Recommendations for a Better Parks System

Yesterday, the Little Hoover Commission released a report on state parks titled “Beyond Crisis: Recapturing Excellence in California’s State Park System.” We at CSPF have been reading the report with great interest, and we think you should be interested, too.

But first … a little background on the Little Hoover Commission. It’s a 13-member independent state oversight agency appointed by the governor and Legislature. The commission investigates state government operations and writes reports and recommendations that promote efficiency, economy and improved service.

About a year ago, the commission began to look at the long-term vision of California state parks and the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR). This was a lengthy process which included many hearings and interviews. CSPF staff testified several times before the commission.

The 120-page report was released Monday morning, and can be downloaded online.

The report is direct and comprehensive. The Executive Summary is quick to read and will give you a good flavor for the report. Some of the top level recommendations to the state include:

1. Develop a new vision for DPR.
2. Assess which parks should remain state parks and which ones would be better transferred to local control.
3. Enable state parks to generate more revenue with a more enterprise-based operating model.
4. Commit General Fund support to DPR with flexibility for revenue generation and more transparent financial reporting.
5. Develop incentives and performance measures reported in annual performance reports.
6. Give DPR more flexibility to hire and promote a range of skilled employees.

CSPF agrees with the commission’s top-level recommendations for the future direction of California’s state parks. We find the call for a new vision for parks very consistent with our 2011 report: “A Vision for Excellence for California State Parks.” It was also consistent with the testimony that CSPF gave before the commission.

Read our full statement about the report online.

We are excited to see what comes next for state parks, and we at CSPF plan to continue to be there to represent as your voice for state parks. What do you think about the report? Let us know in the comments.

Here’s to a positive future for our parks!

An Important Step for Parks

An important line in the sand got drawn for state parks last month when Governor Brown signed two bills into law, Assembly Bill (AB) 1478 (Blumenfield) and Assembly Bill (AB) 1589 (Huffman). Both bills have measures that will help California’s ailing state parks system.

AB 1478 appropriates the recently-identified $20.5 million in State Park and Recreation Fund funding to the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to keep parks open that had previously been slated for closure. The bill also contains new qualifications for appointing members to the nine-member State Park and Recreation Commission. The changes to the Commission are intended to improve its ability and capacity to provide oversight of DPR and foster a more meaningful connection between the public, park stakeholders, and DPR. AB 1478 also establishes a two-year moratorium on closing state parks, in Fiscal Year 12-13 and FY13-14.

Governor Brown made the first important step toward restoring public confidence in California’s state parks by signing AB 1478. The governor’s signature is a good sign faith on the part of California’s government that all the hard work of communities, organizations and donors across the state who stepped up to support their parks is recognized and appreciated. The governor also signed AB 1589 (Huffman), which requires DPR to develop a new action plan for increasing revenues in state parks, allows purchase of annual park passes on annual tax returns, and encourages an independent assessment of California’s state parks.

AB 1589 gives the state important tools for a future that is increasingly emphasizing the need for more self-generated revenue in our parks. While we do not believe that our state park system, a true public good, will ever be able to sustain itself without a core of dedicated, public funding, we do wholeheartedly agree that the movement toward more revenue generation should be done with a roadmap. The action plan required in AB 1589 requires such a roadmap and maintains the need for revenue ideas to be appropriate to the mission and uses of our state parks.

We look forward to working with the governor, Legislature and all Californians to implement provisions of AB 1478 and AB 1589 and to maintain and strengthen the legacy in our state parks.

Join us for an online forum on “Saving Our State Parks”

Click to register!

California Preservation Foundation and California State Parks Foundation are offering a FREE online forum, “Saving Our State Parks,” on Tuesday, September 18 at 12 p.m. This online forum is open to the public.

Registration is FREE so sign up now to reserve your spot!

According to the Department of Parks and Recreation, 235 of California’s 279 state park units contain significant cultural resource features. These resources are currently at risk due to the ongoing budget crisis impacting California’s state parks.

