Sonoma Coast Iron Rangers

Greetings!

I decided to reprint an Op-Ed publish yesterday (6/16/2012) in the Press Democrat.  As Treasurer of this organization, I'm eager to see if a strong community organization can operate state parks well. If you see an embedded window below hat doesn't do anything, ignore it.  I'm working on including a Google Earth flyover tour to display the locations of the iron rangers n the coast.

Solutions for Keeping YOUR State Parks Open

Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods has a solution-based approach to keeping our western Sonoma County state parks open. With Austin Creek SRA on the closure list and service reductions at Sonoma Coast SP, Stewards and State Parks convened two meetings in early June to engage the public in discussions of how we can work together to keep our State Parks open and accessible.

There has been public outcry regarding new parking fees at some Sonoma Coast SP locations. Stewards is not taking a position on the new fees. We have constituents who are vehemently opposed, and others who think it’s time Sonoma County implements fees that have been in place for years in other coastal areas including our own Regional Parks. There are concerns about limiting access for those in need and traffic issues. Others see that fees paid by over 2 million out-of-town visitors could increase support and prevent further decline of our parks.  

Stewards is focusing on giving the public factual information,
a voice in the process and working on solutions for keeping your parks open.

Stewards will be signing an operating agreement with State Parks to keep Austin Creek open, made possible by AB42 (Huffman). With a $56,000 grant awarded by the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF), camping and day-use fees, donations, new partnerships and programs, Stewards will reopen Bull Frog Pond Campground, provide park protection, public assistance and trail maintenance utilizing volunteers.

The solutions for reopening closed areas on Sonoma Coast are more complex. The direction to charge new fees by Sacramento, the failure of Proposition 21 and the current $22 million general fund cut has resulted in many service reductions at coastal parks.

Since 1979, the State Park budget has decreased by 67%, with 37% of that reduction in the past six years. These cuts have come during a time when park visitation is at an all-time high.

Please realize the Governor’s November tax measure will NOT restore any funding for State Parks. In fact, if it does NOT pass, the triggers will result in cutting lifeguards and a 20% reduction in rangers.  Few would disagree that a dedicated sustainable funding source is needed to keep all 279 parks open and address the $1.3 billion deferred maintenance backlog.

What are the solutions?  Our legislators are proposing budget amendments (Evans/Simitian) and legislation (Evans and Huffman) to help State Parks and their partners, like Stewards, who are stepping up to keep our local parks open. While appreciated, their help is not enough.

The CSPF is providing technical assistance to nonprofits and continues to provide ways for Californians to advocate for their parks. In Sonoma County, the Parks Alliance for Sonoma County, a group of over 20 agencies and organizations have succeeded in keeping their five local State Parks open for at least another year. The local community of Jenner is donating to keep the Jenner Visitor Center and restrooms open.

If new fees are implemented, Stewards feels strongly that those fees need to stay local. Free day-use passes for Russian River area State Parks are available by volunteering 16 hours a year in programs supported by Stewards. 200 hours provides a statewide pass. There are affordable park passes available for Californians who are low-income, disabled, seniors and veterans of war. A reasonable pass for Sonoma County residents is needed.

Keeping our parks open will require legislation, donations, new partnerships, volunteers and advocacy.

Join Stewards so we can together represent your concerns in fighting to keep our parks open, thriving and moving towards excellence. Contact stewards@mcn.org or call (707) 869-9177, or visit www.stewardsofthecoastandredwoods.org. 

Michele Luna

Executive Director

Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods

Pinterest on the California Coast

Greetings!

Have you checked out Pinterest?  I just did, after attending a Statewide conference of the California League of Park Associations.  They're the folks currently providing interpretive services and docents in California's State Parks, and who are responding to the closure of these parks by stepping up to operating agreements with the State.

The good news is that we all came away from the San Diego conference re-charged, and despite even more bad news from the Governor, dedicated to fighting hard to keep the parks open and accessible.

Here's some great photos and contacts accessible on Pinterest through a search of "California coast".

California coast

Gregory

One Beach - Barefoot Wines

Barefoot Wines and the Surfrider Foundation have partnered to present:

The First 70 Film Project

The First 70 Film Project


The Project

Last May, California announced plans to close one quarter of their 278 parks, a devastating move that is intended to save the state a mere $22 million per year. The closure list includes thousands of acres of park land, recreation areas, wildlife reserves, and 50% of the state's historic parks. By July 2012 Californians will be bereft of 70 magnificent natural parks. The media has done little to disclose the ongoing closures or emphasize their impact.

Not wanting to miss the chance to see these places before they were gone forever, we decided to make our way across California in a converted airport shuttle bus, shooting as many parks and people as possible. Individuals we met along the way were concerned about the closing of their local parks, but no one had a collective firsthand experience of the overall picture. As we connected dots on a map, a pattern emerged. No one knew exactly what the conditions of closure would be, nor could they see how the state would ultimately benefit.

The First 70 is a short film about Californians banding together to enact change and develop solutions in the face of a glaring bureaucratic oversight. Volunteers have been forced to lend even more of their time and effort to support the already grossly underfunded state park system. Independent organizations and nonprofits have become obligated to step up to the challenge of keeping parks open, supporting them financially while working within the state's guidelines.

View the film:

Additionally, Back Country Pictures has produced a great new film called California Forever. For a preview, click on California Forever

California Coastal Cleanup Day

Greetings!

These photos were taken on California's Coastal Cleanup Day, organized by Coastwalk California, on the coast of Sonoma County on September 17th, 2011. Coastwalk wants to thank Whole Foods and REI for their partnerships, and a special thanks to Redwood Empire Boy Scouts, Sonoma State University, and the Ecclesiastical District of Northern California.

Coastal Political Aboutface

Greetings!

I'm angry at the California Citizens Redistricting Committee. For the past 40 years, I have lived in Marin and Sonoma Counties along the 101 corridor. In every election, I have voted for candidates whose districts included the Northern California coast, and who paid attention to its issues. When I lived in Marin, I was sometimes represented by politicians from Sonoma. The reverse was also true. But grew to understand that, though each county's residents viewed the others suspiciously, they all shared a love of the coast and voted for candidates who protected it well.

The Committee released its new redistricting maps yesterday, and disenfranchised the coast from most of Sonoma County's residents along the 101 corridor. In some or all of the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, and Petaluma, residents will now be voting for candidates for state or federal offices who have not one foot of Sonoma County coast in their districts. The political views which will be debated in those races will turn an about face from the coast and Redwood Empire to the Napa Valley and the Vallejo Hwy 80 corridor. Issues such as marine sanctuaries and coastal access will be replaced by port facilities and highway interchanges.

I don't think Sonoma County residents will like being moved to the inland empire. And I'm hoping they will show their love of the coast by electing strong environmentalists to the whichever political offices remain representing stretches of the coast. The 2nd and 10th Assembly Districts include the Marin and Sonoma coasts, and every resident except those in Rohnert Park and those along Hwy 12 from Kenwood to Boyes Hot Springs. The latter group is included in the 2nd Senate District which covers the Marin and Sonoma coasts. Unfortunately, residents of Rohnert Park have no representatives of any coast. And the coast loses federal representation in the 2nd Congressional District from most all of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, and Cotati residents.

Mendocino Coastwalkers, June 30th, 2011

Greetings!

Yesterday, I joined the members of the Mendocino Coastwalkers for dinner. I drove up from Santa Rosa to Van Damme State Park where they were spending the last night of the hike, and was able to take some of their time to describe Coastwalk's entire program activities, and listen to their feedback.

I was able to show them the new website, and they had plenty of useful ideas about improvements to it and to Coastwalk operations.