Help California Save Its State Parks

As a strong supporter of the parks system, I urge you to take action to avoid the closure of 220 California state parks. Cutting the General Fund allocation for state parks will be devastating to California's economy, will weaken much-needed tourism revenue in the state and will shut the doors to tens of millions of people in the US and around the world who rely on state parks for outdoor recreation and vacations.

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This proposal couldn't come at a worse time. In these economic times, state parks are being used more, not less. Camping reservations for 2009 have already logged 25,000 reserved nights,compared to slightly over 20,000 nights in 2008 and over 19,000 in 2007. As more people choose high-value, low cost options for spending their financial resources, this proposal adds yet another obstacle to families looking for relief in these difficult times.

Impacts to the state will go far beyond simply a $143 million "savings" to the state's General Fund. Local economies in many areas of the state, particularly rural, rely on state park visitors to generate local economic activity that keeps small businesses alive. A recent report by CSU Sacramento found that park users, on average, spent $57.63 per visit. Across the system, this amounts to a more than $4.2 billion in positive economic impacts -- impacts that will be lost if the parks are closed. This is exactly the wrong time to be proposing to eliminate the state's core commitment to state parks.

It is unreasonable to expect that local California governments, which are, themselves, already hurting financially, will automatically step in and take the state's place in managing and operating the state parks. Similarly, calls for increased volunteerism or an expectation that volunteer groups or nonprofit organizations will manage state parks also belies the fact that the state park system requires a state-level public investment. There are already many productive, cost-effective partnerships in place that add value to the state parks. However, these partnerships are already stretched as far as local organizations can assist, and they cannot substitute for the need for public funding for critical areas such as law enforcement, lifeguards, skilled staff to maintain on-site electrical and water systems and more.

California's state parks were set aside precisely to safeguard resources and opportunities that would not otherwise be available without the strong support of the public sector. These 279 state parks are part of the public good, which requires a stable and consistent investment by every generation, to ensure their availability for the next generation. California's state parks system is a legacy with which we have all been entrusted.

I strongly urge you to seek creative solutions that provide adequate revenue to keep California's state parks open and accessible to all.