Spring 2012 - California State Parks Foundation

A publication of the California State Parks Foundation 
california
parklands
2012 spring
In This
Issue
Desperate Times Call
for New Approaches
Updates on
Park Closures
Defend What’s Yours
Upcoming Events
Closing Parks is
Bad for Business
2011 Photo of the Year, “Sunset in Silence”
China Camp State Park ©Benjamin Glatt
and MORE
FOUNDER
William Penn Mott, Jr.
(1909-1992)
OFFICERS
Donald J. Robinson
Chairman
Maidie E. Oliveau
Counsel, Arent Fox LLP
David Mandelkern
Vice Chairman
Barbara J. Parsky
Senior Vice President, retired
Edison International
Elizabeth A. Lake
Secretary
John Harrington
Treasurer
Elizabeth Goldstein
President
Henry F. Trione
Chairman Emeritus
Shirley Bogardus
Trustee Emeritus
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Michael U. Alvarez
President and COO
First Wind Holdings, LLC
Lee Black
Executive Vice President
NAI Capital
Commercial Real Estate Services
Michael J. Brill
Partner, retired
McGuireWoods LLP
Ruth Coleman
Director, California State Parks
Donald E. Cooley
Ranch Properties
Carolyn DeVinny
Commuter/Trip Reduction
Consultant, The DeVinny Group
William T. Duff
Toyota Executive, retired
Rudolph I. Estrada
President and CEO
Estradagy
Diana Lu Evans
Senior Quality Analytics Specialist
The Capital Group Companies, Inc.
William H. Fain, Jr., FAII
Partner, Johnson Fain
Manuel G. Grace, Esq.
Senior Vice President, Counsel
The Walt Disney Company
John Harrington
Certified Public Accountant
Sanford L. Hartman
VP and Managing Director, Law
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Wendy James
President, The Better World Group
Stephen A. Johnson
Director, Gnarus Advisors LLC
Gail E. Kautz
Former Member, California Park &
Recreation Commission,
Vice President, Ironstone Vineyards
Elizabeth A. Lake
Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
David Mandelkern
Silicon Valley Entrepreneur
Robert E. Patterson
Partner, Peninsula Ventures
Patricia Perez
Principal, VPE Public Relations
Michael J. Pinto, Ph.D
Advisory Board Chair, Institute for
Nonprofit Education and Research,
School of Leadership Education and
Science, University of San Diego
Donald J. Robinson
Senior Vice President, retired
Bank of the West
Roger M. Schrimp
Partner, Damrell Nelson Schrimp
W. James Scilacci
EVP, CFO and Treasurer
Edison International
Michael L. Shannon
Principal, The General Counsel Law Firm
Mark B. Smith
Sr. Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer
Farmers Insurance Group
Steven R. Springsteel
COO/CFO
Liquid Robotics Inc.
from the president
The California State Parks Foundation
gratefully acknowledges the time and
expertise of our Board of Trustees and
Advisory Trustees
These Desperate Times Call for New
B
y the time your receive this issue of Parklands we will
be approximately three months away from the date on
which parks are scheduled to close due to budget cuts.
That assumes the Legislature adopts Gov. Brown’s proposed
budget with its $22 million permanent General Fund cut to
the state parks budget. And for those who missed it, the
governor has also included trigger cuts for state parks if his
revenue package doesn’t pass in November, including the
elimination of all seasonal lifeguards and 20 percent of all
the park rangers. This is not good news! There is a lot of
gnashing of teeth going on across California as the full
implications of the cuts are being understood in local communities. However, we have already done a lot of organizing to
demand the rollback of these cuts and postponement of any
passage of theoretical trigger cuts.
For eight months now, the parks community – comprised of
both old and new partners – has been stepping up in profound
ways to help parks slated for closure. There are four kinds of
partnerships which seem to be taking shape. It is important to
remember as you read of this level of activity that none of this
removes these parks from the park closure list, i.e. restoring
funding from the state government. And in almost all cases,
these solutions are temporary, lasting a few years at best.
However, I am sure you will agree that they are impressive,
nonetheless!