CSPF’s VP of Government Affairs Traci Verardo-Torres will provide an overview as to why California’s state parks are at risk, what is being done to address the problem, and how organizations and individuals can get involved in efforts to Save Our State Parks.

The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session. If you have a specific question you would like to submit ahead of time please email it to Jennifer Gates at jgates@californiapreservation.org.

For additional information or questions please contact California Preservation Foundation at cpf@californiapreservation.org or call 415-495-0349.

State Park Closure Update

Año Nuevo State Park (c) Charles Tu

The outlook for California state parks took a positive turn last week after some budget action in Sacramento.  On Wednesday evening, Gov. Brown signed the FY 2012-13 Budget with a little added funding for state parks.  The budget does not “save” state parks. However, the budget does preserve some of the additional funding for state parks that the Legislature proposed in the final budget.

The breakdown:

(1)    The governor approved redirecting $13 million from existing unspent Prop 84 funds to a new State Park Enterprise Fund that can be only used for capital projects intended to generate new revenue for state parks, or to help them improve fee collection.  Note: this is not new money; it was already in DPR’s budget.

(2)    The governor approved $3 million from the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund and $7 million from the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account that can be used for state park operations.

(3)    The governor did veto some pieces of the Sustainable Parks Proposal, including $7 million of the originally proposed $10 million fund transfer from the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund to State Parks, and the transfer of $10 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to State Parks.

We are pleased to see the funding for the State Park Enterprise Fund included in this budget, and we support efforts to identify new opportunities for DPR to generate revenues and more efficiently collect user fees. However, this funding is another temporary solution. State parks continue to face a budget crisis resulting in service reductions and unprecedented closures. In other words, we are not out of the woods yet.

Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park (c) Mike Shoys

Updates from Sacramento

The long road to stopping park closures. Photo by Michael Keel @ Mt. Tam

With the park closure deadline quickly approaching (July 1 for those of you who forgot), there is plenty of attention being paid to state parks in our Capitol.  Our legislators are looking for ways to find extra funding for parks, and some things are moving along successfully. Here’s a recap of recent action for easy tracking:

Budget
In late May the Legislature largely agreed on a funding proposal to help keep our state parks open. Dubbed the “Ongoing Sustainable Parks Proposal,” this plan includes some temporary transfers of funding from other programs to state parks and a direction for more innovation and efficiencies in parks management. This will now be part of ongoing budget deliberations.

Legislation
Assembly Bill (AB) 1589 (Huffman) passed 78-0 out of the Assembly and will now be heard in the Senate. AB 1589 is an omnibus state parks bill that establishes a variety of mechanisms to move state parks toward sustainability. Senate Bill 974 and Senate Bill 1078 (Evans) were also passed out of the Senate and will be heard in the Assembly.

Stayed tuned for more updates as this legislation (hopefully) moves along!

Closing Parks is Bad for Business

It’s Memorial Day weekend, but with park closures looming, we aren’t looking forward to the unofficial start of summer as much as usual. Neither is a group of businesses that has formed a coalition to oppose the closure of state parks. These folks know that park closures will negatively impact California’s economy (not to mention put a damper on future Memorial Days).

That’s why the coalition representing over 10,000 businesses throughout California urged the governor in a letter today to continue funding the parks for the good of the state’s economic well being. Read the letter here.

Organizations that oppose the closure of state parks include:

•     California Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns
•     California Hotel & Lodging Association
•     California Ski Industry Association
•     California Travel Association
•     San Francisco Travel Association
•     Southwest California Legislative Council
•     El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce
•     Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce
•     Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
•     Murrieta Chamber of Commerce
•     Regional Black Chamber of Commerce of San Fernando Valley (RBCC)
•     Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce & Convention-Visitor’s Bureau
•     Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce
•     Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce
•     Wildomar Chamber of Commerce
•     Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities Convention and Visitors Authority
•     San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau
•     Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council

“Closing Parks is Bad for Business” sign spotted at Cafe Aquatica in Jenner

Why are they supporting state parks? Because parks generate more than $6 billion in economic benefit to the state as a whole. More than 65 million visits are made to state parks annually and average park visitors spend $42 per day on items related to their park visit. This spending supports an estimated 56,000 jobs across the state; jobs that translate into a total labor income of $2.3 billion each year, which is recirculated in local economies. 48 of California’s 58 counties are home to state parks and depend on revenues generated by park support and visitation.

