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Do Now
How important is it to have nice public parks nearby where you live? If all those parks were closed down, how would it impact you and your community?
Intro
From gold-mine monuments in the foothills to granite peaks in the Sierra and soaring redwood forests on the coast, California is chock full of state parks. 278 of them, to be exact. The parks receive millions of visitors each year. But last year, California voters turned down Proposition 21, which would have added an $18 fee on vehicle registration and generated $500 million for the parks. Without that cash, though, the state’s parks department has been forced to trim its budget by $22 million over the next two fiscal years, which will result in the permanent closure of 70 parks. Some of the well-visited parks on the chopping block include Portola Redwoods in San Mateo County; Henry W. Coe in Santa Clara and Stanislaus Counties; and China Camp in Marin.
The park closures will essentially result the abandonment of significant parcels of land throughout the state. These areas will no longer be maintained or open to the public. An initial list of the specific parks slated for closure has already been announced, although some state officials and private agencies are fighting to keep a handful of them open.
Resource
The California Report's segment The Future of Our State Parks
The fallout from the election continues to ripple through California -- and it's especially impacting our state parks. Voters turned down Proposition 21, an $18 fee on vehicle registration that would have generated $500 million or so for the 278 parks throughout California. So what happens now?
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More Resources for Follow-up Lessons
The California Report's segment Lawmakers Take a Closer Look at Shuttering State Parks.
In the thick of the latest budget crisis, the state Department of Parks and Recreation has been told to cut $22 million over two fiscal years, and it's planning to do that by closing 70 parks. Now legislators are debating which parks will feel the blow.