Seth Teich, CFA
Financial Analyst, Spring Point Capital
Kurt F. Vote
Partner, Jones Helsley, PC
Peter H. Weiner
Partner
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP
ADVISORY TRUSTEES
Catherine M. Fisher
Principal, Fisher Kong LLP
Jack F. Harper
Personal Management Services of
Santa Rosa
William Randolph Hearst, III
Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Management Systems Associates
Huell Howser
Producer/Host,
California’s Gold KCET/Los Angeles
Donna Huggins
Historic Preservationist
Connie Lurie
The Lurie Company
Mary D. Nichols
Chair, Air Resources Board
Gary Polakovic
Make Over Earth, Inc.
Alexander M. Power
Principal, Real Estate Development &
Investments
Stuart N. Senator
Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
Rosalind Nieman
Educator and Child Specialist
calparks.org
Approaches
APPROACHES
Government Agencies
As you will see on the next page, government agencies are
providing assistance to help keep parks open, most notably
the National Park Service, Sonoma County and the City of
Benicia.
Fundraising to Keep Parks Staff in Place
Many state park organizations and associations are
fundraising to keep their particular parks open. Although
only a few agreements with California State Parks have been
approved to date, more are in the works.
Non-Profits
In addition, there are non-profit organizations that are
evaluating their ability to manage parks directly. There are
currently fourteen organizations that are in some stage of
proposing to operate a park. They will do so under the new
operating authority that California State Parks received from
the passage of Assembly Bill 42 on January 1 of this year.
Other Partnerships
Elizabeth Goldstein
President, CSPF
Sonoma Coast State Beach ©Mike Shoys
And lastly, partnerships formed by the aforementioned public
agencies and non-profits with qualified, private companies
that have the mission of state parks at heart have the ability to
play a role in helping support our parks, as well.
All in all there is a lot of activity in motion. However, the
trick is how to ensure these partnerships will be successful
and determine what assistance might increase their chances
of achieving not just reopening parks, but succeed in
drawing new audiences and serving them well.
To that end, CSPF has three strategies to help us all
survive this terrible moment for state parks. They are:
1. Keeping the pressure on to find a long-term, sustainable funding source for state parks. This will require
engaging more and more Californians in the cause.
2. Putting air under the wings of all those who are trying
to step up to keep parks on the closure list protected
and accessible to the public.
3. Keeping our collective eye on the vision of a California
state parks system that truly lives up to its potential for
greatness, now and in the future.
Each of these strategies has a number of initiatives and
goals for CSPF and our community broadly defined; from
our embattled colleagues at California State Parks to the
individual citizen who has a few hours to give to their
favorite park.
We thank you for helping us to have the strength and
commitment to do the hard work that this moment demands.
You are the air under our wings!
calparks.org
3
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, ©Adam Jewell
park closures
Yreka
Eureka
Redding
PARK CLOSURE UPDATE
Chico
Sacramento
San
Francisco
Salton Sea State Recreation Area, ©David Herholz
Monterey
4
Bakersfield
Los Angeles
Oceanside
San Diego
KEY
Slated for closure
A
greement to
stay open
•
•
Since our last issue of Parklands, more agreements have been signed to give
some of our beloved parks a reprieve from closure and keep them available to the
public for the time being. The terms of each agreement vary, but CSPF applauds
these and all efforts.
As reported in the fall, the National Park Service stepped up to help keep
three parks partially open through 2012: • Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park,
•Samuel P. Taylor State Park, and • Tomales Bay State Park.
•Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve was spared closure after a creative
solution was fashioned by the Mono Lake Committee, the Bodie Foundation,
and many others.
•Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area will also be kept open for
5 more years thanks to a new operating agreement with the City of Colusa.
•Henry W. Coe State Park reached an agreement with a nonprofit group,
the Coe Park Preservation Fund, to keep the park open for at least three
more years. The nonprofit will provide $300,000 a year for the next
three years.
An anonymous donor has made a gift to CSPF specifically to
keep • Los Encinos State Historic Park open for a year.
As of this writing, Sonoma County and the City of Benicia
have received approval to negotiate agreements with California
Palm Springs
State Parks to respectively keep open • Annadel State Park
and • Benicia State Recreation Area.
We are invigorated by the success of these early agreements.
Moving forward, CSPF will be working with non-profit and
community organizations up and down the state to provide technical
assistance, discretionary grant funding, operating challenge grants,
and funds to keep parks open. Stay connected with us as we continue to report on
successful agreements as they come along.
calparks.org
The start of the New Year
was very exciting for CSPF
as we launched our brand new
Defend What’s Yours public
awareness effort. In case you
missed the launch, this project
aims to stop the closure of state
parks by helping citizens to be
aware, informed and engaged.