“Closing Parks is Bad for Business” sign spotted at Benzinger Winery in Sonoma

Thank you to these businesses for recognizing the importance of state parks to California and for stepping up on their behalf.  If you own a business and would like to get involved with the coalition, please visit our Save Our State Parks website.

The Closing Parks is Bad for Business Campaign is a targeted effort of the Save Our State Parks Campaign, a grassroots campaign managed by CSPF in partnership with organizations, businesses, local governments, and individuals around the state, that aims to highlight the impacts of park closures on businesses throughout California. 

CSPF Announces Grants to Help Keep State Parks Open

CSPF announced some exciting news today: we will be awarding 13 grants totaling $328,586 to organizations that are fighting to keep state parks off the closure list. The funding will help many of our nonprofit partners across the state keep 15 parks open for one year.  You can read our full press release here.

Although we are happy with the opportunity to help here, we know this is just a short-term solution. It’s really a Band-Aid when what state parks need is surgery.  Even so, the state parks community is working in an exemplary fashion to find ways to keep parks open now.

The organizations that will be using these grant funds to help their park of interest are:

Bale Grist Mill © Brent Duffin

Grantee: Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association for Anderson Marsh State Historic Park

Grantee: Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods for Austin Creek State Recreation Area

Grantee: Napa County Regional Parks and Open Space District for Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park and Bothe-Napa Valley State Park

China Camp © Harvey Abernathey

Grantee: Innovations Housing for Castle Crags State Park

Grantee: Marin State Parks Association (for Friends of China Camp) for China Camp State Park

Grantee: Department of Parks and Recreation for Greenwood State Beach and Elk Visitor Center

Grantee: Hendy Woods Community for Hendy Woods State Park

Jack London ©Charles Tu

Grantee: Valley of the Moon Natural History Association for Jack London State Historic Park

Grantee: East Merced Resource Conservation District
for McConnell State Recreation Area and George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area

Grantee: Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Interpretive Association (for Friends of Palomar) for Palomar Mountain State Park

Grantee: Sea and Desert Interpretive Association for Salton Sea State Recreation Area

Salton Sea ©Greg Lucker

Grantee: Sonoma Ecology Center  for Sugarloaf Ridge State Park

Grantee: Ide Adobe Interpretive Association for William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park

In addition to these 13 new grants, CSPF previously awarded two grants to temporarily keep open Santa Susana State Historic Park and Jughandle State Natural Reserve. All of these awards are contingent on the state entering into agreements with these organizations who have developed strong and effective proposals to keep parks open.

Current Status of Park Closures

Over the last few weeks the parks community has been successful in giving some parks on the closure list temporary reprieve. As the LA Times reported yesterday, there are a few parks on the closure list that have found reprieve from one source or another, be it private donors, foundations or nonprofits. Read the full story here.

By our own accounts, the following are parks that we at CSPF understand have received temporary reprieves from the July 1 closure.

1. Castle Rock State Park: The Sempervirens Fund will donate funds to keep this park open for one year.
2. Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area: This park is currently being operated by the City of Colusa.
3. Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park: The National Park Service is currently operating portions of the state park under a yearly agreement.
4. Henry Coe State Park: This park is being kept open for three years under a donor agreement facilitated by the Coe Park Preservation Fund.
5. Jug Handle State Natural Reserve: CSPF and Olmsted Park Fund recently announced a donor agreement which will keep the park open for one year.
6. Los Encinos State Historic Park: A private donor will help keep this park open for one year.
7. McGrath State Beach: Funding was secured to fix the sewage line in the park. Once the repairs are completed, this park should come off of the closure list altogether.
8. Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve: The Bodie Foundation has signed a concession contract which will allow it to collect fees at the park, which will be used to keep the park open.
9. Petaluma Adobe State Park: The Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Parks Association has entered into a donor agreement to keep the park open through June 2013.
10. Plumas-Eureka: Plumas-Eureka State Park Association has entered into a donor agreement to help cover operational costs and keep this park open for the next two years.
11. Samuel P Taylor: The National Park Service is using a new $2.00 fee at Muir Woods to cover the basic operation of both this park and Tomales Bay State Park until June 30, 2013.
12. Santa Susana SHP: CSPF has signed a donor agreement that will give this park a reprieve from closure for one year.
13. South Yuba River State Park: A Revenue Generation Parking Plan has been proposed and agreed to by DPR that is expected to provide revenue critical to keeping the park open.
14. Tomales Bay: The National Park Service is using a new $2.00 fee at Muir Woods to cover the basic operation of both this park and Samuel P Taylor State Park until June 30, 2013

