The Park Champions Program Comes to China Camp State Park

It was a beautiful hot day at China Camp State Park last Friday as I joined volunteers from around the Bay Area who came to help the park with some needed maintenance. People came from as far away as Sunnyvale and Guerneville to show their support for this state park that is rapidly approaching its scheduled closure date of July 1.  

The California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) sponsored the event as part of their series of volunteer work days in the Park Champions program, which partnered with Friends of China Camp, a nonprofit organization that is working to keep the park open beyond the looming closure date.

The main task of the day was to install and repair split rail fencing. These rustic looking wooden fences line trails on steep hillsides and switchbacks, helping to improve safety and prevent erosion. We hiked up the Bay View Trail, where fence posts and rails had been dropped for us ahead of time at places where they were needed.

We started by repairing some sections of fence where the rails had deteriorated over the years. Later we moved on to find places where whole new sections of fence were needed. The fence posts are placed ten feet apart and connected with two long wooden rails, which are notched at the ends and inserted into the posts. The holes for the posts are two feet deep and can be a challenge to dig in hard rocky soil. It was especially hard work as the morning wore on and the hot sun beat down upon us. Shady areas in the forest provided some much appreciated relief.

The hard sweaty work was made easier by the beautiful work environment. The summer wildflowers are blooming in spectacular profusion now at China Camp. The bright orange blossoms of Sticky Monkey Flower cover entire hillsides, seeming to glow even brighter in the hot sun. California Honeysuckle and Pearly Everlasting are also blooming now, soaking up the warm sunshine of the long summer days. The forest of tanbark oak, madrone, manzanita, and California bay laurel tempered the sun and blended nicely with the rustic handiwork of our newly installed fences.

As we hiked up the Bay View Trail, we witnessed one of the big challenges facing China Camp State Park. Sudden Oak Death is prevalent throughout the forests of the park, leaving dead or dying trees alongside many of the trails. This tree disease affects several species of oaks, as well as other trees such as California bay laurel, Douglas-fir, and coast redwood.  Caused by a plant pathogen known as Phytophthora ramorum, Sudden Oak Death has ravaged forests in California and Oregon since the mid 1990s.

One of the most common host trees is the California bay laurel, which normally thrives in the forests of China Camp. Numerous dead or dying bay laurels can be seen along the Bay View and Shoreline Trails, posing a significant problem for park management. Research of this disease is relatively recent, so restoration measures are still in their infancy.

Friends of China Camp is taking on the challenge of saving this state park. They are well on their way to achieving their goal of raising $250,000 by July 1, which will provide the necessary initial capital as they partner with the California Department of Parks and Recreation to operate the park. They will be holding a major fundraiser on June 20 at the Maritime Museum in San Francisco. Supporters of China Camp will enjoy an oyster bar and a dim sum station, as well as beer and wine. They will be able to take part in a silent auction and listen to a performance by musicians from the San Francisco Symphony. Tickets are $50 per person, and can be purchased online. As July 1 approaches, we need strong community support to keep our beautiful park open.