As part of the big launch,
we unveiled a new series of
public service announcements
(PSAs) that will soon be airing
on television stations statewide.
Keep your eye out for them. And,
please be sure to watch the
videos on our YouTube channel
and share them with your friends
and family.
After you watch the PSAs,
please get involved with Defend
What’s Yours further by visiting
calparks.org/defend and
following these simple steps:
• Become a Defender
• Sign the park closure
petition to Gov. Brown
• Volunteer
• Spread the word on
Facebook or Twitter
• … and more
Thank you for the great
early response to our new
Defend What’s Yours public
awareness effort! Let’s keep
the momentum going. Together
we can spread this important
message and continue to build
a movement to save our state
parks.
calparks.org
5
upcoming events
CSPF Celebrates 10th Annual Park
Advocacy Day March 20, 2012
More than 150 park advocates from throughout
California will be traveling to Sacramento on
March 20 to participate in our 10th Annual Park
Advocacy Day!
Over the past 10 years, over 700 park supporters
have joined us for this event (many returning year
after year) to lobby in support of efforts to keep
California’s state parks open, safe, protected and well
maintained. The work of these park advocates has
helped to educate and influence policymakers as they
make important decisions about California’s state park
system.
You can read more about Park Advocacy Day 2012
(including the issues we lobbied) online at calparks.
org after March 20. And look for a full recap and
pictures of the festivities in the summer edition of
Parklands!
Save the Date: ParkFilm Fest
Do you like movies? It’s possible the last movie you
watched featured a California state park and you didn’t
even know it. Maybe it was The Notebook, which has a
scene shot in El Matador State Beach, or Iron Man shot
partially in Point Dume State Beach. Perhaps it was
South Pacific or Planet of the Apes, which are just two of
the dozens of movies filmed in Malibu Creek State Park.
Many famous movies have been filmed in California’s
state parks, and we host an annual ParkFilm Fest to
watch and celebrate these great films. Last year’s festival
featured M*A*S*H and Star Wars, but this year is pirate
themed! The Pirates of the Caribbean films feature
Pescadero State Beach, Leo Carrillo State Park, and
Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, so
this year we will be showing the first three Pirates of
the Caribbean movies at our festival.
CSPF and our celebrity host committee invite you to save
the date on Saturday, May 5 to join us for our ParkFilm
Fest at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. Bring family
and friends to watch the Pirates of the Caribbean films,
get a tour of the studio, enjoy face-painting and other
treats, and know you are helping to raise money to keep
our beloved parks open and accessible. And come
dressed as your favorite Pirates character for extra fun!
Hope to see you there. Visit calparks.org/ParkFilmFest
for more information and ticket sales. Thank you to
Toyota, our Diamond Plus Sponsor. To become a sponsor
please contact Davida Hartman at 415-262-4403.
ParkFilm Fest Celebrity Host Committee
Lance Bass
Ed Begley
Emmanuella Chriqui
Frances Fisher
Daryl Hannah
Wendie Malick
Amy Smarts
6
calparks.org
Earth Day 2012 Restoration and Cleanup
Presented by PG&E
Improvement Projects Planned Statewide
Saturday, April 14 for 15th Annual Event
B
ale Grist Mill State Historic Park’s water wheels
will be restored. The main path at Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park will be made ADA compliant.
Mt. Diablo and Malibu Creek state parks’ Visitor Centers
will be refurbished. And Dockweiler State Beach’s
lifeguard towers will receive a long-overdue painting.
These are among the projects that will be completed
by volunteers and sponsors during CSPF’s 15th Annual
Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup presented by Pacific
Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
To celebrate its 15th Annual Earth Day, CSPF is
providing grants up to $15,000 (a combination of cash
grants and in-kind donations) to parks, allowing for
larger renovation and repair projects that have been on
maintenance backlog. California’s state parks need this
annual event, especially at a time when continued budget
cuts significantly delay or eliminate environmental
improvement and maintenance projects. Volunteers are
sought to actively participate in their communities to help
restore the beauty of California’s treasured state parks.
Since its inception in 1998, CSPF’s Earth Day
Restoration and Cleanup program has recruited 76,401
participants who contributed 318,606 volunteer hours
worth nearly $6.1 million in park maintenance and
improvements. Additionally, more than $4 million has
been raised for the program during this period.
