bring the total number of state parks to 91.
鈥淎t a time when other states are closing or even selling state parks or charging day use fees, we are expanding our system of state parks to offer more opportunities for Missourians to experience the outdoors, at no admission cost,鈥 Nixon said in a statement.
The new parks, which are not yet developed, could become an issue in the upcoming legislative session after the Democratic governor leaves office.
Just as members of the Republican-led House and Senate t, lawmakers are set to debate the merits of expansion again in 2017.
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鈥淚 do think there is a little bit of a land grab going on. That concerns me,鈥 said Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, whose district includes the proposed Ozark Mountain State Park, northwest of Branson.
鈥淚 think we have plenty of great state parks. But I think we need to maintain the ones we have before we do more expansion. I would favor putting a brick on these things,鈥 Sater told the Post-Dispatch Friday.
Sen. Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville, has two of the proposed parks in his district, including Eleven Point State Park in Oregon County and Bryant Creek State Park in Douglas County.
Cunningham has already introduced legislation requiring the state to begin paying property taxes on land belonging to the Department of Natural Resources as a way to offset the loss of revenue to local governments.
A similar proposal was debated last year, but it did not move forward.
Under current law, the state typically pays property taxes for the first five years after it purchases park land. After that, counties no longer see property tax revenue for that land.
Park supporters say visitors to park areas spend money and offset any losses from property taxes.
In 2015, for example, a record 19.2 million people visited Missouri state parks and trails. Nixon expects to release attendance figures for 2016 in the next few days.
The new parks include:
鈥⒙燨zark Mountain State Park, with 1,011 acres featuring an open, grassy, flower-filled landscape of ridges and hills, known locally as knobs. The property is located in Taney County, northwest of Branson along Highway 465.
鈥 Bryant Creek State Park, with 2,917 acres, consists of thick oak and pine forests and nearly two miles of river hills and bluffs along Bryant Creek. The property is in Douglas County, near the Ozark County line about 22 miles southeast of Ava.
鈥⒙燛leven Point State Park, with 4,167 acres, including six miles of direct river frontage on the Eleven Point River, a nationally protected river corridor. The property is located in Oregon County approximately 45 miles east of West Plains, near Alton, Mo.
Plans for development of the properties and future use are in preliminary stages.聽Early development will focus on natural resource stewardship.聽
The state park system purchased the Eleven Point State Park for $8 million, Bryant Creek State Park for $4 million and Ozark Mountain State Park for $2.8 million. Money for the purchases came from settlements reached with mining companies that had operated in the state.聽