California State Parks Closing...

Read this NY Times Opinion piece.

Dumb, just plain old dumb....

Not a done deal at all. These are proposed closures. There is not one single notice of closure posted anywhere.

Some proposed park closures are already being challenged by federal law. There is pending legislation allowing non-profit organizations to keep them running. The movie industry is complaining and they have political clout.

I'll believe it when I see it.

The budget has been signed in Florida and I'm not aware of any actual closures, although there will be some scaling back. Many improvements and maintenance items have been cancelled. Wakulla Springs State park, where Creature of the Black Lagoon and some old Tarzan movies were filmed lost a major restoration project.
The state had a lands purchasing program for land preservation (and possible new parks) that was cut from the budget. This is Florida. Nature (beaches and parks) and Disney are what drive tourism, our major industry.

There was a special irony when the governor was at a state park announcing how he believed parks should be financially self-sustaining (I don't agree but that's another topic), but didn't pay the entrace fee himself.

Washington State has enacted something called the "Discover" pass which will be required to access all state parks, DNR land and state fish and wildlife lands. The alternative was closing a bunch of state parks and all DNR lands to recreation. WA tried this method for state parks a few years ago and it didn't work (people didn't go, or parked outside the park where they could). Nearly all the funds collected were used to enforce the pass, so it didn't result in any more park money. I have my doubts that this new pass will work, either. I certainly don't plan to buy one. The one WA state park I visit frequently has lots of city-owned parking spaces just outside the small state park parking lot. When the former state parks pass was in effect, there would be no more than one or two cars in the state park lot; everyone else parked outside. I can get along without the few local hikes on the WA side of the Gorge that have state park or WA DNR trailheads.

Oregon, on the other hand, funds its state parks from lottery funds. The state parks are doing fine financially. The state is even opening a few new parks and adding rentable cabins and more yurts to some of the existing campgrounds.

We've had seasonal closures and hours of operation cutbacks for a couple of years already, and the department budget keeps getting hit further. At some point the hole gets too deep to dig out of, especially as lack of maintenance and security take their toll on park facilities and lands.

Everything hinges on the 2011-12 budget, which is due June 30. There's a large enough group of legeslators who would love nothing more than to shut down State Parks and a host of other departments, that this threat is sadly quite real.

CA state park closure list

Most state parks in Florida have an honor box for the $2 or $3 fee. If one doesn't pay one might get a nasty-gram (actually a politely worded prepared note).
I have two annual passes, one for the state parks and another for the state forests. It's kind of redundant. This past year a new rule was enacted giving disabled vets free annual state park passes and all vets get 25% discounted passes. Yeah, I took my discount (smile).

I don't mind the small fee as I am OK with supporting parks but I harbor no illusions that this fee covers all expenses. I also remember growing up with a single mom and how free beaches and parks were our main entertainment. I wouldn't oppose a hardship-warranted free park pass.

California State Parks have priced themselves out of business! I too would not mind a "small fee". California State Park campgrounds are $35 per site per night. And almost any park as a $6+ parking fee for day use. The annual pass was $120 several years ago and it does not include campground fees, simply entrance fees. Henry Coe Park charges parking fee plus a nightly fee even when you camp with no facilites- total of close to $15 per night. With the high fees charged I really do not know why they are so broke. And here is the kicker. The ORV parks get guarenteed funding ($65 million per year) from gasoline taxes and are running a surplus. They refuse to share with the other parks. So the other parks are getting cut $95 million (because the other parks get revenue from the general fund, which polititians can cut. I am livid that I pay gas tax for ORV parks and the parks I want to visit are being closed!

I agree about the price! I've given up camping in northern California on my way to and from visiting my daughter--with the senior discount, I can sleep at the Motel 6 in Eureka (a good halfway point) for only a couple dollars more than the campground fee. Oregon state parks run $10 to $20 for a tent site. For $36 you can rent a yurt!

OM, do you have a Golden Age Pass? That will get you into all National Parks like Yosemite and is pretty cheap.

From the NPS website-
http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm

America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Senior Pass. - Cost $10.


America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Senior Pass
This is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over. The pass provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity. The pass admits the pass holder and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas and pass holder + 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults, at per person fee areas (children under 16 are admitted free). The pass can only be obtained in person at the park. The Senior Pass provides a 50 percent discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services. In some cases where Expanded Amenity Fees are charged, only the pass holder will be given the 50 percent price reduction. The pass is non-transferable and generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessionaires.

Of course I have the Senior (formerly Golden Age) Pass--I've had it for years! It saves me $30/year for the NW Forest Pass that we need up here to park at USFS trailheads. Everyone should get one as soon as they turn 62!

Up here in the NW, it can be obtained from USFS ranger stations, as well as from most private vendors who sell the NW Forest Pass.

However, that pass doesn't apply to state lands, only Federal. The new WA pass for state-owned lands is really confusing to many people, especially those who don't pay attention to what agency manages the land on which they are hiking.

Nancy, I pay $52 for a two year permit, (Green sticker money) per offroad vehicle I have in CA. If the rest of the public paid that, they might have the same facilities and groomed trails. I wonder why CA raised the fees if they have such a surplus. These fees should only be used for OHV parks, trails, enforcement. If too much is surplus, fees should be cut, unlikely with the greedy politicians and protective management.

That is $26 per year - a reasonable use-fee (vs the $120+ annual fee for general park passes). That does not negate the fact that ORV parks also get gas-tax money that everyone pays. I do not think the article in the Sacramento Bee suggested that the use fee be shared - just that the excess generated by the gas tax be shared.

