California State Parks Matter! Resources
70 California State Parks will close if we don’t take action.
California State Parks Matter!!
Parks should NEVER close.
That’s my stance.
I think it’s a bad idea.
These parks are our history and an irreplaceable gift to our children.
I think what is lost from closing a park is beyond quantifying in dollars.
I think what is lost can never be regained.
The Magnificent 70
is the California State Parks Foundation site highlighting the parks.
Parks that have been “Saved” – Temporary Closure Reprieve:
I say that in quotes since they’ve entered into operating agreements that fund the parks for another year or two or three, but they are not permanently saved. The California State Parks Foundation uses the wording “Temporary Closure Reprieve.” Continued funding is required to keep them open.
- Annadell State Parks
- Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park
- Benicia State Recreation Area
- Bothe Napa Valley State Park
- Castle Rock State Park
- Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area
- Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
- Henry Coe State Park
- Jug Handle State Preserve
- Los Encinos State Historic Park
- McGrath State Beach
- Mono Lake Tufa State Preserve
- Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park
- Plumas-Eureka State Park
- Samuel P. Taylor State Park
- Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
- South Yuba River State Park
- Tomales Bay State Park
My Posts on the Subject of Park Closures:
- California State Park Closure VIDEOS: What’s Your Word? (November 2011)
- Voices Raised in Advocacy for Our CA State Parks (Sept 2011)
- Pick a Park — Or Risk Losing It (Aug 2011)
- Parks WILL Close (Without the Advocacy of People Who Care) (June 2011)
- How to Write a Letter About California State Parks Closures (May 2011)
- Letter to Editor (Westways Magazine) (Oct 2010)
- I Care About California State Parks – Do You? (Sept 2010)
- Pretend I’m Schoolhouse Rock (Feb 2010)
- Save Our State Parks (June 2009)
What can you DO?
- Write editorials for the newspaper
- Write blog posts – even if you don’t have a blog (you can approach your favorite bloggers with a guest post)
- Visit the parks
- Share newspaper articles, blog posts, and videos of the impending closures: Defend What’s Yours, Save our State Parks, California State Parks Foundation, and the CalPark Voices Blog
California State Parks and California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) Websites:
- California State Parks Foundation (CSPF)
- Defend What’s Yours — videos
- Save our State Parks
- CalParks Voices Blog — I think this is the best info out there!
- The Magnificent 70 — visuals of the parks that are closing
- List of Cooperating Associations (Great list for local level organizations!)
- Assemblymember Jared Huffman from Northern California is a HUGE advocate for keeping state parks open. Get on his mailing list.
Other Park Advocacy Websites:
- Folk4Parks.org
- CAOpenSpace.org (see her Take Action page)
- Closing California Parks (photo essays)
- California State Park Stories
- JohnOlmsted.net Bucket Campaign
Articles
- (Need to update this for 2012)
- “State Parks Crisis: Closing the gates to Eden to save money” (LA Times, September 10, 2011)
- California State Parks Foundation SAVE OUR STATE PARKS press room/media center article links
- “Urge state to find alternatives to closing its parks” (Modesto Bee, Aug 8th, 2011)
- “Park supporter asks Californians to donate $1 to prevent state parks closures” (KPCC)
- “One Guy’s Thoughts About The Value of Parks” (Folk4Parks.org)
- Save McGrath State Beach information
- Article list (pressroom) on SaveStateParks.org
Facebook Group and Pages:
- California State Parks Foundation
- California State Parks Photos (Group)
- Save McGrath State Beach
- Save the Redwoods League
- Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods
Most importantly, money talks. Donate $1 or more (California State Parks Foundation donation page or the grassroots efforts of Alden Olmsted at JohnOlmstead.net Bucket Campaign). If every California resident donated just $1, we’d close the $22 million budget gap.