Volunteers are needed on Saturday, April 14, 2012
beginning at 8:30 a.m. Visit our website for a complete
list of volunteer sites and times. Individuals, groups or
businesses interested in volunteering should register
online at calparks.org or call 1-888-98-PARKS.
Media Sponsors
CSPF would like to thank the following
media sponsors for their valued support:
The Auburn Journal
Bakersfield Californian
Bay Area News Group
Coast 101.3 FM
KFOG-FM San Francisco
KGPE-TV CBS 47 Fresno
KHUM-FM 104.7
KIEM News Channel 3 Eureka
KJILL-FM Los Angeles
KSOF-FM Fresno
KSTT-FM San Luis Obispo
KTVU-TV Channel 2
KVON 1440 AM & 99.3 The Vine Napa
KVRV 97.7 The River Sonoma
Marin Independent Journal
Thanks to our valued sponsors
and in-kind donors for making
this program possible.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Edison International
Chevron
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Two Degrees Food
Renewal Premium Spring Water
calparks.org
www.calparks.org
7
earth day partner
Join PG&E for California State Parks Foundation’s
Earth Day 2012 Restoration and Cleanup, Saturday, April 14
P
acific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and
our employees and retirees are once again proud to
partner with CSPF for its annual Earth Day Restoration
and Cleanup on Saturday, April 14.
Celebrating a Longstanding Environmental Partnership
PG&E is committed to environmental leadership and
is continuing the tradition of partnering with CSPF as
the statewide presenting sponsor of the 15th Annual
Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup. This is the 11th
consecutive year that PG&E has partnered with CSPF.
Since our Earth Day partnership began with CSPF,
PG&E has contributed more than $1.5 million to help
fund important maintenance and improvement projects
at California parks.
Our Employees Make the Difference
The spirit of service and sense of community are alive
and well at PG&E. For more than 10 years, PG&E
employees, retirees and their families and friends have
made the annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup a
signature event for volunteerism and an investment in our
8
communities. In that time, our PG&E volunteers have
dedicated more than 20,000 volunteer hours to the parks
on Earth Day.
Last year, PG&E volunteers worked hard throughout
our 70,000 square-mile service area to beautify our
state, accomplishing much in just a few hours. More than
1,200 volunteers contributed more than 3,700 hours at
18 sites. Together they planted more than 4,400 native
trees and plants, removed more than 550 bags of trash
and 90 bags of recyclables, and restored nearly 5 miles
of trails at local parks, recreation areas and beaches.
PG&E’s Commitment to the Environment
Our commitment to environmental
leadership extends well beyond Earth
Day and covers a broad range of
activities, from protecting sensitive
habitats and species to offering our
customers energy efficiency solutions
and the addition of renewable energy sources to our
generation portfolio.
calparks.org
supporting state parks
Leave More than Footprints
I
f we want our parks to be available for future generations, we are going to have to leave more than footprints.
You can help make sure the parks are still here and
thriving by planning a gift to CSPF. For example:
• D
esignate a specific amount or a percentage
for CSPF in your will or living trust.
• Leave any portion of funds remaining in
your retirement plan to CSPF. This can be
especially tax-wise!
We show our heartfelt appreciation to legacy donors
through membership in CSPF’s William Penn Mott, Jr.
Legacy Society with invitations to insider briefings, special
events and tours, and, with your permission, recognition
in CSPF’s annual report.
To find out how you can leave more than footprints,
contact Martha Henderson, major gifts officer, at
415-262-4404 or [email protected].
Stay Posted: We Will Call on You!
A
ll is not golden in the Golden State. Due to crippling
budget cuts, 70 state parks are scheduled for closure
by July 1. But CSPF is responding to the threat in more
ways than one, as you’ve read about elsewhere in this
issue of Parklands.
While our Defend What’s Yours public awareness
effort and our Save Our State Parks advocacy work
around park closures move forward, CSPF is in the very
early stages of mounting a major fundraising campaign
aimed at addressing both urgent, immediate challenges
and the long-term sustainability of our park system.
Some of the innovative programs the campaign will
fund include:
• Expanded grassroots advocacy
• Exciting initiatives that engage visitors
and volunteers in park protection
calparks.org
• M
ake a gift to CSPF that will provide income
to you and/or another person for life.
• G
rants and technical assistance to help
communities steward their state parks
• New approaches to partnerships in managing parks
• Opportunities for investors to step up as champions
• Partnership training for the park community
We will keep you posted as our fundraising plans
develop. It is only with the generous partnership of the
philanthropic community – individuals, foundations,
and businesses – that we will find solutions to the crisis
facing the parks.
