A Casino at Watoga State Park? NO! Act Now
A bill, HB 4408, is moving through the Legislature that expands and extends private leasing in all state parks and forests. Read our fact sheet.
What does this mean?
Private developers could build casinos, racetracks, amusement parks, ATV trails or similar developments on our state’s public lands. These developments would forever change the nature of our cherished state public lands.
Right now, West Virginia has 35 state parks and 9 state forests. Private leasing is limited to 6 state parks (Chief Logan, Beech Fork, Tomlinson Run, Stonewall Jackson, Lost River, and Canaan Valley Resort).
HB 4408 expands private leasing to ALL state parks and forests and the lease terms could be 50 years. That’s five times more than the current 10-year initial lease term.
Furthermore, there are no provisions for assessing the economic and environmental impacts of these new 50 year projects.
If this sounds like a bad idea to you, contact your Legislators today! We’ve made it easy for you to ask your Legislators to reject HB 4408.
Phone calls are one of the most meaningful ways you can share your thoughts with decision-makers. Please, consider making a phone call. We’ve made it so easy! Just click the button and fill out the form. You’ll automatically be connected with your legislators.
