Officials seek to limit corporate naming in Idaho parks, but rules don’t rule it out
New rules for naming state parks would severely limit business' ability to acquire naming rights, but don't entirely rule out corporate names, the AP reports, though parks officials repeatedly assured lawmakers that wouldn't happen.
The rules, in Section 051-02, Naming rights, state, “Because parks are public places owned by the people of Idaho, simply having made a significant monetary contribution to the department is not compelling justification to associate the name of a cooperator with a park or park unit. For this reason, recognizing cooperators by naming parks or units should be carefully considered so that the perceptions of the public are positive and the recognition does not imply private or exclusive use or ownership.“
But they go on to say, “The board may name a new state park or unit in honor of an individual—living or deceased—or an entity that has contributed specifically to the park or unit acquisition and that represents achievement of highest distinction in a professional or public service role which does not conflict with the department mission and goals.”
The rules are up for consideration by the state parks board at its meeting Thursday in McCall.
“Corporate sponsorship, naming a park after a large corporation like CocaCola, is something that we didn’t even want on the table,” said state parks spokeswoman Jennifer Okerlund. “Our rules changes this time tighten it up further so that it explicitly states that that kind of thing wasn’t going to occur.” But if a family made a donation, she said, “We could very appropriately name a portion of a park after that family. … We wanted to tighten things up so that it was very clear as to what we would and would not be comfortable with.”
However, the proposed new rules would permit naming a park after an individual or "entity," within guidelines, the AP reports. Lawmakers passed legislation this year authorizing the state Department of Parks & Recreation to pursue corporate sponsorships, but parks officials said they wouldn’t be renaming parks after corporations. The new rules lay out guidelines for appropriate naming, forbid sponsorships from any political organizations, tobacco companies or any businesses selling pornography, and forbid naming that could be construed as political or religious. AP reporter Kimberlee Kruesi has a full report here.
