Fifty-three state parks, including three in Martin and St. Lucie counties, could be closed in response to Gov. Rick Scott's call for budget cuts.



The Department of Environmental Protection's list of proposed closings includes St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park in Stuart, Savannas Preserve State Park in Jensen Beach and the smaller Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park in Stuart.



To help the state deal with a potential $3.2 billion shortfall, Scott asked all departments to come up with proposals to reduce their budgets by 15 percent. Closing these parks, about a third of Florida's total of 160, would save the state about $6.5 million a year, officials say.



"The 53 parks were chosen based on their visitation numbers during fiscal year 2009-2010," DEP spokeswoman Kristin Lock said. "They reflect the parks with the lowest visitation that do not offer camping or other overnight accommodations."



Lock emphasized that until the legislature approves the governor's budget, these are merely proposals.



State environmental groups quickly spoke out against the closings.



"The people who are making these statements are not representing the views of many in Florida," said Tom Larson, a member of the Sierra Club Florida steering committee. "They are just looking at dollars and swinging an ax left and right."



Larson said he frequents parks all over the state, including Washington Oaks Gardens in Palm Coast. He called Scott's move "shortsighted" because parks, in addition to attracting tourists and providing hundreds of jobs statewide, provide a haven for endangered species.



"These parks are islands of protection, whether protecting a manatee or water quality or historical resources or providing islands of refuge for birds as they migrate from one part of the state to the other," Larson said.



"When people don't appreciate the fine things that are in our community, they get trampled. And if we've got people who have not developed a full appreciation for the wonders of Old Florida, its history, its culture, its wildlife, we have the risk of losing those things."



Officials at the three Treasure Coast parks declined to comment on the list. The state spends nearly $800,000 annually to operate them, DEP records show.



Savannas Preserve, which covers 5,400 acres stretching from Fort Pierce to Jensen Beach, bills itself as the largest and most intact fresh­water marsh in Southeast Florida. It is also the most expensive to operate of the three parks, with estimated annual costs of more than $403,000. Last year, the park had more than 20,000 visitors.



The Environmental Education Center offers live animal exhibits and displays of the park's plants and animals, and visitors can kayak, ride horses and hike 8.5 miles of trails.



St. Lucie Inlet Preserve, a barrier island two-thirds of a mile south of the St. Lucie Inlet, is accessible only by boat and offers more than 2 miles of beaches. It is a nesting area for loggerhead, leatherback and green turtles during the summer.



The park, which costs $288,847 a year to operate, had 13,000 visitors last year.



Atlantic Ridge Preserve, adjacent to Jonathan Dickinson State Park, limits public access to 25 vehicles a day and has no facilities. Wet prairie provides habitats for 11 communities and endangered species.



About 3,000 people visited the park last year, and closing it would save the state about $107,000, DEP officials say.



Eric Draper, Audubon of Florida executive director, wants Florida residents to visit at least one of the 53 parks on the list during the next 53 days and to share photos and stories about their experiences with local newspapers or Audubon's website and Facebook page.



The new governor "doesn't know a lot about Florida," Draper said. "But if the people who do know about Florida who love our special places speak up about why these parks are important to them, I think Gov. Scott will get the message and say, 'Let's try to save money in some other place.' Or even better, use his incredible business skills to help us figure out how to make more money at the parks."



Most popular targeted parks



Of the 53 state parks the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is considering closing, these attracted the most visitors last year:



Washington Oaks Gardens, Palm Coast (59,998 visitors): Once owned by a distant relative of George Washington; unique beachfront of coquina rock.



St. Sebastian River Preserve, Fellsmere (55,476): Preserves open grassy forests of longleaf pine once common in Florida.



San Felasco Hammock Preserve, Alachua (54,655): One of the few remaining mature forests in Florida.



Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial at Gamble Plantation Historic State Park, Ellenton (53,119): Antebellum mansion that was home to Maj. Robert Gamble and headquarters of a sugar plantation.



Madison Blue Spring, Lee (49,131): Crystal-clear spring, 82 feet wide and 25 feet deep, that bubbles up into a limestone basin along the west bank of the Withlacoochee River.