What's New
We're making progress. On Friday, September 25th, the governor announced the he was not going to close any state parks. This is a great victory and it means that during these tough economic times Californians will be able to get out to their state parks and enjoy the beauty of California. But, it highlights the need for the legislature and the Governor to work together to find a permanent funding solution to restore our parks to their beauty and grander.
Learn More:
A major study from Sacramento State University shows that state parks pay for themselves:
A team of researchers at Sacramento State University have released a new research numbers they say shows that the state parks system more than pays for itself by generating sales tax revenue.
The Sacramento State University study also found that the state park system gets some of the highest marks from the public for any government agency, and that recent gas price spikes have led to an increase in visits to state parks, at high levels which have been sustained well into 2009.
Last year, 77.6 million people visited our parks to hike, swim, picnic and learn more about our state.
• Our state parks bring $4.32 billion per year to the state through tourism.
• Our parks protect a huge array of wildlife, including bald eagles, snowy plovers, valley quail, Redwood trees and the California poppy—many of which are threatened or endangered.
Our natural heritage
Thirty years ago, California’s state parks were the crown jewels of the state. But for years we have been cutting them up for development and underfunding them. As a result, our parks are smaller and more polluted, and up to 100 were slated to close.
It’s time to stand up for our natural heritage: One in six acres of land in California is already paved. More and more, the next generation of Californian children are growing up without parks and other places to play and experience nature.
We need to make sure that every child in California has a place to play, a place to learn about nature.
