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California State Parks |
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Update October 7, 2011: National Park Service to take over operations and security at two Marin State Parks. Tomales Bay and Samuel P. Taylor State Parks to remain open. Tomales will be open four days per week and Taylor will be open 5-7 days per week. Danita Rodriguez, Superintendent of the California State Parks Marin District announced yesterday that Tomales Bay and Samuel P. Taylor State Parks, on the list of 70 state parks to be closed in 2012, will be kept open several days per week as part of a pilot project through agreements signed this week by the National Park Service (NPS) and California State Parks. Samuel P. Taylor State Park is located within the boundary of Golden Gate National Recreation Area; Tomales Bay State Park includes lands within both Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The first agreement includes Pt. Reyes NS and Tomales Bay SP. Essentially, the NPS will be operating the park using generated revenues to fund the maintenance position and other operational expenses. Visitor services, including law enforcement, will be provided by the NPS. The NPS will be collecting fees at the entrance station and depositing them into a fund to be used to operate the park. The second agreement involves Golden Gate NRA and calls for extended cooperative management in the operation of Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Beginning January 1, 2012, the NPS will collect a $2.00 State Park day use fee at Muir Woods, with the funds going to a special account, the Redwood Creek Watershed Collaboration Fund. This fund will be used to support operations at Mt. Tamalpais State Park, and will enable the state to continue operation of Samuel P. Taylor State Park at reduced levels, and accomplish projects to enhance park visitor experiences and protect resources in the watershed of Redwood Creek. Annually, the state and national park partners will select the projects to be supported by the Watershed Collaboration Fund. Both federal and state park passes will be honored at the parks involved in the agreement, and campground reservations for Samuel P. Taylor will continue to be available through Reserve America. These agreements do not provide any federal support for capital improvements or infrastructure repair at the state parks.
Update October 5, 2011: Governor Brown has signed AB 42 (Huffman). For details, visit patch.com.
Jared Huffman, Thomas Peters Announce Formation of Open Parks Coalition To Preserve Marin County’s State Parks Assemblyman Jared Huffman and Marin Community Foundation President Thomas Peters have announced that they would co-chair the Open Parks Coalition, a community forum for information and advocacy regarding the ongoing efforts to preserve and protect California’s state parks. The coalition brings together interested individuals, leaders of community organizations, and government officials who share the common goal of finding ways to ensure that state parks remain accessible to all and, most immediately, to devise ways to keep open the four state parks in Marin County currently slated for closure next spring. In making the announcement, Assemblyman Huffman acknowledged the passionate interest already shown throughout the community to participate in this effort. “Working together, I’m confident that the commitment and creativity of this community will lead the way in keeping these wonderful parks open for all to enjoy—both in the short and long term,” he said. “And I’m also convinced that our work here in Marin will be a model that will strike a chord in Sacramento, as we demonstrate how deeply the people of California cherish these natural treasures.” The Open Parks Coalition will be engaged over the next several months in strategy discussions and public forums, all intended to mine for the best ideas and options for the near-term goal of keeping the currently threatened parks open and the longer-term goal of structuring a permanent solution for the protection and preservation of all the parks throughout the state. Marin Community Foundation President Thomas Peters said, “I’m honored to join with Assemblyman Huffman in co-chairing this important effort. And I certainly share his confidence that Marin’s proud history of environmental advocacy serves as an excellent base to cogently and emphatically assert the extraordinary value of these parks. Historically, environmentally, and socially, state parks have a unique standing in California history, one well worth our intensive advocacy.” California State Parks District Superintendent Danita Rodriguez applauded the new effort. “The beauty and value of these parks will only be preserved if the campaign to protect them is a community-wide effort,” she said. “My staff and I want to benefit from the best ideas that can be put forward, and this coalition will provide exactly the technical and public forums that will be of extraordinary value in our thinking, both here in the Marin District and in Sacramento.” Assemblyman Huffman and MCF President Peters indicated that the work of the new coalition will get fully under way by the middle of next month. In the meantime, they stressed that contrary to some reports, no parks are in danger of imminent closure, including Samuel P. Taylor State Park, which will remain open with camping continuing to be available after September 5 on a first-come, first-served basis. 2011 Documents and Correspondence
2010 Documents and Correspondence
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Advocacy in action
New developments in Marin are closely monitored by the Land Use and Transportation Committee
Committee members of the North Marin Unit review a map at their monthly meeting
Pelicans in Point Reyes National Seashore - a park followed by the Parks and Open Space Committee
photo by Bob Grace