We look forward to getting to know many of our members and donors in the coming months and years. Together
we will ensure that our exemplary state park system
remains California’s living treasure.
Davida Hartman
Vice President, Development
415-262-4403 or [email protected]
Mt. San Jacinto State Park ©David Herholz
9
park advocacy
10
Legislative Update
The California Legislature returned to Sacramento on
January 4 for the second half of the 2011-2012 legislative session. Given the impending July 1 date for park
closures, CSPF expects a number of bills to be introduced regarding state park issues. The deadline for
introducing new legislation is February 28, so by the
time this Parklands reaches you, CSPF will have posted
our legislative agenda and a list of bills we’re tracking
on our online advocacy center at calparks.org.
CSPF’s sponsored bill, Senate Bill 580 by Senator
Lois Wolk (D-Davis), is still an active bill and eligible
to be acted on this year. SB 580 protects state parks
from inappropriate development and infrastructure
threats and establishes a principle of no net loss of state
park lands. (More information about the bill can be
found under the Policy & Legislation section under
“What We Do” at calparks.org.) The bill has already
successfully passed from the Senate to the Assembly,
and is currently under the jurisdiction of the Assembly
Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. CSPF will be
working with Senator Wolk and our allies on the bill to
successfully move it from the Assembly committee to
the governor’s desk. Keep an eye on your email inbox
for ways you can help advocate for protecting our parks
and passing SB 580.
calparks.org
Save Our State Parks Campaign Update
Park Advocates March to the
Capitol for State Parks
To raise public awareness about the
negative impacts of state park closures,
CSPF organized a “Closing Parks is
Bad for Business” march and rally on
November 1. The rally capitalized on a
scheduled joint informational hearing of
the Assembly Water, Parks, & Wildlife
Committee and Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review in
Sacramento regarding park closures.
calparks.org
Over 50 park supporters gathered
in the early morning for a symbolic
march from Leland Stanford Mansion
State Historic Park, one of the parks on
the closure list, to the steps of the state
Capitol. At the Capitol steps, CSPF held
a rally with speakers that included: John
Severini, president and CEO of the
California Travel Industry Association;
Kevin Murphy, general manager of
Sports Leisure Vacations; Christina
Strawbridge, owner of fashion boutique
Christina S in downtown Benicia and
chair of the Benicia Economic Development Board; and Christopher Grant
Ward, filmmaker, musician and the
founder of Folk4Parks.
After the rally, participants helped
us deliver 125 of the oversized “Don’t
Let State Parks Become Just a Memory”
postcards that had been signed by over
20,000 park supporters. Advocates
delivered the postcards and thousands
of signatures to staff of the governor’s
office prior to the hearing. Thank you
to all the marchers and advocates who
helped make Californians’ voices heard!
CSPF Organizes Businesses to
Speak Up for State Parks
To help extend the reach of our business-oriented “Closing Parks is Bad for
Business” advocacy efforts, CSPF
partnered with Environment California
to organize a business leader sign on
letter to the governor, urging him to keep
state parks open, safe and accessible to
all Californians. The letter contained
signatures from over 100 business
leaders from throughout the state,
helping to raise awareness of the
negative impacts that park closures will
have, not only on park users themselves,
but on local economies that rely on state
park visitors for survival.
You can read the entire letter and
learn more about our Closing Parks is
Bad for Business outreach of the Save
Our State Parks Campaign at savestateparks.org. If you are a business leader
and would like to become involved in
these efforts, please email advocacy@
calparks.org or call 916-442-2119.
Traci Verardo-Torres
Vice President, Government Affairs
11
programs report
© Paul Zaretsky
As the budget cuts, service reductions and park closures
start taking effect, CSPF is working to bring volunteers
and resources to parks throughout California. Those who
contribute their time to learn about and work at parks,
and who experience first-hand the beauty and value of
these public resources, often become our most passionate
advocates! CSPF’s programs are aimed at offering just
such opportunities to youth and adults alike, through a
variety of means. Recently, CSPF’s programs have really
taken off in this regard. Read about some of the most
successful and intriguing efforts here.
