by Richard Simms
posted June 21, 2006
The FY06-07 budget passed by the Tennessee General Assembly eliminates state park access fees at the 23 parks (out of 54) that currently charge them.
That means as of July 1, you don't have to pay $3 to visit Harrison Bay or launch your boat at Wolftever Ramp.
According to Tisha Calabrese-Benton with the Dept. of Environment and Conservation, "the proposal to eliminate access fees and make state parks more accessible to everyone is made possible by Governor Bredesen's leadership in regaining control of the state budget."
She said the access fee program was established in 2001 by the previous administration due to the budget crisis it faced at that time. It was to be implemented in phases across Tennessee's 54 state parks. However, the access fee program had only been put in place in 23 state parks when Governor Bredesen took office.
Calabrese-Benton said, "Governor Bredesen believes that our parks, like our libraries, should be open to everyone. The removal of the access fees from these parks makes every Tennessee State Park free for all people to see and enjoy."
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