California State Controller John Chiang began issuing IOUs to deal with the state’s cash flow crisis on July 1 and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to dangle the proposition of massive state park closures over the legislature as a way to shave millions off California’s $24 billion deficit. Schwarzenegger recently got a firm warning from the federal government about his proposal.
National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis stated in an ‘informational’ letter to the governor that, ‘Lands conveyed to the State under the Federal Lands to Parks Program must be open for public park and recreation use in perpetuity as a condition of the deed.’ In other words, if California closes them, the feds will seize them, take back control and keep them open.
Six parks out of the 220 Schwarzenegger wants to shut down are former federal parks and as such would fall into this category – Angel Island, Mount Diablo east of San Francisco, Point Sur State Historic Park in coastal Big Sur, Fort Ord Dunes near Monterey, Point Mugu State Park near Malibu and Border Fields along the Mexican border.
Jarvis also said the state could lose park funding from the federal government in the future as a result of the closures. According to Jarvis, California has received $286 million in federal funding through Land and Water Conservation grants for nearly 70 different California parks since 1965.
In what has become a very public tit-for-tat at the highest levels, the parties involved continue to stress the need for well-thought-out plans and calm negotiations. No one wants to close parks. But a Democratic proposal for a $15 per vehicle access pass to fund parks was flatly rejected by the governor and Republicans in the state legislature. Schwarzenegger says closing 220 parks will save the state $143 million over the next five years. Critics say closures are a ridiculous way to save a relatively small amount of money and will result in millions of lost tourism dollars and positive local revenue across the entire state. With the economy in shambles and unemployment hitting record highs, more people are turning to parks as a way to recreate and vacation on a budget. Last year, there were over 80 million visitors to state parks generating a total of more than $350 million in revenue in California.
~ Beth Ingalls, bingalls@moonshine-ink.com.
