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The afternoon foliage at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, which is slated to stay open (photo: Patrick Lydon | sociecity)
In an effort to save $22 million out of the State’s $15.7 billion budget shortfall, California Governor Jerry Brown is set to close down 70 state parks this July.
But not if private donors have anything to do with it.
Citizens have called out Gov. Brown for planning to sever public access to 170,000 acres of public land for what they see as a pennies when compared to the state’s budget shortfall. So far, their calls have fallen on deaf ears with Brown not willing to make concessions.
As of this week, however, the grassroots efforts of California citizens have saved 31 parks, not through deals with the state government, but through funding from private groups, local cities, counties, and in some cases, reports the San Jose Mercury News, even National Park Rangers have come to the rescue with donations.
This unprecedented move by people to rescue the parks points to a growing divide whereby the financially troubled State government has been cutting funding for public resources at the discretion of the executive branch. It’s obvious though, with so many citizens scrambling to action, and even a documentary film recently released, that the State’s parkland is a resource which the people would very much like to keep.
