A legislative committee charged with reviewing the future of New Hampshire's state parks has made an optimistic start on what promises to be a complex and difficult path to solutions.

Many who testified at the public hearings held by the Senate Bill 5 Commission emphasized that the costs for rehabilitating the state's parks and historic sites are only going to increase over time. Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance said, "We are hopeful that the time is right to use increasing public awareness and the strong recommendations made by this commission to take action now."

The commission's work covers a wide range of issues including the condition and future needs of the state's historic sites, including the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion and the Robert Frost Farm. Recommendations for the historic sites include creating a new Bureau of Historic Sites, support from the state general fund and exploration of new sources of revenue in addition to legislative appropriations.

In response to a looming crisis across the country in funding of historic sites, states and private groups are looking at a range of options to assure that buildings held in the public trust are preserved. Admission revenues almost never provide adequate income to cover the costs of buildings, collections, and programs. As sites fall further behind in maintenance and collections care, an increasingly sophisticated public turns elsewhere for its leisure-time recreation and entertainment, further escalating the decline in income at these places.

In addition to strong management and solid financial footing, long-term stewardship and sustainability needs individual customization, and may include increased marketing, changes in ownership or use, varied lease agreements and stewardship tools like preservation easements.