PJ is upset that DNR stops him from drinking his white wine on a park (violation of a state law) and that they did not stop an abduction that occured several miles from a park. Is he going to put down his quiche and replace the ranger that cleans the toliets he uses on the park, pick up the trash he leaves behind, or gets out of bed at 2am on a cold, rainy night when he is lost on a trail?

Why close the parks? It makes more sense to leave them open and get rid of The Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The parks will be just fine without them. Local law enforcement does a much better job of protecting us. Experience has shown that the DNR are more of a nuisance than a protection. They are quick to annoy people enjoying a glass of Chablis with a picnic, but when a real criminal abducted a woman on New Year's Day, where were they?
This needs to be on the minds of every voter on Election Day! If the parks close it will be the one final reason to fire every last one of the politicians who do not do the will of the people.

This is disgraceful. Georgia has wonderful state parks - natural beauty & history. To close them would be criminal. Weren't the collected fees supposed to go back to the respective park site? Have those funds been diverted by the politicians, like social security has been by the Federal government?

The first thing that should be cut is the Gov's salary followed by the legislature. What a waste of money that is!

I work in a lodge at Ga State Park and have seen a lot of abuse of funds so it's no wonder they are looking at the parks closing as an option. We are all on pins and needles because it would mean a loss of insurance for a lot of us. Whats even worse is that my superiors hands are tied a lot of times on getting rid of dead weight on the payroll. Yet they are not allowed to give good workers what they deserve. I agree with letting volunteers run the campgrounds and get rid of the lazy rangers who drive around all day doing nothing. Closing hatcheries is a lose-lose situation also. My heart goes out to all who may lose their jobs because of government's lack of foresight. They have wasted thousands if not millions of dollars throwing useless parties and catering to other govt. agencies and now it's biting the only ones who really work on the ass. Let's begin by getting rid of layers upon layers of upper management and run this more like a business rather than a red tape fueled bureaucracy.

Although I understand the realities of balancing a budget, the state parks should be looked at very carefully. My wife and I have purchased a used RV camper in January of 2008, and have enjoyed the facilities at Hard Labor Creek, which is less than an hour from our home. We plan to camp close to home as a direct result of the cost of fuel. There is a great value at the parks and people will continue to come, if they feel their visits are appreciated.
Mike Brown

Leave the parks open! I have never understood why there are so many people working at the state parks anyway. Close the lodges, and let it revert back to the way it was in the 50's and 60's. A lone park ranger drove around daily and collected the camping fee, the bathrooms were the low maintenance type (outhouses)or people used their travel trailers or porta potties. Worked well then why not now. When the corp of engineers operated the campsites at allatooona and lanier, it cost $2.00 a night on the weekends and was free during the week. It seemed to be ok then so what has changed now?