Thanks to the recession/economic crisis, we are all getting used to doing more with less. Virginia State Parks have always been lean and mean and we have operated efficiently and creatively to get by with funding shortfalls for many years.
As a result of the current state budget crisis, Virginia State Parks lost $2.1 million in funding in fiscal years 2009 and 2010. We were fortunate to get $500,000 of that cut restored for fiscal year 2010, but that’s still a big cut for an operation that was already working close to the edge.
But our dedicated staff and volunteers care so much about our parks that we rose to the occasion and have found even new ways to do more with less. As State Parks Director Joe Elton puts it, “we are turning over every rock.”
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing the many ways Virginia State Parks are doing a great job of doing more with less. In fact, there are ten ways:
Web reservations
Information Stations
Welcome Kits
E-newsletter
Social Networking/Web 2.0
Flickr
Merchandising
Shows
Environmental education partnerships
Volunteerism