Governor Schwarzenegger Has Really Rattled the Cages with Proposed Cuts to California’s State Parks

“Our history is an immutable part of our state’s culture. These parks generate millions of dollars of revenues for our state and local economies and their closure will do very little to assuage the debt we are facing,” said Senator Abel Maldonado, rally participant. “What we stand to lose if we close these parks and historical monuments is far greater than any monetary benefit we gain from their closure.”

During these difficult economic times, California’s state parks are the one place where people from all economic backgrounds are able to enjoy our treasured beaches, parks, campgrounds, rivers, and trails at a minimal, if any, cost. And use them they do. Last year alone, the California Department of Parks and Recreation tallied more than 77 million visits! And so far this year, almost 9,000 camping reservations have been made for opening day in May – this is a 20 percent increase from last year. This clearly illustrates that the demand for our state parks is increasing, not decreasing and that the closure of even one of our state parks is, at best, unacceptable and at worst, detrimental. Simply put, the Governor is robbing Californians of the affordability, beauty and adventure offered by our state parks system.

Moreover, California’s state parks offer healthy activities for communities and a chance for people to learn about California’s rich history, environment and natural treasures. Each year, millions of California teachers and students use our state parks as an educational resource through visits to historic parks and museums, 16 of which have been targeted for closure. It is inconceivable that the Governor would propose closing down these historic places and depriving our children of this unique learning opportunity.

“Access to our state parks is among the investments we hold most dear in California. Today’s budget crisis represents the greatest threat to our parks in a generation,” said Assembly Budget Committee Chair and rally participant John Laird. “The solution is not to shut down state parks, eliminate lifeguards at our state beaches, or pave new roadways through our parks. Our state parks are a legacy for the future. We should spend the next several weeks talking with the people of California about what kind of California we want to have, how we’re going to save our parks and how we should fund them.”

Even more distressing is the possibility that once these parks close down, they will most likely remain closed indefinitely. Without proper care, the parks will deteriorate to a point where they are costly to reopen, decreasing the chance they will be able to receive visitors again.

The Governor has stated that his proposal was meant to “rattle the cage,” and rattle the cage it has. He awoke a sleeping lion. Californians recognize the severity of this proposal and are galvanized to take action. The Save Our State Parks Campaign (SOS) was recently launched in an effort to keep California’s magnificent state parks open. Since its launch in late February, the SOS Campaign has grown rapidly and has nearly 500 individuals involved as well as private companies, local governments, teacher organizations, environmental organizations, Chambers of Commerce and elected officials among others.

We encourage all Californians to get involved to protect our state parks by visiting www.savestateparks.org. It is imperative that we let the Governor and our state legislators know that the closure of even one of our state parks is unacceptable.

Elizabeth Goldstein is the president of the California State Park Foundation. With its 95,000 members, the California State Parks Foundation is the only independent nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting, enhancing, promoting and advocating for California’s magnificent state parks. For more information about California’s state parks, visit www.calparks.org.