Parklands Fall 2022

FAL L 20 22

The Newsletter for Members of California State Parks Foundation

ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR PARKS t’s official: 2022 is completing flying by. As we near the end of the year, California State Parks Foundation is reflecting on the essential projects and goals you’ve brought to life. From climate resiliency to equitable access to honoring history and culture to protecting wildlife and nature, you enabled us to take action for parks in crucial ways. So, even if it went by in a flash, there’s a lot to show for it — and parks benefited greatly from your support.

Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve

But the year isn’t quite over yet. We’re gearing up for more initiatives, including our 2023 State Parks Improvement Campaign and important work to protect western monarch butterflies that migrate to state parks in the winter. Keep an eye out for how to join those efforts in the coming weeks.

As you look back on your own year, hopefully it involved many outdoor memories in California. Ultimately, state parks are meant to be enjoyed and giving back to them always feels best when you have warm experiences to be thankful for. Please continue to visit them, be inspired, learn, relax, and take part in the endless opportunities they offer!

A LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Hello, fellow park lovers!

Every park, in its own way, reflects the prevailing attitudes, preferences, and values of the time it was established. For example, today we are concerned about climate change and sustainability, so when we update or create new parks, we do so with an eye toward sea level rise, wildfire threat, extreme heat, and drought-resistance.

Recently, I visited Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park in Sacramento. Built in 1896 as an imagined replica of John Sutter’s headquarters in the Sacramento Valley and a monument to the “settling” of California, the park is now undergoing an overdue and solemn reckoning with history. John Sutter’s cruel and inhumane treatment of the Indigenous people who lived in the area long before European colonizers arrived is a history that was sanitized or overlooked when the park was created. Even decades later, when I visited the park as a child, I was not taught it. Now, California State Parks is fundamentally changing the way history is interpreted at the park through the Reinterpreting Sutter’s Fort process. They are working through public input and updates to the Interpretation Master Plan with affected tribes and other stakeholders to tell a more accurate story of John Sutter and the colonization of California. Through the overall Reexamining Our Past initiative, California State Parks is also reinterpreting other parks where our understanding of history is shifting.

Our reasons for enjoying parks are many: getting some exercise, spending time alone or with loved ones, enjoying nature, or learning something new.

Because we love these places so much, we sometimes resist design or interpretive changes that are an attempt to accurately reflect the historical impact and significant events that occurred there. It’s reassuring when loved, familiar things stay the same, and yet California is a dynamic place that is always changing. Sometimes, as with climate change, we have no choice but to react to a fundamental shift. Other times, as with history, it’s important to keep learning and allow new knowledge to deepen our understanding of the past. Some parks have failed to incorporate their true history into the interpretation, and that can be a painful reminder to descendants of the affected groups.

Since our founding in 1969, California State Parks Foundation and the parks we protect and preserve have continued to evolve. To me, “protect and preserve” means ensuring parks are funded, stewarded, and relevant to the people of the Golden State. Everything we do at California State Parks Foundation – including stewarding volunteers, supporting partners and individual parks with grants, and fighting for state parks in the halls of power – is designed to accomplish these goals. At Sutter’s Fort, it is exciting to see the system adapt and broaden our understanding of California’s sometimes painful history.

Until next time,

Rachel Norton Executive Director

YOUR IMPACT — THANK YOU! Another year in the books. We’re so grateful to our community of donors for helping make all this critical work possible. Here’s a glimpse at what we achieved in fiscal year July 2021 – June 2022 with your support. Thanks to you, our parks are protected and preserved every day!

ACTIVATED

2,209 advocates to contact their elected officials and urge support of legislative and budget priorities for state parks

ORGANIZED Park Advocacy Day to bring

65 advocates

to Sacramento and meet with

29 legislative offices

COMPLETED

4 grant rounds

to support park partners and California state parks with a total of

$410,037 in funding: Monarch Conservation, Building Climate Resilient Parks, Park Improvements, and Earth Day Climate Action

REMOVED

563,340 square feet of invasive plant species

PLANTED

10,260 native California plants in state parks

HOSTED

103 volunteer workdays that engaged 1,728 Californians with state parks

COLLECTED

1,222 bags of trash and recycling in parks

CREATING COASTAL IMPACT THROUGH PARTNERSHIP uring a bike ride along the Monterey Bay, Dr. Bill Henry realized how much he wanted to make places better for people and nature. With his 5-yearold daughter perched on the handlebar seat, he saw a clear need for better stewardship of our parks.

