A Successful Week for Parks: Solutions Come Slowly but Surely

This week has brought some really good news for California state parks, and it’s only Thursday! Here’s a little recap, some resource links, and a general prediction of what good news lies ahead.

Tuesday

On Tuesday Gov. Brown signed AB 42. This was a huge accomplishment, and this bill certainly traveled a long and winding road. Some of you may recall visiting your legislators in the capitol to tell them about this bill way back in March. Well thankfully your hard work, and the work of those who signed petitions, sent letters and made phone calls, paid off! Thank you guys for supporting this bill all the way through.

So what does it mean to have this bill in place now? (Maybe you even want to read the bill, which you can do here.) It means we have new options for keeping state parks open. Now, instead of asking, “Can you provide money to keep this park open?” we can ask questions like, “Can your nonprofit run the campsites in this park?” or “Can your nonprofit operate this ENTIRE park?” The pool of resources just got a whole lot bigger, which is exciting.

Thursday

Earlier today, more good news came through the wire. California State Parks announced in a release that three of the state parks on the closure list are going to remain open thanks to the National Parks Service (NPS). Operations of Tomales Bay, Samuel P. Taylor, Del Norte Redwoods will now be supported by NPS. If you know these parks, you know this is a great partnership because of the close proximity of these state parks to national park land. We are very happy to see NPS continue its long history of working closely with California State Parks and step up once again to take care of these parks that are such an integral part of those areas.

Yay! They saved Tomales Bay! Photo © Patrick Ulrich

Sounds like our Facebook fans are also really happy about the news. They are buzzing about it:

“Yay for California State Parks! I grew up going camping at Samuel P. Taylor State Park. I’m so pleased to hear that it will stay open.”

“This is wonderful – AND – I hope will be extended to the other parks deemed for closure as well. This has got to be done!”

Join them in the conversation!

Tomorrow?

After a week like this it seems right to feel optimistic. As they say, things always come in threes, so I think there’s more good news to come. Maybe that’s a little superstitious, but I’m still hoping for a hat trick of good state parks news this week!

And if not tomorrow, we can be sure that soon enough there will be news of nonprofits stepping up to help state parks, thanks to the authority they will now have from AB 42. Onward!

Who do you predict will be the next organization to step up on behalf of a state park they care about?

When are parks closing?

One of the problems with the plan to close state parks is that it is a different process for each of the 70 parks on the list. That means the date that each one will close is different. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find out when each one will close. That’s frustrating, isn’t it?!

So we’ve slowly started the process of tracking the status of the 70 parks. No full closures have happened yet (though McGrath and Henry W. Coe both narrowly avoided it at the last minute). However, service reductions and partial closures keep getting worse and they are impacting parks on the closure list. Here are a couple examples of service reduction information that is available on the state’s official website:

Until further notice these parks will contain areas where services are reduced or eliminated due to the fiscal crisis.

• Samuel P. Taylor State Park
  Beginning Sept. 5, 2011, family campsites will operate on a first-come, first-served basis ONLY until further notice. All group campsites at Devil’s Gulch and Madrone and Irving Group Picnic will be closed completely until further notice.
  

  This camping scene at Russian Gulch State Park is no longer. Photo © Carolyne Cathey.

• Russian Gulch State Park
  Day use will remain open during the winter, but Russian Gulch campground is now closed until further notice.

• Benicia Capitol and Bale Grist Mill state historic parks
  Closed Monday through Friday.

• Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park
  Trash removal reduction; “Pack it in, Pack it out” signs posted. Closure of flush restrooms at Visitor Center; portable toilet installed at Visitor Center. Park office closed; heat set to 55 degrees to protect artifacts and exhibits.

• Brannan Island State Recreation Area
  Closed Tuesdays through Thursdays. Camping unavailable on Monday through Thursday nights. Day Use open Friday through Monday. Visitor Center is now closed.

These are just a few examples. There will be more to report on, and we will be sure to do that. But you are all out visiting parks every day. What are you seeing and hearing out in the parks? What’s being posted in your local state park, regardless if it is on the list or not? Please post your own report in the comments. (If you have a photo to share, please post it to our Facebook page.)

It's Magnificent.

While on the one hand we are doing this sad information gathering, on the other we are finding ways to celebrate the 70 parks and tell their stories before it’s too late. That is why we created this new website, The Magnificent 70. If you haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, you should! There are gorgeous photos from all 70 parks, and as you scroll through the photos, you can also read unique stories about each park.

Here’s to keeping our eyes and ears on the parks.