Excitingly, CSPF was able to help out with a couple of the reprieves.  In case you missed it:

• Jug Handle State Nature Reserve — On Friday, March 16, we announced in conjunction with the Olmsted Park Fund (OPF) an agreement with the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to give Jug Handle State Natural Reserve a reprieve from closure for one year. Together we will provide a combined $19,000 to the state to allow the park to be kept open with minimal services, but accessible to the public.  Read more.

• Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park — On Thursday, March 22, we made a donation to the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to give Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park a reprieve from closure for one year. We will provide $21,000 to the state to allow the park to be kept open to the public, albeit with minimal staff and services. Read more.

As you can see, with a few exceptions, these are all temporary reprieves. While it is important for us all to celebrate these reprieves, we must not lose sight of the fact that California’s 279 state parks need long-term funding solutions to ensure that they stay open and protected- and permanently saved from closure.

Is your local park in discussions to find a reprieve? Let us know in the comments.

Park Partner Workshops Wrap Up

Today was the last of the Partnership Guidance Workshops that California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) scheduled back in early February. The workshops were meant to present a “How To” explanation and pathway for all parties interested in forming partnerships for operating a state park.

Some CSPF folks were able to attend the workshops and they seemed to be very helpful and informative. DPR has really created a careful road map for what it is looking for in its new park partners. In addition, DPR has organized the inevitable complexities of operating parks into a clear, manageable form.

If you are working on a partnership proposal for DPR, and haven’t been able to get to a workshop, take a look at the workbook and the FAQs available on DPR’s website.

Did you or someone from your organization attend a workshop? What did you think?

Upcoming Workshops to Help Find Park Partners

California State Parks announced yesterday a series of upcoming workshops that will help find partners for state parks on the closure list. There will be five workshops across the state designed to present a “How To” explanation and pathway for all parties interested in forming partnerships for operating a state park.

Say, is that a potential park partner in the distance?

This is great news for nonprofit groups who have the desire to help state parks in their communities. If you remember back in October Gov. Brown signed AB 42 into law so State Parks could legally have the option to enter into operating agreements with nonprofit groups that want to help. Now these workshops will add the wherewithal, too, so that we can really start to see some results in keeping parks open.

In addition to the workshops, State Parks also created a Partnership Workbook for Operating Agreements which will be available at the workshops and online soon.  The workbooks will have information like eligibility, partnership options, the application process, proposal checklists, financial plan requirements, and more.

Here are the upcoming workshops:

• February 22 – Redding: 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, 840 Sundial Bridge Drive, Museum Classroom.
• February 23 – Fort Bragg: 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the CV Starr Community Center, 300 South Lincoln Street, Conference Room 3.
• February 24 – Santa Rosa: 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Julliard Park, Church of One Tree Community Center, 492 Sonoma Avenue.
• February 28 – West Sacramento: 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the City of West Sacramento, Galleria at City Hall, 1110 West Capitol Avenue, Rms 157-160, West Sacramento.
• March 1 – Los Angeles: 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the City of San Fernando Aquatic Center, Upstairs Multi-Purpose Room, 208 Park Avenue, San Fernando.

Read California State Parks’ full statement here.

Will you or your group be attending a workshop?