Connecticut's state parks are under an enormous strain.

Just 83 full-time equivalent staff members are employed to care for 110 parks. This represents less than half the number of full-time park employees that were in place some 35 years ago.

At the same time, the number of visitors to the parks continues to increase. State officials announced last year a record-breaking 10 million park visits in 2020 — the first year the COVID-19 pandemic sent more of us outdoors more often for safer recreation and socializing. As the pandemic lingered throughout 2021, park attendance again surged to more than 13 million.

Even as visitation exploded, however, barriers to access for the physically disabled and mobility impaired remained at some parks as projects aimed at improving accessibility were delayed.

Besides the strains of fewer staff members and exploding visitor numbers, state park infrastructure is aging and, in some instances, seriously deteriorating. This tale of serious neglect is apparent, for example, in the majestic, but crumbling buildings at Seaside State Park in Waterford.

While many of the historic structures housed at state parks are in less dire condition than those at Seaside, all require constant care and expensive maintenance. Major projects such as roof replacements can be especially costly. These structures, such as the pre-Civil War fort at Fort Trumbull State Park in New London and Eolia mansion at Harkness State Park in Waterford, also are among the most popular, beloved and distinctive features of the park system.

In addition, many of the most heavily used park structures — bathhouses, bathrooms and picnic pavilions — were built during the 1930s Great Depression and are approaching their century anniversaries and in desperate need of upgrades.

Eric Hammerling, executive director of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, said there is a $150 million backlog of capital improvement projects needed across the state park system. Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget includes $55 million to fund repairs to park bathrooms, pavilions, cabins and trails. A legislative proposal would reduce that amount to $42.5 million, slashing the governor’s proposal that Hammerling called “a nice down payment” on the total amount of work needed.

As the legislature scrambles to complete its business before the current session ends May 4, we urge senators and representatives to give the state’s park system its due and approve the governor’s full proposed budget for improvement to park infrastructure. In addition, state officials must find ways to work toward eliminating the total backlog of necessary park projects and take steps necessary to protect the parks from further deterioration.

One possible solution to securing more money for the parks could come from approving a small increase in the $5 annual motor vehicle registration fee that funds the Passport to the Parks program. The program, which Hammerling said generates about $20 million a year for the parks, in 2018 eliminated parking fees at parks for those who enter with Connecticut-registered motor vehicles.

Connecticut’s state parks are among its most important, heavily used and best-loved assets. They open up a world of nature and outdoor recreation to all. They preserve vital pieces of the state’s history. Only through adequate funding will these spaces be appropriately maintained and preserved.