HARRIMAN STATE PARK, Idaho — Threatened by tight budgets and a dwindling trust fund, officials who manage Idaho's first state park are considering developing portions of the pristine landscape, which is home to wintertime silence, graceful trumpeter swans and some of the world's finest fishing.
"We need to take an entrepreneurial look at all state parks," said Bill Dokken, deputy director of Parks and Recreation. "Development sometimes is a necessary evil."
Most state parks generate enough from entrance fees, campground rentals and hotel charges to pay about 60 percent of their annual budget. Harriman's revenues cover 39 percent of its operating budget, leaving taxpayers and the parks department to make up the difference.
An annual $200,000 shortfall has prompted a debate about how to pay for the park in the 21st century.
Some, like Dokken, argue the park should consider building lodges to cater to more guests or constructing a roadside visitors' center to entice the millions of tourists who drive by but never stop. They predict properly managed development will fill the coffers and protect Harriman for generations.
Others, like famed Henry's Fork guide Mike Lawson, call the idea sacrilege. They argue Harriman's charm lies in its lack of power lines, parking lots and porches. They say Harriman should be subsidized because it fuels the area's economy, attracting anglers who spend money to be humbled by the river's famously finicky rainbows.
"Harriman is a cash machine," said Lee Schmitt, a board member of the Henry's Fork Foundation, which was established in 1984 to save the river from development and increasing irrigation demands. "The concept that you need a new stream of income is flawed. Instead, we need to recognize that Harriman is an economic engine."
Others, like Henry's Fork Foundation Chairman Jim Greene, believe the park could be supported by private donations. He and others also say the park's survival hinges on collecting fees from the 8,000 anglers who use Harriman each year or from the countless others who hike Thurmon Ridge and watch wildlife such as elk and ducks.
Harriman's financial debate has smoldered for years but caught fire late last year with a proposal to build a 15- to 18-bedroom lodge in the park.
The lodge was proposed by Nelson Ishiyama, owner of the Henry's Fork Lodge near Pinehaven and another board member of the Henry's Fork Foundation.
Ishiyama withdrew his proposal because of protests from other foundation members who felt it violated the group's mission to protect the Henry's Fork.