Does the Governator Want to Shut Down

California's State Park System?

After a long hiatus due to personal reasons, I'm back to blogging. I hope my old readers will return, and I hope any new readers will stay for my (hopefully) unique perspectives on politics, the environment and outdoor recreation.

Arnie "The Governator" Schwarzenegger, in a budget cutting move, recently announced the closure of 48 California state parks. Ostensibly, he is doing this because he can't bear to raise taxes on his Republican constituency. This illustrates a classic example of the prime difference between Republicans and Democrats: Republicans think only of themselves (and their pocket books) rather than the commons, while Democrats believe we're all in this together and should act accordingly.

Let's take a brief look at a representative example of the commons, from north to south, in which The Governator would shut out the good people of California:

Del Norte Redwoods State Park: One of the older units of the state park system, this park boasts of 50% native old-growth coastal redwood trees.

Clear Lake State Park: Clear Lake is the largest natural fresh-water lake in California and sports some of the best bass fishing in the entire United States. While closing the state park would by no means close the lake to public recreation, the state park does offer an inexpensive alternative to private facilities for Californians to enjoy this outstanding resource.

Armstrong Redwoods State Park: Protected from development since the 1870's and a state park since 1936, this park features the 310 foot Parson Jones tree as well as the 1400 year-old Colonel Armstrong tree.

Sutter's Fort State Park: Site of gold discovery in California that led to the great gold rush, this park's museum features exhibits of artifacts belonging to John Sutter, James Marshall and the Donner Party. The park is used extensively for educational purposes by students all over Central California; indeed, many schools base their entire State History curriculum around field trips to Sutter's Fort.

Tomales Bay State Park: Established in 1952 to protect what little beach-front property north of the Golden Gate that had yet to be developed, this park features the finest remaining virgin grove of native Bishop Pine in California.

Candlestick Point State Park: This popular urban San Francisco park features a fitness trail, two fishing piers and a community garden.

Portola Redwoods State Park: One of the tallest coastal redwoods (300 feet tall) in the Santa Cruz Mountains can be found here.

Great Valley Grasslands State Park: This park boasts on of the few intact samples of the Great Central Valley grasslands that once covered what is now the nation's breadbasket. The park is part of the Grasslands Ecological Area (GEA) that encompasses the largest block of contiguous wetlands left in California. Grasslands is home to several endangered endemic plant species and the site of spectacular springtime wildflower blooms.

Henry Coe State Park: This one is particularly irksome to me because it features the best hike-in bass fishing in the entire country. Hundreds of miles of trails and roads criss-cross this coastal range park, leading to old stock ponds miles from trail heads. These ponds are full of northern-strain largemouth bass. In a week-long hike there last spring my buddy John and I caught and released over 100 fish each, and in the entire week we saw only five other people, and one of them was a park ranger. This park is one of the most popular in the Bay Area; closing it would be unconscionable.

Fremont Peak State Park: This park offers outstanding views of nearby Monterey Bay and features an astronomical observatory with a 30-inch telescope that is open to the public on selected evenings.

Fort Ord Dunes State Park: This one is almost as bad as losing Coe. Closing Ord Dunes would short circuit plans to rehabilitate the former Army base, encompassing four miles of shoreline along over-developed Monterey Bay. Ord Dunes shows great promise as an outstanding example of native dunes near Monterey, one of the destination capitals of California.

Los Osos Oaks State Reserve: This park features centuries-old coast live oaks and five distinct plant communities. Most of the surrounding area was cleared of oak woodlands during the days of Mexican land grants.

Topanga State Park: Widely acknowledged as the largest wildlands in the world within the boundaries of a major city, this enclave in the Santa Monica Mountains north of downtown Los Angeles receives over 450,000 visitors per year. Neighboring Will Rogers State Park, which is also slated for closure, gets almost 250,000 visitors each year.

Picacho State Recreation Area: This park protects eight miles of the Lower Colorado River near Yuma and is home to bighorn sheep, wild burros and thousands of wintering waterfowl. Long a favorite of anglers and hunters, Picacho is a recreational oasis in the middle of the harsh Colorado Desert.

I could go on. Suffice it to say the California state park system has long been the envy of every other state. Crippling it to save a few dollars for rich Republicans is not only short-sighted, it's bad public policy. Our state parks generate millions of dollars in tax revenues by visitors not only from California, but by visitors from across the country. Once again our Governator is being penny wise but pound foolish.