LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Anderson Marsh State Historic Park recently was the subject of a series of proposed “interventions” designed by students in a UC Davis advanced landscape design studio class.
In May of 2011, the Department of Parks and Recreation released a list of 70 state parks slated for closure to reduce the budget deficit. While many of these parks are currently in operation under a temporary reprieve, their future remains uncertain.
Visiting Lecturer Emily Schlickman focused her class assignment on Anderson Marsh State Historic Park after learning it was one of the 70 parks scheduled to be closed.
“The studio seeks to speculate upon the future of state parks in California,” said Schlickman. “The aim of the project is to develop strategies to increase attendance rates while enhancing the ecological capacity of the park.”
After doing research about Anderson Marsh, the students in February attended the monthly nature walk held at the park to gain firsthand knowledge.
Led by Park docents and Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association volunteers, the participants on the walk explored the three histories that are protected by the park: natural, American Indian and European settler.
Also attending the walk were State Parks Environmental Scientist Jim Dempsey and Paul Aigner, resident co-director of the UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve, who led a discussion of native and non-native plants. After the walk, the students spent time exploring at the park on their own.
“The students were asked to propose a very small design intervention for the park that is both economically and ecologically sustainable,” said Schlickman.
On Monday, March 18, the completed projects were presented at the UC Davis campus. The students received feedback and suggestions from members of the UC Davis faculty, two Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association Board members who were present and the former director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, who also attended the presentation.
The potential projects presented varied and creative approaches, including a expanding a presently existing “vernal pool,” restoring portions of the native plant life, installing an ADA-compliant kayak launching dock and a plan to build a large “bat tower” that would house a bat population and allow visitors to learn about the benefits of having resident bats.
Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association Board Member Henry Bornstein, who attended the project presentations at UC Davis, was impressed by the inventiveness of the proposals.
“Although there may be issues about implementing the proposals at this time due to funding and other constraints, the proposals provide a fresh look at what is possible to do at the park and should be studied further,” said Bornstein.