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Health & Fitness

How to Save Your Favorite California State Park

The California Department of Parks & Recreation is holding a number of workshops around the state to help nonprofits and other organizations learn how to save a state park from closure.

The is creating a among people that are working to keep the parks open. The July 1 deadline is rapidly approaching and the need for swift action is compelling nonprofit organizations to ramp up their efforts. This has been evident in the past week, during which time the California Department of Parks & Recreation has sponsored a number of workshops around the state to explain the process of preparing a proposal to take over park operations.

Representatives of nonprofit and other organizations from around northern California gathered in Santa Rosa on February 24 for the third of these workshops. They came to learn how to submit a formal proposal to the state that will allow a park to stay open. The groups ranged from umbrella groups such as Save the Redwoods, the Marin State Parks Association, and the California State Parks Foundation, to groups speaking out for specific parks, such as China Camp, Petaluma Adobe, Jack London, Anderson Marsh, and Sugarloaf Ridge.

The workshop was kicked off by Ruth Coleman, the Director of California State Parks, who illustrated the plight of state parks with a stark statistic. At the time of Jerry Brown’s first term as governor back in 1976, 95 percent of the budget for state parks came from general fund taxes. Today Governor Brown is faced with a much different budget reality, as only 29 percent of state park revenue is derived from the general fund. The difference has to be made up by increased user fees and the fundraising efforts of nonprofit organizations that are affiliated with the parks.

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As the threat of closure looms ever closer for more than one fourth of the California state park system, it is more important than ever that the state form partnerships with qualified organizations. A framework for developing this process was established last year, with the (D-San Rafael), which is now known as section 5080.42 of the Public Resources Code.

There are now three partnership options for taking over part or all of the operations of one of the state parks that are slated for closure. The first option is a Donor Agreement, in which a large donation is made to California State Parks to cover the operations of a park. This type of arrangement has saved several parks from the closure list, including Henry W. Coe, Antelope Valley Indian Museum, and McGrath State Beach.

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The next option is a concession contract, in which a private company responds to an RFP (Request for Proposal) in order to partner with the state to run a park. There are currently more than two dozen parks on the closure list that are being considered for this option. The third option is an Operating Agreement, which would be between California State Parks and a governmental entity or a qualified nonprofit organization. Several state parks have been taken off the closure list through this type of agreement with government entities. Samuel P. Taylor, Tomales Bay, and Del Norte Coast Redwoods have all entered into agreements with the National Park Service, while the Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area has entered into an agreement with the City of Colusa.

This leaves the nonprofit organizations, many of which attended this workshop to learn about the detailed process of submitting a proposal to operate a park. Friends of China Camp was among these organizations, and they sent a large contingent to investigate this option for China Camp State Park. The proposal requires rigorous adherence to a number of guiding principles, the most important of which is to be consistent with the mission of California State Parks: To provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation.

The workshop in Santa Rosa followed similar workshops in Redding and Fort Bragg, and will be followed by workshops in Sacramento on February 28 and Los Angeles on March 1. A Partnership Workbook for Operating Agreements, along with an FAQ, can be downloaded from the California State Parks website. The result of this process will hopefully be to prevent the closure of any of our state parks. It is encouraging to see people from around the state coming together to preserve our natural, cultural, and historical heritage.

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