May 29, 2009
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Governor’s proposal would close 220 state parks
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SACRAMENTO, CA – Last evening, the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) received the list of state parks that will be closed if Governor Schwarzenegger's plan to eliminate General Fund support for the state park system is approved. A total of 220 state parks are proposed for closure. "No part of California was spared," declared Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation. "Entire regions of the state will see all of their nearby state parks closed and virtually every kind of park is on the chopping block—from redwood parks on California's north coast, to the deserts in the Inland Empire, coastal beaches on the Central Coast to wooded campgrounds along Lake Tahoe in the Sierra. These closures will affect almost every California resident. Anyone looking at this list will be astounded by the magnitude of what is being proposed." Only 59 parks are proposed to remain open, largely based on the presence of special funding, or because a park has an agreement with local governments for its operations. "It is a sad day, indeed, when California's first state park—Big Basin Redwoods State Park—is proposed to be shuttered in the name of short-term and modest economic savings," said Goldstein. "The very reason that state park and the 219 others on the closure list were set aside was to preserve, protect and provide public access to some of California's wonders and history. These parks are the very definition of our environmental legacy and the products of charitable contributions, public-private partnerships and countless volunteer hours that have, for almost 100 years, leveraged the public funding that supports them." "The closure list shows, in a stark way, how devastating a proposal it is to eliminate state funding for the park system," said Goldstein. "It simply cannot be done without inflicting maximum pain on the public, local businesses, the tourism sector, and our environment, for what ultimately amounts to less than 0.62 percent of the funding needed to shore up the state's budget deficit. Not only will Californians lose access to a public trust resource that is theirs, but California's travel and tourism industry will be hit hard. Locally-owned bed and breakfast establishments, nearby restaurants, retail shops, tour operations and many more businesses that rely on parks for visitation and economic activity will be devastated. At a time when the state needs to encourage and retain economic activity, this proposal shuts the door to a vital part of our economy." "The California State Parks Foundation, through our Save Our State Parks campaign, invites the public to join with us and organizations across the state as we fight this proposal. Now is the time to let our legislators know that shutting state parks and causing further economic impacts in our communities is unacceptable. More information and ways to get involved can be found at www.calparks.org." About SOS About CSPF ###
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