Regional News
Neb. lawmakers consider allowing alcohol at parks
Published Monday, February 23, 2009 at 04:23 PM
By NATE JENKINS Associated Press Writer

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Deaths, flying beer cans and thoughts of calling the National Guard to control crowds at Lake McConaughy in 1994.

Nebraska lawmakers got a chilling and colorful description of what led to a ban on drinking in state parks.

But the legislative committee that on Monday considered a bill (LB478) to lift the ban also got some hard statistics that could give the measure a chance: 50,000 fewer park permits were sold last year than in 1994, the year before the ban went into effect.

"The numbers don't lie," said Sen. Kent Rogert, who introduced the bill.

The lawmaker from Tekamah likes to camp and boat, but says he often does it in neighboring states so that he can enjoy an "adult beverage." He said he knows many others who do the same.

The ban, he argued, also keeps people in the eastern part of the state from visiting the large lakes in western Nebraska because "if I'm going to drive six or eight hours to see a great place, I'd just as soon enjoy myself while I'm out there."

His bill would allow drinking on property owned or operated by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. But the commission could impose regulations - no kegs or hard liquor, for example - that weren't used in the early 1990s when drinking was allowed. At that time, Big Mac's wide beaches made it the go-to party spot in the state, its wide beaches crawling with beer- and booze-toting revelers.

It also hosted some tragic events.

Dick Turpin, the former head of law enforcement for the commission, reminded the committee of alcohol-related deaths, including a young boy who was run over by a vehicle driven by his father.

The child died in an Ogallala hospital "while the old man laid passed out in a waiting room," Turpin said.

Turpin, who often promotes the outdoor activities on radio or television, recalled how the National Guard was almost called in to control an unruly crowd at the lake. Alcohol-fueled problems were also common at other lakes, including Branched Oak Lake near Lincoln, he said.

"In a few years, we'll be back in the same situation again" if the bill passes, Turpin said.

Parents of children who have died in alcohol-related incidents opposed the bill, as did groups that encourage children not to drink.

The Game and Parks Commission has a neutral position on the bill.

Roger Kuhn, director of state parks, acknowledged that the drinking ban may be one reason for the dip in park permits, but that it's probably not the only reason. He wasn't sure of the exact causes, pointing to weather and gas prices as possible causes.

Last year, there was a 3 percent decrease in the number of park permits purchased.

Kuhn has said maintenance of some park areas is starting to suffer with less frequent mowing and fewer outhouses.

All of the state's that border Nebraska allow drinking at state parks, with various restrictions. In Kansas, for example, only beer that is 3.2 percent alcohol is allowed.

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