I
Background photo © Mark Overgaard
P
ark Champions is really taking off! Since the last issue
of Parklands, Park Champions has held 20 volunteer
work days. More than 150 volunteers have worked to
improve 9 state parks throughout California. In the month
of February alone, 8 work days took place at parks as diverse
Park Champions at Baldwin Hills
Pigeon Point
12
Park Champions
f you’ve ever laid eyes on Pigeon Point Light Station State
Historic Park, you know what an amazing state park it is.
Thousands of others know it, too, as more than 100,000
people visit Pigeon Point each year.
But Pigeon Point has been in need of some TLC for quite
some time, as more than 100 years of severe coastal weather
has taken a toll. In an effort to turn things around for this
beacon, CSPF has taken Pigeon Point on as a capital project. In
an exciting first step, CSPF, in partnership with California State
Parks, began the first phase of the historic restoration on the
lighthouse this fall with the removal and restoration of the
Fresnel Lens. Interim stabilization of the upper tower will be
completed this spring.
Workers began the restoration in November by taking the
first-order Fresnel Lens apart piece by piece. To remove it
from the building, they sent pieces of lens out the window on
a zip line. From there the lens was placed in the Fog Signal
Building where it was safely cleaned, restored and reassembled for display. While restoration work is being completed
on the lighthouse tower visitors can see the lens up close and
personal in the Fog Signal Building during visiting hours.
As we work to bring this beacon back to all its splendor
and glory, please consider donating so that the Pigeon Point
Lighthouse can shine for another 100 years. For more information please visit calparks.org/PigeonPoint.
as Candlestick Point (San Francisco), Burleigh Murray Ranch
(Half Moon Bay), Olompali (Marin), Montaña de Oro (Morro
Bay), Baldwin Hills and Rio de Los Angeles (Los Angeles),
and Chino Hills (Inland Empire). Work included restoration
of native plant habitat, improving trails, building symbolic
fencing, cleaning out an historic barn, and other park
improvements. Park Champions offers training, resources
and financial support for all of its sites and partners.
Over the next year, Park Champions will focus on creating
programs in parks that are on the closure list or are severely
under-resourced. Toward that end, discussions are well
underway with Olompali, which had its first work day in
February; Austin Creek, several parks in the Mendocino
District, and the Salton Sea. Several other parks are also
being explored. We welcome volunteer group outreach.
If an existing group wishes to partner with CSPF and
become a Park Champion, please call 213-542-2450,
or email the Program Coordinator, Margaret Oakley, at
[email protected].
If you’d like to participate as a Park Champion
volunteer, please visit calparks.org/parkchampions
to see upcoming
volunteer days at a
park near you.
Park Champions at
Candlestick Point
calparks.org
PORTS
experience. Using a four-wheel drive vehicle equipped with
satellite and videoconferencing technology, the new mobile
PORTS unit would give students the opportunity to interact
with park scientists and to discover the practical application
of science as they get a bird’s eye view of real-life studies
and experiments being conducted in unique desert parks
such as Anza-Borrego and Cuyamaca Rancho.
If you are a teacher and would like to have your class
participate in either of these outstanding programs, please
visit ports.parks.ca.gov to register.
he Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students
(PORTS) program is flourishing in its second year at
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in southwest Los Angeles.
Over 2,600 local students have participated in science
programs this year alone, which focus on weather and climate.
At the core of the program is its technology: providing
interaction between trained Park Interpreters and Rangers
and elementary and high school students through videoconferencing in the PORTS studio. In addition to the studio, there
is also a roving ‘BHATmobile’ (Baldwin Hills Advanced
Technology), a high-tech electric golf cart tricked out with
equipment to allow program presentations from the field.
There are also teacher training workshops and enhanced
science curriculum. This endeavor would not be possible
without the generosity of the Toyota USA Foundation, who
provided a 3-year, $558,000 grant to establish the new
PORTS studio and produce programs for the local school
districts, with a primary focus on the Los Angeles Unified
School District.
In addition, CSPF was honored to receive a $50,000 grant
from the Employees Community Fund (ECF) of Boeing
California’s 22nd Annual Crystal Vision grant program
several months ago. Each year the Community Fund invites
select nonprofit organizations to apply for grants in specific
program areas; for 2011, the ECF Board decided to focus
on environmental education, and asked CSPF to participate.
