Well, the first couple of days of May have been very interesting…as in curious! We got word that the Governor has dropped his proposal to support the Tranquillon Ridge oil drilling project off the coast of Santa Barbara. For those of you who have not been reading your CSPF newsletter carefully (shame on you!), the Governor proposed that revenues from this project replace all the State Parks Department's general funding for Fiscal Year 2010-2011 (the fiscal year that starts in July.)
We rejoice that California will not be facing the fate of the Gulf of Mexico. We have watched in horror with everyone all across the country as that oil spill spread, and continues to spread to catastrophic proportions.
However, the Governor's budget proposal in January removed all the general fund money for State Parks, to be replaced with Tranquillon Ridge proceeds. So the question of the hour is what does this withdrawal of support for the Tranquillon Ridge project mean for the State Parks budget for FY 2010-11? The Department of Finance did commit to replacing the Tranquillon Ridge funding with general fund monies should the project fail to be approved. We will see whether the Governor will speak to this turn of events in his May revision to the budget next week or soon thereafter. This annual budget revision is an adjustment made to reflect the realities of state revenues in April. The newspaper reports say those state revenues don't look so good.
I try never to have anticipatory anxiety, i.e. dreading something that hasn't happened yet and might not. However, I will confess to having some as May 14th budget revision looms larger. The tea leaves are not making an encouraging pattern in the bottom of my cup! We will know soon enough.
On a more optimistic note, I was honored to be included in the White House Conference on America's Great Outdoors. This conference was the kick-off for the development of a new Federal strategy amongst the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture on America's Great Outdoors.
President Obama introduced the America's Great Outdoors Initiative at the Conference with key goals:
- Reconnect Americans, especially children to national parks, America's rivers and waterways, landscapes of national significance, ranches, farms and forests, great parks, and coasts and beaches.
- Build upon state, local, private and tribal priorities for conservation of land, water, wildlife, historic and cultural resources, creating corridors and connectivity across these outdoor spaces and for enhancing neighborhood parks; and determine how the Federal Government can best advance these priorities through public private partnerships and locally supported conservation strategies.
- Use science-based management practices to restore and protect our lands and waters for future generations.
It is a wonderful thing to see the Federal government, at the highest levels, trying to think proactively about the role it can play in enhancing the entire network of parks, open space, and historic preservation wherever the resources are found.
They are on a very aggressive timeframe, hoping to produce a report by mid-November this year. There are several opportunities for us to influence the outcome of this report. First there will be listening sessions all over the country. There is one already scheduled for Los Angeles focused on the LA River on July 8th. There is a plan to also hold one in the Bay Area, perhaps focused on the Bay Delta. We will keep you posted on the information about these sessions as we hear more, or you can visit their website. There are places to comment and "join the discussion" on the website. So let's make sure California is well represented in the suggestions and ideas.
I spent a stunning day on Angel Island last weekend. It reminded me that our state park resources are world class. I hope you will enjoy a state park near you soon!
This year marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and on Saturday, April 17th over 3,300 volunteers came out to 25 state parks in support of California State Parks Foundation's 13th Annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup presented by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). With State Parks' budgets cut, volunteer help is more crucial than ever. Earth Day volunteers planted 500 native trees; filled 329 trash bags, 12 truckloads and 2 dumpsters of trash; removed 10,000 weeds and cleared 3 acres; and installed many interpretive signs, miles of fencing, and several irrigation systems.
For the ninth year, our presenting sponsor was PG&E, who contributed $100,000 towards the Earth Day program. PG&E employees worked at 12 different parks throughout their service area. Associate sponsors included Edison International, Chevron, Oracle Corporation, Virgin America, Sempra Energy Foundation, and unique to this year's program—the Home Depot Foundation, which donated $25,000 worth of gift cards for project supplies. Coca-Cola and Stater Bros. sponsored Huntington State Beach where there was a huge turnout! Over 600 volunteers came out to the beach to help rehabilitate the Least Tern Preserve for nesting season, as well as weeding and beach cleanup.