A few successful ecology projects led to bigger ventures, and soon Groundswell Coastal Ecology was born. Bill, the director and founder, started the organization to engage communities in creating healthier, more resilient coastal ecosystems.

To do this, they develop naturebased solutions to ecological problems. They partner with land managers, agencies, stakeholder groups, and the public to identify, plan, and implement projects that enhance biodiversity and the long-term health of coastal habitats.

Now, with support from our Building Climate Resilient Parks grant round, Groundswell Coastal Ecology is launching its Monterey Bay Living

Shorelines Program to identify and prioritize coastal sites that are appropriate for implementation of living shorelines.

During an afternoon at Seabright State Beach, Bill explained, “This whole area is impacted by climate change – by sea level rise and the magnitude and frequency of storms.

We know a viable solution to these problems is the implementation of living shorelines and building diversity along our coast.”

Living shorelines are a naturebased solution to address problems of sea level rise. They enhance the quality and biodiversity of shorelines, as well as reduce flooding and coastal erosion.

Implementation of living shorelines benefits California state parks by protecting resources, facilities, and coastal access ways. This has been identified as a preferred solution to coastal climate change problems in the Monterey Bay – but there weren’t any programs to realize these priorities before Groundswell

Young kayakers Environmental Traveling Companions at Tomales Bay State Park Seabright State from Beach

Coastal Ecology launched theirs.

With the grant funding, Groundswell Coastal Ecology is creating a geodatabase of state park sites that are ranked to prioritize these living shoreline projects. “The projects are going to build the next generation of our coastline, so we can increase biodiversity and make it more resilient to the impacts of climate change,” Bill said.

Characteristics for the geodatabase include coastal accessibility, visitor constituency, facilities, biodiversity, estimated cost, and more. To help create this, Groundswell Coastal Ecology is partnering with existing regional living shorelines practitioners, community representatives, educators, interpreters, and scientists.

The Monterey Bay Living Shorelines Program focuses on state parks and will accelerate implementation of new living shorelines and expand on existing projects. This will provide multiple benefits to the surrounding

Bill Henry at Seabright State Beach

communities, including protecting park access ways, enhancing water quality, and increasing coastal resilience to flooding and erosion.

The resulting report will serve as a guidance document for the next phase of living shoreline projects in state parks along the Monterey Bay coast.

“This will help determine which of the next generation of projects is going to have the biggest impact in protecting our parks and preserving biodiversity along our coastline,” Bill shared as we wrapped up our day at the state beach.

Groundswell Coastal Ecology knows community engagement is fundamental to creating lasting change, and this is a huge step in building resilient coastal ecosystems for both people and parks.

To watch our interview with Bill Henry and learn more about Groundswell Coastal Ecology, visit calparks.org/groundswell.

WILDFIRES: MOVING FROM REACTIVE TO PREPARED ave you heard about our Insider Speaker Series? California State Parks Foundation launched this new series to educate members on topics relevant to the state parks space. Essentially, they’re opportunities for you to learn more about the work we’re doing in California state parks! We hosted the first one – Moving From Reactive to Prepared – in September, and it focused on wildfires.

As you know, California state parks have now come to expect wildfires every summer. It’s the new normal none of us wanted to confront: a warmer, drier climate is now coupled with fuel buildup in forests and open spaces due to decades of fire suppression. That means bigger, deadlier, and more frequent fires. We hosted the discussion to share obstacles and solutions to this mounting issue. Most importantly, we focused on wildfire preparedness and how essential it is to do work on the front end to prevent fires from spreading to uncontrollable volumes.

During the webinar, we talked to a panel of experts in the parks space: n Jessica Morse, Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildland Resilience

at the California Natural Resources Agency

n Steve Bennett, California Assemblymember n Steve Auten, Forester and Owner of Auten Resources Consulting n Tim Hyland, Natural Resource Program Manager for the Santa Cruz

District of California State Parks

Hearing and gaining knowledge from a variety of perspectives is critical to understanding the breadth of the crisis and finding long-term solutions.

Government funding and bills must be passed at the state level, but there are also hands-on projects that have to happen in the parks that are vulnerable to wildfires. The on-the-ground projects are just as important as the big picture work, and it all has to be connected for a stronger, more resilient California.

“This is not the fire crisis I grew up with. These aren’t the natural fires that have been present on California’s landscape for millennia. Now, we’re tackling: How can we, in the age of climate change with our forests and lands out of balance, get back into a state of resilience?” Jessica shared, summing it up well.

If you weren’t able to join us, you can view a full recording at calparks.org/2022wildfirewebinar. We hope you’ll join us for the next member webinar!

