Yvonne Ferrell, who headed Idaho's state parks system for 15 years and served as deputy director of Washington's state parks system for a decade before that, attended the parks budget hearing today and said she supports current Director Nancy Merrill's plan for parks. However, Ferrell said she thinks it's the wrong move to take away all state general funds from the state park system. "The small percentage of the general fund that does go into park operations I think is really vital, because it allows, instead of concentrating totally on making money, you're able to conserve the natural resource and sustain the environment." Ferrell said she has "never seen" a state parks system that was self-sustaining financially. "They tried it back on the east coast, and they only opened up for the summer because that's when the people were there," she said. "I feel as a taxpayer now and as a former director that our state should contribute to the health of these sites." Otherwise, she said, priorities can become skewed toward "those things that produce a fee."

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