This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – While state leaders are busy trying to push Oklahoma to become a ‘top ten state’ in an array of categories, tourism and recreation officials stress that many state parks are in dire need of help.

Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department Executive Director Jerry Winchester told Public Radio Tulsa that the agency is in need of an additional $40 million a year for the next several years in order to fix up Oklahoma’s 33 state parks.

Officials told the radio station that they are considering implementing fees at the entry points to most state parks.

Winchester said that Oklahoma is one of about six states that don’t charge state park entry fees, adding that many state park visitors are actually from out-of-state.

35.46756 -97.516428