FIVE ADVOCACY WINS FOR STATE PARKS o matter what is happening in Sacramento, we always make sure parks have a seat at the table. Parks protect open space, help fight climate change, and create health, recreational, and educational opportunities for people throughout the entire state. With your help, we worked hard this year to advocate for budget asks and legislation to protect and preserve the California state park system, for the benefit of all.

Here are five wins from this advocacy to celebrate!

Assembly Bill 30 (Kalra) prioritizes safe and affordable access to nature for all. It made it the policy of the state that all Californians have safe and affordable access to nature when making budget and infrastructure decisions.

Assembly Bill 1789 (Bennett) supports the improvement and expansion of trails in state parks. It requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to include recommendations to prioritize funding for nonmotorized trails when they update the California Recreational Trails System Plan.

Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia at Park Advocacy Day 2022

California State Parks has granted $57 million to increase the ability of residents in low-income urban and rural communities to participate in outdoor experiences at state parks and other public lands.

The legislature and governor invested an additional $25 million for the Outdoor Equity Grants Program this year with a commitment for $25 million more for the next two years.

California continues to battle wildfires each fall, and state parks are not immune. To address this challenge, the state allocated $20 million for wildfire resilience activities on California State Parks lands.

California State Parks launched the Library Parks Pass program so Californians can “check out” a state parks pass to visit state parks at no cost. In recognition of the early success of the program, the state invested $13.5 million to support the pass in partnership with the California State Library.

Jug Handle State Natural Reserve Located between Mendocino and Fort Bragg, this Northern California park is named after the creek that runs through it. If you have time, hike the Ecological Staircase trail. With five terraces, the trail takes you through a coastal prairie and forests that include redwood trees, and ends with a unique pygmy forest.

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park Just north of Napa lies a historic mill where time stands still. The mill and its 36-foot waterwheel are protected as a state historic landmark and have been partially restored. When visiting, walk the 2.5-mile history trail to learn about early development of the region.

Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is only minutes away too!

Wilder Ranch State Park When exploring this park, which was once a successful dairy ranch, you’ll learn about early ranchers and farmers along the Central Coast. In addition to the history, there’s plenty of beauty and wildlife to observe too. You may see local critters like harbor seals and sea otters! @calparks

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STATE PARKS TO VISIT fter record-setting heat earlier this year, many Californians are relishing the brisk temperatures of fall and winter. Plus, the summertime tourism has thinned, which means there’s a little more peace to be found when exploring! We’d love to see which parks you visit in the coming months. Share your photos with us online! Here are a few to add to your list: Donner Memorial State Park Once the winter weather sets in, it’s time to bundle up and enjoy the snow. Visitors are welcome to cross-country ski and snowshoe on trails in the park. Hike along the shore of Donner Lake or, if you’re up for a bigger adventure, take in some incredible views from Schallenberger Ridge.

Providence Mountains State Recreation Area This park has the oldest known rocks in the state park system – some as old as 1.7 billion years. Plus, you can’t visit without seeing Mitchell Caverns. The limestone cave formations are truly a sight to behold and transport you to a different world. Don’t forget to make a tour reservation.

San Clemente State Beach Did you know Orange County is one of the best places for whale watching? During the winter months, keep an eye out for gray whales passing through this area.

And on the east side of the park, eucalyptus trees provide winter habitat for migratory monarch butterflies.

BUILDING CLIMATE RESILIENT PARKS arlier this year, our Building Climate Resilient Parks grant round provided 10 amazing state parks and park partner organizations with grants for programs that span across the state.

California State Parks Foundation continues to recognize that climate change disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color. To address this, we ensured the programs we funded are aligned with our values of justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Recipients of these grants are either led by communities most affected by climate change or actively work to include these communities in the decision-making aspects of their program, as well as build trust-based relationships with these communities.

Meet a few of the grantees and learn about their projects: LOS ANGELES AUDUBON SOCIETY/NATURE NEXUS INSTITUTE BALDWIN HILLS SCENIC OVERLOOK With guidance, student interns are developing plans to restore native habitat in the Baldwin Hills area and lead community volunteers in habitat restoration to reduce the risk of wildfire ignition and spread. Student interns participate in weekly climate action workshops to learn about the threats from climate change, plus actions they can take to manage threats of temperature rise, elevated levels of carbon dioxide, and more. In addition to educating students, this program also supports a climate resilient park system by increasing carbon sequestration, geological stability, and native plant and wildlife biodiversity.