Volunteers received much appreciated in-kind donations of coffee from Peet's Coffee and Tea and Starbucks Coffee. Many parks also received lunch from Fresh Choice Restaurants (a first year participant), and all parks received fresh fruit from Fruit Guys—a long time in-kind donor.
This year's media sponsors in Northern California were: Bay Area News Group (The Mercury News), KFOG Radio, KICU-TV and KTVU-TV Channel 2 in the San Francisco Bay Area; Times-Standard, KIEM News Channel 3 and Bicoastal Media in Eureka/Humboldt County; Auburn Journal (Gold Country Media), CBS 13 and CW 31 and Clear Channel Radio Sacramento (KFBK-AM, KGBY-FM, KHLX-FM, KHYL-FM, KQJK-FM, KTSE-AM) in Sacramento; and KGPE-TV and KHGE-FM in Fresno. This year's media sponsors in Southern California were: CBS2/KCAL9, KJILL-FM 92.7 and Huntington Beach Independent/Times Community News.
State Parks staff and their cooperating associations displayed heroic dedication and put in tremendous effort to ensure successful Earth Day projects! Thank you to the state parks staff for your creative project ideas and time! A complete list of participating parks can be found at on our website. We also want to thank the cooperating and interpretive associations who participated, and who continue to volunteer throughout the year. The long list includes: the East Bay Regional Park District, North East Trees, Inc., Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, Mt. Diablo Interpretive Association, Torrey Pines Docent Society, and Protect American River Canyons.
Lastly, we want to thank all the adults and kids, the families and friends who came out in the early morning hours. We at CSPF appreciate their ongoing dedication to preserving state parks—Earth Day could not happen without them.
Outdoor Theater on Mount Tamalpais
The Mountain Play puts on amazing shows every year in the Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre on the beautiful slopes of Marin County's Mount Tamalpais, in the heart of the state park. This magical outdoor theater experience—in its 97th year—is proud to present the Tony Award-winning musical Guys and Dolls this summer. Don't miss it! To find out about dates, times, and pricing, visit the Mountain Play's website.
Save The Dates for the 2nd Annual California State Parks Starring in Hollywood Films series! Saturday, November 6th and Sunday, November 7th will see the second year of our film series take place in Los Angeles. Among the films screening this year will be STAR WARS: Return of the Jedi (in 35 mm).
The film features scenes shot in Prairie Creek Redwoods, Patrick's Point, and Grizzly Creek Redwoods state parks. This film has not been shown on the big screen in a long, long time, so it is a very special opportunity. Join us for the screenings dressed as your favorite STAR WARS character!
We are also screening two segments of one of the many television series filmed in the parks—M*A*S*H* along with the movie M*A*S*H.* Both were filmed at Malibu Creek State Park. Loretta Swit, William Christopher, Mike Farrell and other actors and staff from the series will join us for a special Q&A. We are also pleased that Elliott Gould will be with us to introduce the movie M*A*S*H* and talk about Director Robert Altman. Mr. Gould will also participate in a Q&A. Other films will soon be announced. Both Paramount Studios and Twentieth Century Fox will be participating. Stay tuned for more details. Tickets will soon be available on our website.
CSPF's Photo Contest is going strong…but we always need new photographers to participate and bring new images and angles to our gallery! Whether you have a high-end digital set up, or a point and click, all photographers are welcome, and it is real easy to sign up. Just visit our contest page and click "Join Our Gallery." At left, April's Photo of the Month Winner, Jim Duckworth, Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park.
CSPF A Top-Rated Green Nonprofit!
CSPF just received notice that we are a Top-Rated Green Nonprofit! During April, over 43,000 people visited the GreatNonprofits website to read and write reviews about 262 green nonprofits. We came out as one of the top organizations based on reviews. Thanks to everyone who reviewed us!
