Rhode Island Backs $55 Million Bond for Parks, Beaches and Campgrounds

Voters in several states approved new money for parks, trails, beaches and protected land on November 3, 2026. Rhode Island passed a $55 million Green Economy Bond for state parks, beaches and campgrounds, and Massachusetts created a Nature for All Fund that can draw up to $65 million a year from existing sales taxes. Counties in South Carolina, Florida and California also backed local taxes or borrowing for open space, according to a roundup by Outside magazine. In Colorado, a proposal to put hunting and fishing rights in the state constitution failed, and the count on a large conservation funding measure was still unfinished when Outside published.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts: money for parks and trails

The Rhode Island bond sets aside $12 million to improve parks, beaches and campgrounds, $7 million to restore Narragansett Bay and nearby waterways, and $3 million to protect open space. Another $25 million goes to helping communities prepare for flooding, coastal erosion and other damage related to climate. The rest supports local recreation areas and boating facilities.

In Massachusetts, the new fund draws on sales tax already collected on sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses. The money can go to protecting forests, waterways and wildlife habitat and to improving parks and trails. Unspent money stays in the fund at the end of the year instead of returning to the general budget. Lawmakers still set the amount spent each year.

County measures in South Carolina, Florida and California

• Charleston County, South Carolina, extended a half-cent sales tax projected to bring in up to $4.25 billion over 25 years. Of that, $690 million is reserved for open space, split equally between urban and rural areas. The ballot language says it could pay for new parkland, farmland preservation and more public access to the water. A separate transportation budget within the tax covers bike paths and pedestrian improvements. County officials still have to approve each purchase and project.
• Sarasota County, Florida, passed two linked measures. One extends an existing property tax through 2049. The other lets the county borrow up to $250 million to buy and maintain conservation land, with the tax helping repay the loans. Wetlands, forests, wildlife habitat and parks on the Gulf Coast are the targets.
• Napa County, California, favored a half-cent sales tax expected to raise about $23 million a year for 18 years. The proceeds are divided between wildfire preparedness and the Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District, and could pay for clearing brush that feeds fires, protecting water supplies and maintaining parks.

Colorado: hunting amendment fails, funding vote pending

Colorado voters turned down Amendment 83, which would have created a constitutional right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife by “traditional methods,” a term the measure left undefined. It would also have made hunting and fishing the state’s preferred tools for managing game species. With its defeat, wildlife rules stay with the legislature and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Proposition 137 was still awaiting a final count. It would steer existing sporting-goods sales tax revenue, an estimated $175 million a year, toward wildfire mitigation, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, state parks and trail maintenance. Because Colorado caps how much tax revenue it can keep and usually refunds the excess, Outside notes the measure could mean smaller taxpayer refunds in some years or less money for other programs in others.

What it means for visitors

None of these measures changes park hours, fees or access right away. The money arrives over years and goes to upkeep, land purchases and fire prevention. For people who camp in Rhode Island, walk trails in Massachusetts or use the water around Charleston and Sarasota, the likely result is better-maintained sites and more protected land later on. In Napa County, part of the money is aimed at cutting the vegetation that fuels wildfires near parks and open space.

What happens next

Colorado’s Proposition 137 had no official result yet, and Outside said it would update its report once one is published. In Charleston County, specific land deals still need approval from county officials, and in Massachusetts the yearly amount spent from the new fund depends on state lawmakers.

Source: Outside