Museum of Natural History and State Park Happenings
The Morro Bay Museum of Natural History celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Stay tuned to this page for announcements of upcoming, associated events.
California State Parks Foundation Announces Second Round of Grants to Keep State Parks Open
Funding Will Help Nonprofit Partners Across the State Keep an Additional 10 Parks Open for One Year
SAN FRANCISCO -- The California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) announces it will award 10 grants totaling $247,520 to organizations that are working to keep state parks from closing due to budget shortfalls (parks and organizations listed below). This one-year commitment is one of many serious steps the 43-year-old foundation is taking in response to the crisis of park closures across California's state park system.
Two months ago, CSPF announced 13 grants to organizations totaling $328,586 to keep parks open. The most recent
round of grants was made possible by generous funding from Chipotle
Mexican Grill and an anonymous donor, while the previous round was
made possible by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Thomas J.
Long Foundation.
"Once again, we are pleased to announce these grants as part of our
determined effort to keep threatened state parks open,” said CSPF
President Elizabeth Goldstein. "The grantees have substantial plans to
either fund or operate state parks that would otherwise close, and we
are thrilled to give them the support they need to succeed in that.
These grants have been made possible by early funders to our major
fundraising campaign. This early funding has also allowed us to offer
technical assistance to nonprofits working to keep parks open.”
Seventy state parks were originally slated for closure by July 1,
2012. With the deadline approaching, Californians stepped up to create
alternative short-term solutions rather than let park gates shut. The
parks community has acted in an exemplary fashion to adapt to the
state’s financial distress. Ultimately, however, this good work can
only be rewarded by the state re-funding these parks so they have a
long-term future that is sustainable.
"While we are pleased with this positive announcement, there is much
more work to be done, or we’ll be facing another round of park
closures sooner than later,” said Goldstein.
The organizations accepting grants from this round have plans to keep
10 parks open for at least a year.
"We are truly grateful to the California State Parks Foundation for
its continuing efforts to save our parks on a statewide level and its
amazing partnership at a local level to help organizations like ours
stave off park closures through various resources,” said Carolyn
Schoff, president of Friends of Pio Pico, one of the groups being
awarded a grant. "This grant will help keep our park open this fiscal
year and allow us to utilize additional donations for next fiscal
year."
Grants were awarded to the following organizations:
Park |
Park
Grantee |
| Benicia Capitol State Historic |
Benicia State Parks Association |
| Malakoff-Diggens State Historic |
South Yuba River Citizens League |
| Morro Strand State Beach |
Central Coast State Parks Association |
| Picacho State Recreation |
Friends4Pichacho |
| Pío Pico State Historic Park |
Friends of Pio Pico |
| Plumas-Eureka State Park |
Plumas Eureka State Park Association |
| Saddleback Butte State Park |
Poppy Reserve/Mojave Desert Interpretive Association |
| Shasta State Historic Park |
Shasta Historical Society |
| Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area |
Mendocino Area Parks Association |
| Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park |
Weaverville Joss House Association |
 |
The recent revelation that the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) had two hidden funds totaling over $50 million is both disturbing and appalling. We are frustrated to learn about these hidden funds during the present state park crisis. We are angry on behalf of our members, our donors, our partners, but most importantly on behalf of the people of California. Californians have a right to expect honesty from the government systems that serve us and, in this case, the parks department has let us all down. We are calling on the next director to work diligently to not only correct this inexcusable situation but also to achieve a culture of openness and transparency that will prevent this from happening in the future.
Despite this news, the crisis that our state parks face is still very real. Budget cuts to state parks over the years have decimated the system. In just the past four years, DPR's General Fund allocation has been reduced by 33 percent. On top of that, the system is suffering under a growing $1.3 billion deferred maintenance problem.
What does all of this mean for CSPF? As you know, CSPF is an independent nonprofit that works with, but not for, DPR. In our 43 years of operation, we have worked on behalf of our members and people of California with a clear mission to care for California's state parks. We pride ourselves on operating in a highly visible, transparent and independent way, which is evidenced by our four-star rating on Charity Navigator. CSPF takes our fundraising and donations very seriously. We ensure that donor funds that are entrusted to us for particular parks programs or projects are used according to donor intent. We are constantly improving the methods we use to oversee the projects we fund to ensure they are completed with the highest quality, on time and on budget.
We will continue to fight to protect, preserve and advocate for our state parks. Without you, our members, we could not have been as successful as we have been in the last few years.
Thank you for your past and continued support.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Goldstein
President, CSPF
About CSPF
With its 130,000 members, the California State Parks Foundation is the only independent nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting,
enhancing and advocating for California's magnificent state parks. For more information about California's state parks, visit CAL PARKS.org.