Sounds reasonable to me then sharing gas taxes, I thought you were only talking about the money that the Green sticker fees generate. I do not stay at OHV CG's etc., I just use the groomed trails some on my snowmobile and only drvie the FS roads on my dirtbike.

OM where are you trying to camp near Eureka? (I live in Fortuna currently).

If you wish to camp in this area, the county parts are like $6/night, many of which are in Redwood groves. I know this may be sacrilegious to some, but there are more than a few areas where no one will bother you if you just throw up a tent near one of the rivers also.

Well trying to avoid hijack - ithis is sort of like hunters and photographers. The wildlife photogs scream about how hunters kill little animals, but they pay ZERO (0) moneys, fees etc towards the support of that wildlife. Hunters on the other hand may kill little animals but 100% of ALL animal funds, fish and game etc etc, come from hunters fees used to support a healthy stock to hunt, which also benefits the animals greatly, as wel as culling etc.
I know the camping fees are high in California, but if everyone who hiked in parks ponied up a couple of bucks, they would have parks. Sure they are public property - and they will have to have law enforcement to keep people out when they are closed - soon only rangers will have access to parks and that is the hidden ajenda of some people = parks for animals not humans.

Soap box off.
Jim

Jim, we DO pony up fees. Problem is that the fees are not "small". The Oregon State Parks, National Forest Service, National Park Service, BLM, to name a few are all able to offer superior recreational venues for much less. I am beginning to think that there is a strong behind the scenes element here in California who's purpose is actually to restrict access. We spent 3 days last Fall on the north coast, with campground fees totalling almost $100. These beautiful campgrounds were nearly empty, with large portions closed off. Supposedly budget woes. Well how about lowering the fees, filling the campgrounds which would bring in more money than the current situation. As any retailer knows, there is a price point that people are able to pay, and you have to look at the competition. I wold love to spend more time in State Parks, but I can get twice the recreation for the same price on the Forest Service lands.

That's surely not the case in California. I can't speak to other states.

What a shame. All those lovely facilities, built as a gift to future generations, will be strangled of funding, stop being maintained, and become either unuseable or perhaps just scrape by as substandard, dirty and dangerous. We seem to be stuck in an era of rapid regress.

WD
All you have to do is look at the rows of boulders, NO PARKING sings and other methods or recreation denial along the roads in the Sierras, Its intended to prevent people from parking where they can hike into formerly popular areas - all in the name of protection of course.

So much of the Sierras is free - go there. Avoid state parks.
Jim

It might be helpful to look at how small a portion of user fees comprise the California Parks and Rec and Fish and Game budgets. Once the idea that they're based on a cash & carry consumer model is abandoned, it's easier to see where the budget dilemmas come from and why it will take an economic recovery--or powerful actions on the part of the legislature--to restore them.

The challenge, as I see it, is to prevent the permanent loss of resources during these lean times. We owe it to ourselves and more importantly, to those yet to come. This is our time to be stewards.

CA Parks and Rec budget

Projects a budget loss of nearly $200 million, or almost a third. Shows user fees (presumably entry and camping fees) of $80 million, or less than 10% of the current fiscal year budget and less than half of the proposed budget cuts (and projected to remain the same regardless of closures, which seems rather overly hopeful).

CA Fish and Game budget

Projects an $86 million budget reduction, about a 20% hit. Of FY '10-'11's $488 million budget, about $58 million came from licenses and tags--a little more than 10%. Poaching alone probably exceeds that value and we have roughly ten F&G officers for every million Californians.

As a final note, most state employees were on two, then three furlough days per month for about two years. With recent contracts, there's just one furlough/month for most.

p.s. Would be curious to see similar analyses for other states (this makes the above the next-to-final note, I guess).

Well put Rick, CA's budget really is in shambles and to suggest the high fees is anything other than overburdened public employees trying to deal with a difficult situation is really missing the boat. I often take my family to state parks and am amazed at how full they are despite the high fees.... and then I see one poor ranger desperately trying to keep the facilities in usable order.

The problem with sharing gas money with other parks is that it was passed by ballot initiative. The legislature can't touch it. I believe the last election had a ballot initiative to allow under running projects to share there money with other projects. That initiative along with a few others that were desperately needed to balance our budget were defeated. Complain about the legislature all you want, but CA's problems almost entirely lie with the voters who keep passing unsustainable ballot initiatives.

ok, I'm stepping off my soap box now...

Actually, my real fear is that the state government will succumb to private pressure to sell off those lands cheaply to developers. While hiking at Henry Coe State Park recently, I spoke with one of the volunteers; he said that former congressman and real estate magnate Richard Pombo's son had been there "checking the place out", and that Pombo has already bought up land east of the park and is developing it.

In the meantime, Oregon, also extremely short of general funds, uses lottery funds for its state parks. They are adding new parks and building more yurts and even cabins in their existing campgrounds. The yurts and cabins are so popular that you have to reserve many months in advance, and they are a money-maker for the parks. This past weekend I was at Nehalem Bay State Park on the coast. It was immaculately kept, unlimited hot water in the showers, $36 per night for a yurt with electricity and a nice warm electric heater, beds for 5 and a partially covered deck. Hysson and I slept in my tent on the yurt site (no dogs allowed in the yurts), no extra charge except a parking fee, $10 total for the three nights. There's a Junior Ranger program for the kids and an evening program for everyone.

Ugh, I hope not. Pombo is the epitome of evil. And what a congressman (hip deep in Abramoff).