CSPF zeroed in on PORTS, and we found a pressing
need at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, where the existing
PORTS program was being reduced by 50 percent due to
budget cuts. The grant request was designed to not merely
restore the full program at Anza-Borrego, but better yet, to
expand it to include Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The
2011-12 PORTS Desert to Peaks Science Works Expansion
Project ensured that Southern California students would
continue to have the opportunity to participate in PORTS,
while simultaneously launching one of the most innovative
PORTS units to date, the 2011-12 Desert Rover expedition
calparks.org
Hidden Stories
Courtesy of Fort Ross Interpretive Association
T
CSPF
is very pleased to have received a generous
grant from the Renova Fort Ross Foundation,
dedicated to the preservation of Fort Ross Historic State Park,
to create an e-book that will explore Russian history in
California’s state parks. The e-book will be created by Kerry
Tremain of Sol Editions, the talented designer of CSPF’s
Magnificent 70 website (mag70.calparks.org). The e-book
will be available on CSPF’s Hidden Stories website and via
other online sources, and will also be linked to CSPF’s
newest mobile app, CalParks. We are very excited to be
sharing the knowledge gained from our conference held at the
Presidio in San Francisco this last
September – “Russian Influences
in California’s History: Parks, Work,
Play and Civic Engagement:
California’s Russian Heritage.”
Speaking of Russian history,
Fort Ross is celebrating its 200th
anniversary this year with a full
panoply of events. Please go to their website fortross2012.org
for a complete list of all the exciting opportunities.
Sara Feldman
Vice President, Programs
13
cspf online
The Magnificent 70
Stay Connected to CSPF Online
Be sure to visit our website, The Magnificent 70
(mag70.calparks.org), to learn more about the
70 state parks slated for closure. With gorgeous
full-page photos and original stories about each park
(written for CSPF by Kerry Tremain of Sol Editions),
this website is a reminder of what will be lost –
historically, environmentally, and socially – when
70 parks close for good. The site also includes original
videos about the parks produced by Doug McConnell
and Carl Bidleman of Convergence Media. See it now
at mag70.calparks.org.
Go to calparks.org and sign up for our e-newsletter and
action alerts to stay up-to-date on all state park issues.
Our e-newsletter is published on the first Thursday of
every month, so you can stay informed in between issues
of Parklands. We also send action alerts when breaking
state parks news happens. Get more frequent news by
reading the CalPark Voices blog at calparks.wordpress.com.
You can also “Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter,
or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
TM
The First 70 Documentary Film Coming Soon
CSPF is excited to introduce The First 70, a documentary film that highlights the wonders and issues surrounding the 70 state parks slated to close on July 1.
In The First 70, we journey with filmmakers Lauren
Valentino, Jarratt Moody and Cory Brown of Heath Hen
Films as they travel across the state, capturing the parks’
endless beauty in images and interviews with those who
love and care for them.
The film investigates the various issues surrounding
the closures, as well as how Californians have “banded
Jarratt Moody and Cory Brown,
Jughandle State Nature Reserve
Half Moon Bay State Beach ©Ken Sweezey
14
together to enact change and develop solutions.” CSPF
has been supporting the filmmakers’ efforts on various
fronts, including a donation on kickstarter.com that
earned us the title of Co-Executive Producer for the film.
The First 70 is on schedule to be released around
Earth Day, April 22, 2012. To watch the film’s trailer,
go to heathhenfilms.com. Keep on the lookout for future
screenings across the state through CSPF’s Facebook,
Twitter, our monthly e-newsletter and our CalParks
Voices Blog.
Sashwa Burrous, Jarratt Moody, and Lauren
Valentino, Russian Gulch State Park
Heath Hen Film’s mobile production
studio, Armstrong Redwoods State Park
calparks.org
stuff you want to know about
CSPF Photo Contest
Congratulations to photo contestants Katie Plies, Mike Shoys
and Adam Jewell for each winning a Photo of the Month in our
photo contest. And a big congratulations to Benjamin Glatt for
winning the Photo of the Year for 2011! His lovely image,
“Sunset in Silence,” shot in China Camp State Park was a
favorite among our judges for its play on perspective.
If you would like to join the coveted ranks of these contestants, enter our free photo contest today and vie for the honor
of the next Photo of the Month. The contest is free and easy
to find on our website. All you need are photographs from
any of California’s 278 state parks to be eligible. Winners
are chosen each month, and they receive a variety of prizes,
including a free CSPF membership and a Lowepro camera
bag. For information on how to participate, visit our website
at calparks.org/gallery.
Our contest is graciously sponsored by Lowepro
(lowepro.com) and Adolph Gassers (gassers.lifepics.com).
