Action Alerts
Governor To Cut State Parks Budget and Close 48 Parks
California State Parks include some of the best mountain bicycling in the state. Among those are China Camp State Park here in Marin and Henry Coe in the south bay. Although China Camp is not on the list to close Henry Coe is, along with Tomales Bay State Park in West Marin, a park that may someday have trails open to mountain bikers, but in the meantime is enjoyed by all outdoor enthusiasts.
Californians use their State Parks as a main source of recreation, rejuvination and retreat. Mountain bikers use these parks for all those quality of life aspects. With a rise in childhood obesity and the added stress from the current economic downturn, parks will be needed as a viable resource that contributes to mental and physical health.
The Governor's plan calls for a $13.3 million reduction in the State Parks budget. To accomplish that they are recommending the closure of 48 parks and reducing seasonal staff positions by fifty percent. This is in addition to cuts that occured in the late 90's that caused reductions in staff and millions of dollars in deferred maintenace.