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS, SIERRA DISTRICT ED Z’BERG SUGAR PINE POINT STATE PARK, PLUMAS EUREKA STATE PARK This grant will continue the development of a new program focused on fire ecology for students in grades 5–12. The California State Parks PORTS (Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students) program is a free educational program connecting K–12 students to diverse natural, cultural, and historic places through an interactive digital field trip delivered by state park staff directly to the classroom. The PORTS program uniquely helps state parks build connections with California youth regardless of their location.

The grant will help provide a framework for other parks interested in creating a PORTS program focused on fire ecology.

CRYSTAL COVE CONSERVANCY CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK During the 2022–2023 school year, the conservancy’s Fire Ecology Internship Program is engaging a cohort of 12 high school interns to study the relationships between human activity, climate change, fire frequency, and changes in mammal biodiversity. Throughout the internship, high school volunteers will collaborate with land managers to study the impact of fire on the ecosystems in open spaces across Orange County.

The interns gain valuable experience in restoration, fire ecology, and land management, plus help local land managers address real conservation challenges.

SONOMA ECOLOGY CENTER SUGARLOAF RIDGE STATE PARK Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is one of nine sites across California to introduce the newly developed UC Climate Stewards Course. It covers basic ecology, watershed concepts, human impacts, global environmental issues, and more through the UC California Naturalist Program. The instructors are local field experts and scientists who have relevant and local data on the impacts of humans and climate change in state parks. The sevenweek course seeks to foster volunteers ready to engage in transformative local solutions to promote community and ecosystem resilience in a changing climate.

Support for our Building Climate Resilient Parks grant round was generously provided by Edison International, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, The Peter and Mary Russo Family Foundation, as well as members and donors like you.

Visit calparks.org/climategrantees for a full list of the grantees.

CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY PARKS PASS

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

SUCCESS SO FAR

You may have heard that California State Parks and the California State Library teamed up to improve outdoor access for all Californians.

This new program – launched during National Library Week in April – distributed the California State Library Parks Pass to public libraries across the state for checkout by library patrons. The pass allows free vehicle day-use entry at more than 200 participating state parks!

What you may not know are the early results of this effort! California State Parks Foundation has partnered with California State Parks to measure the success of the pass, to ultimately advocate for it to be a permanent program for Californians.

Library patrons can now check out a pass for the allotted number of days allowed by their library. Check on the pass guidelines and find your local library at library.ca.gov/ branches.

This program works to advance safe and equitable access to state parks and open spaces. By removing the economic barrier of vehicle day-use fees and connecting communities with their libraries, more Californians will be able to enjoy the benefits of parks.

n Prior to the introduction of the

California State Library Parks Pass, 49% of respondents visited California state parks and beaches 1-2 times a year. n Now, thanks to the pass, 38% of

respondents anticipate visiting California state parks 3-6 times a year, and 37% of respondents anticipate visiting California state parks 7+ times a year. n After checking out the parks

pass, 76% of respondents are more likely to use other library resources and services.

These initial results are promising, and we’re excited for more Californians to engage with their parks and libraries. California State Parks Foundation is working to extend this three-year pilot program so it can be a lasting solution to park access for all Californians.

REEXAMINING STATE PARKS PAST: BLACK MINERS BAR Over the past few years, California State Parks has been taking stock of and critically reexamining its past, looking specifically at contested place names, monuments, and interpretation in the state park system.

In June of this year, the California State Parks Commission temporarily renamed Negro Bar Day Use Area in Folsom Lake State Recreation Area to Black Miners Bar Day Use Area.

Since 2018, California State Parks has been working to address requests from park visitors and the public to consider a name change, given the perception that the original name is derogatory and doesn’t reflect a modern view of inclusion and acceptance of all Californians.

According to California State Parks, “the historical use of the name appears in reference to Black miners during the gold rush, including from an 1850 newspaper article noting Black miners finding gold at this location in 1848.”

The name change is temporary because California State Parks first needs to work with the California African American Museum to research the area and ensure there is not a better name for the historic space. A name will be finalized next year.

California State Parks Foundation is fully committed to Justice, Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity work, and we’re happy to see positive change in state parks. We believe they should be safe and welcoming spaces for all who visit them.

California State Parks is still inviting the public to share their thoughts, comments, or suggestions for an appropriate name. As more information becomes available, we’ll be sure to share updates.

Birt Johnson, California State Parks Foundation’s Board Chair, attended the commission meeting in June and shared his thoughts about renaming the space. Read his comments at calparks.org/ blackminersbar.

Front cover photo: Red Rock Canyon State Park

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Wilder Ranch State Park

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