All State Parks & Beaches in Santa Cruz County Slated for Closure!! What you can do?!?

STATE PARKS CLOSURE FACTS

For the financial well being of our state and future generations, we must oppose this reckless plan.

Even if you are not planning to visit a park soon, the governor's shortsighted proposal will impact you and every California resident. It is the very definition of "penny-wise, pound foolish". Consider the facts:

FACT: The Governor’s plan represents an “abandonment” of our State Parks and beaches, a public trust resource that must be stewarded for future generations. It would lead to a wholesale dismantling of an internationally recognized Park System that has taken 150 years to build.

FACT: The General Fund budget that State Parks receives accounts for less than 1/10 of one percent of the entire state budget.

FACT: Last year alone, there were over 80 million visitors to State Parks – and all indications are this year will be even higher. During these terrible economic times, more and more residents are relying on the State Park System for low-cost alternatives to expensive vacations. Our parks provide affordable opportunities for recreation, relaxation and learning with our friends and family.

FACT: Last year Santa Cruz County State Parks provided environmental and cultural education programming to 611,174 school children, families and individuals.

FACT: For every dollar that funds the parks, $2.35 is returned to the state's General Fund through purchases in the local communities surrounding the parks and in the parks themselves. That means eliminating all funding for State Parks ($70 million this year) could actually result in the state losing over $350 million dollars in revenue.
Untold losses would also be felt in local hotels, restaurants and shops.

FACT: Public investments in State Parks leverage volunteer hours and dollars. Statewide, in 2008, docents and other park volunteers provided $21,329,811 worth of services to the parks. Over the last 10 years, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, a non-profit park cooperating association, has provided nearly $9 million of support. All of these valuable partnership contributions would be lost.

FACT: It isn’t logically possible to “close” a State beach or Park open space. But without sufficient State Park staff to patrol, provide public safety and rescues, perform maintenance, provide essential facilities such as restrooms, provide educational programming and protect the plants, animals and cultural and historic resources, our parks would deteriorate and become attractive nuisances for criminal activity. It would cost more money in the long run to close our parks than would be saved!

FACT: This is the worst threat to Park System in its 150-year history.

FACT: We need your help to defeat this draconian, shortsighted proposal!!

Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks

We must stop the Governor's plan to close over 200 of our state parks. Just this week, the Governor announced a new proposal to eliminate state funding for our state park system – which will close more than 80% of the 279-unit state park system. His proposal to cut $143 million from our state parks is 10 times worse than last year's proposal. CSPF is kicking off the Save Our State Parks campaign again, and we need your help to take action TODAY and tell the Governor and your state legislators that gutting funding to state parks is unacceptable.

Next Tuesday, June 2, the Legislature's Budget Conference Committee will consider this proposal. State park advocates need to make their voices heard RIGHT NOW. Your contact to your legislators is critical.

Last year CSPF members sent over 55,000 citizen petitions to Sacramento and stopped him from closing 48 parks. We can make a difference...again. Please take action below and tell your legislators to reject the proposal and save our state parks.

Your letter will be sent to your legislators and Governor Schwarzenegger

TO SIGN & SEND A LETTER, GO TO:
http://www.thatsmypark.org
http://ga3.org/campaign/budget_may09

SAMPLE LETTER:

Please Support State Parks

As a strong supporter of our state park system, I am writing to express outrage to the Governor's proposal to eliminate core funding for our state park system that will close virtually all parks.

Our state parks exist to provide educational and recreational opportunities, preserve important cultural and historic resources, and aid the state in protecting key natural resources. They also serve a critical function in providing respite for the state's residents in times like these - when economic circumstances keep Californians closer to home, looking for low-cost ways to vacation and spend time with family.

This is exactly the wrong time to be proposing to eliminate the state's core commitment to this world-class resource. Not only would removing the state's General Fund support for state parks likely close the park system, it would cause an additional economic ripple effect to the state's budget and to local economies. The state would lose the ability to generate revenue from popular parks, which drives local economies. As you learned during last year's proposal to close state parks, every $1 that funds the state park system returns $2.35 to the state's General Fund, largely through economic activities in communities surrounding state parks.

I strongly urge you to seek creative solutions that provide adequate revenue to keep our state parks open and accessible to all Californians.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]