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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – On Friday, the state announced a proposal to close 70 state parks, with the list topped by Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lower Lake.
The California State Parks Department said Friday that the closures are necessary to achieve an $11 million reduction in the 2011-12 fiscal year and $22 million in fiscal year 2012-13.
The cuts were mandated by AB 95, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in March, state officials said.
“We regret closing any park, but with the proposed budget reductions over the next two years, we can no longer afford to operate all parks within the system,” said California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman.
The 70 parks slated for closure out of a total of 278 were selected based on a variety of factors, officials said.
The closure methodology's three primary goals, according to the State Parks Department, included protecting the most significant natural and cultural resources, maintaining public access and revenue generation to the greatest extent possible, and protecting closed parks so that they remain attractive and usable for potential partners. The methodology was part of AB 95.
“Closing state parks is not a task that gives anyone joy, but we are experiencing turbulent times that necessitate deep – almost unthinkable – cuts to public services,” Gov. Jerry Brown said in a Friday statement released by his office. “I will work hard in the coming weeks to reach an agreement that will allow us to avoid deeper and more disruptive reductions.”
Anderson Marsh is the home of the Old Time Bluegrass Festival, which takes place each September as a fundraiser for local schools.
Lake County News was not able to reach representatives of the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association for comment on Friday evening.
This is the third time since 2008 that Anderson Marsh has been included on a proposed park closure list. Each time volunteers and supporters have campaigned strenuously against the proposal.
The park, run mostly by volunteers, was estimated in a 2008 California State Parks Foundation report to be visited by more than 43,000 people annually, generating just over $2,000 in revenue each year.
Clear Lake State Park also had been included on a proposed 2008 closure list. Since then it has not been listed, as its revenue numbers are well over $300,000 annually with more than 100,000 yearly visitors.
Coleman, who visited Lake County April 2 for the dedication of the new Clear Lake State Park Education Pavilion – an effort spearheaded by the Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association – said that the partnership between the state and the interpretive association “is the reason this park is still open,” as Lake County News has reported.
The California State Parks Foundation said Friday that it strongly opposes the proposed closures, which would constitute 25 percent of the entire park system and 40 percent of the state's historic parks, and affect parks in 36 of the state's 58 counties.
“Although park closures have been threatened before, this constitutes the first time in the 100 year history of California state parks that a serious, deliberate effort has been made to significantly reduce the state parks system,” said California State Parks Foundation President Elizabeth Goldstein. “The message to our children and grandchildren is that we can’t save their natural and historic legacy. They can no longer expect to have access to a public trust resource that should, by all rights, be theirs.”
Goldstein added that the proposal “shuts the door to a vital part of our economy. Closing these parks is going in the wrong direction.”
The list of parks proposed for closure around Northern California include Henry W. Coe State Park in Santa Clara County, which is the second largest state park in the entire state park system and the largest in northern part of the state; Annadel State Park and Jack London State Historic Park, the home of the native author and adventurer, in Sonoma County; Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park in Napa County; Benbow Lake State Recreation Area, Grizzly Creek Redwoods and Fort Humboldt State Historic Park in Humboldt County; Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park in Chico; Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park in Del Norte County; the Governor's Mansion State Historic Park in Sacramento; William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park and Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area in Tehama County; and Point Cabrillo Light Station and Jug Handle State Natural Reserve in Mendocino County.
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Tuolumne County, which the parks foundation said has served as a backdrop for more than 200 films, also was listed.
The State Parks Department said among the 208 parks that would remain open, the closure plan would preserve 92 percent of current attendance and 94 percent of existing revenues.
“With this announcement, we can begin to seek additional partnership agreements to keep open as many parks as possible,” said Coleman. “We already have 32 operating agreements with our partners – cities, counties and nonprofits – to operate state parks, and will be working statewide to expand that
successful template.”
However, the California State Parks Foundation said it questioned the state's ability to effectively close the parks proposed for closure.
Parks with nominal staffing already suffer vandalism, and the group said that fully shutting down
state parks will only make matters worse, and will threaten the preservation of vital resources.
The group invites community members to join its Save Our State Parks Campaign at www.savestateparks.org/ .
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