RECENT PHOTOS OF THE MONTH
October
Bodie State Historic Park
© Katie Plies
California Forever’s Fall Release
Filmmakers David Vassar and
Sally Kaplan of Backcountry
Pictures have spent years creating a beautiful and important
documentary called California
Forever: The Story of California
State Parks. This two-episode
television documentary will air on PBS stations this fall.
Episode One highlights the history of California state parks
through an inspiring account of the struggles and achievements that built our state park system. Episode Two brings
to light the challenges parks face now and into the future, for
California and across the country. CSPF has been involved
with this multi-year project and we know the final product is
going to be amazing! We’ll keep you posted on sneak preview
screenings that will be held in your area as well as precise
PBS air dates soon. To view the trailer, go to cal4ever.com.
November / Photo of the year
China Camp State Park
© Benjamin Glatt
December
WillOW Creek, Sonoma Coast State Park
© Mike Shoys
January
Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve
© Adam Jewell
calparks.org
15
parklands
california
State Park Events
A comprehensive list
of upcoming park
events can be found on
California State Parks’
website. If you want to
know what’s going on
in parks across the
state, just go to parks.ca.gov and look for the
Upcoming Events section.
Read Parklands
Online!
2011 FALL
A publication of the California State Parks Foundation 
california
parklands
To view this or
previous editions of
Parklands online,
please visit calparks.org/
Parklands-Online.
0 Francisco Street, Suite 110
5
San Francisco, CA 94133
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
California State
Parks Foundation
In This
Issue
What’s Around
the Corner?
The Magnificent 70
Thousands Sign
Giant Postcards
Join the California
Leadership Circle
Hidden Stories
Conference
CSPF Online
and MOre
Patrick’s Point State Park, ©Paula Beehner
california parklands
Spring 2013, Volume 29, Number 2
(ISSN: 0892-0095) is published by the
California State Parks Foundation,
Copyright © 2012 CSPF. All rights reserved.
(415) 262-4400.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
EditorS  Jerry Emory and Alexis Stoxen
DesignER  Debra Turner
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MOVING?
Please send this form to CSPF in the envelope inside your Parklands.
Please change my address as follows:
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Printed on 30% post-consumer recycled elemental processed
chlorine-free paper using soy ink. By using this recycled paper we
are saving 8 tons of pulp (53 trees), 17 million BTU’s of total energy, 6,300 lbs
of CO2 equivalent in greenhouse gasses, 26,000 gallons of wastewater,
and 1,500 lbs of solid waste.
© Jerel Crawford
Staff Members  Michael Bankert, Cecille Caterson,
Beverly Clark, Bonnie Davis, Jerry Emory, Sara Feldman,
Linsey Fredenburg-Humes, Elizabeth Goldstein, Davida Hartman,
Martha Henderson, Claire Jackel, Kate Litzky, Marygrace Lopez,
Margaret Oakley, Gabrielle Ohayon, Susan Parker, Luba Podolsky,
Jennifer McLin Ramirez, Jackie Reynolds, Eleanor Robertson,
Hilda Sako, Erland Sanborn, Nancy Shillis, Emily Siegenthaler,
David Slack, Georgia Smith, Alexis Stoxen, Traci Verardo-Torres
and Greg Zelder internS  Jeff Koff and Anne Bartlett
“Our parks are the jewels in the
crown,” said San Bruno resident
and veteran volunteer Bob Fox,
who generously donates his time
and energy on behalf of parks
in the Bay Area. As a Park
Champions Core Leader, Bob
plans and leads workdays in conjunction with park staff
at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area in San
Francisco. In December 2010, this longtime member of
CSPF received an email requesting volunteers to attend
the first-ever Park Champions work day at Candlestick
Point and he gladly attended. He went back a month
later to the Core Leadership Training, where volunteers
are given the tools and knowledge to plan and lead Park
Champion work days, and he quickly proceeded to put
what he learned into practice. Bob has now led nine
Park Champion work days in the span of 12 months.
Volunteers at Candlestick tackle everything from tree
trimming, fence repair, installing park benches,
improving the picnic areas, organizing the park
warehouse, and fixing up the park’s beloved community
garden. Bob personally maintains two planters in the
community garden, where he grows everything from
lettuce to butternut squash. Thanks Bob!
Portola Redwoods el State Park, © Richard Zimmerman
Celebrating a Park Champions Core Leader
CSPF Website calparks.org