Jackson County state park may close

SNEADS – Three Rivers State park in Sneads could be closed as part of looming state budget cuts. State agencies were required to submit plans to reduce their operating budgets by 10 percent for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

The Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service is cutting $7.7 million, and that could include transferring Three Rivers on Lake Seminole back to its owners, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The park is managed by DEP under a 50-year lease. Corps officials said they would not announce plans for closure until after the next state legislative session.

The DEP announced that 19 parks may be at least temporarily closed to save $1.5 million. The Division of Recreation and Parks also proposes to cut $4 million from its budget for outsourcing.

The 19 parks are:
• Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa County
• St. Marks River State Park in Leon County
• Lake June-In-Winter Scrub State Park in Highlands County
• Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park in Nassau County
• Constitution Convention Museum State Park in Gulf County
• John Gorrie Museum State Park in Franklin County
• Deer Lake State Park in Walton County
• Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek State Park in Polk County
• Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park in Escambia County
• Terra Ceia Preserve State Park in Manatee County
• Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park in Jefferson County
• Dunns Creek in Putnam County
• San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park in Wakulla County
• Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park in Monroe County
• Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park in Monroe County

• Dudley Farm Historic State Park in Gilchrist County
• Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park in Okeechobee County
• Nature and Heritage Tourism Center in Hamilton County
• Cedar Key Museum State Park in Levy County.