Will cutting the budget for the California Department of Parks and Recreation reduce the State’s deficit?

Last week the Department of Parks and Recreation published its proposed list of State Park closures. There are 70 historic and recreational properties on this list. You can view an interactive map at the California State Parks Foundation website.  While Marshall Gold is not on the list, other valuable sites are. On Saturday I was visiting at Marshall Gold and ran into fellow docent/volunteer, Mike Okey, and he filled me in on his experience at the recent Park Advocacy Day at the State Capital. He told me that since then he has been researching whether or not these closures will actually reduce the State deficit. Mike provided me the final copy of his editorial to post in an effort to spread the word, get people thinking, and start holding government accountable. I applaud Mike for taking action and hope others will be so inspired.

By Mike Okey . . .

"The following is the State’s official mission statement for Parks and Recreation, “The mission of the California Department of Parks and Recreation is to provide for the health, inspiration, and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state's extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural, cultural and historical resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation for current and future generations to enjoy. Specific activities include stewardship of natural resources, historic, cultural and archaeological sites, artifacts and structures, provision of interpretive services for park visitors, construction and maintenance of campsites, trails, visitor centers, museums, and infrastructure such as roads and water systems, and creation of recreational opportunities such as hiking, bicycling, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, jogging, camping, picnicking, and off-highway vehicle recreation.”

The proposed budget cuts for State Parks, are nothing less that a full scale assault against the people of California and the State Park System, by the Governor and Legislature. This failure to meet its mandated constitutional responsibility to the people is a failure of governance not current economic conditions. In the 1960’s State Parks were free (no user fees, as is typical of today) relatively well maintained, and well staffed. Our taxes have not gone down over the last fifty years but the quality of our State Parks has. Our historic and cultural park resources are hardest hit by this legislative neglect. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed California’s Historic Structures among the Nation’s most endangered, for years now.

Manifest Destiny and the Gold Rush defined the spirit of California and its people. Out of the Gold Rush came people like Leland Stanford, John Bidwell, Howard Hughes, the railroad, oil, ship building, movie, aircraft and space industries. More recently the spirit of California is defined by, HP (Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard), Xerox, Apple, Google, and Facebook. It is no accident that these people and industries are located in California. It is our heritage, and our culture that has created this environment, and made this State what it has become today. That spirit is now threatened by the Legislature’s desire to remove the learning opportunities provided by our State Historic Parks. An Environment California Research & Policy Center study prepared for the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 2002, “determined that $2.6 billion was generated by visitor spending in local communities during that year. These dollars were estimated to support over 100,000 jobs statewide.” Why would we want to give that up by closing and under funding State Parks?

The State’s historic and cultural resources have no value to our political leadership as demonstrated by their under funding of care and maintenance, for the last twenty years. Parks now has a backlog of 1.3 billion dollars in deferred maintenance. This is almost three times the total Department budget and fourteen times the current maintenance budget for the coming year. Unless action is taken now we will continue losing our States historic and cultural resources because of Legislative neglect. In fact many of these resources are already beyond repair and now require replacement or have just been lost forever. Replacement is a hundred times more costly than maintenance, so the abrogation of the States responsibility appears to be deliberate. The repair, restoration and maintenance of historic and cultural resources, is a job opportunity for hundreds if not thousands of unemployed Californians. What better way of getting the economy going that putting people back to work on something that benefits them directly?

If you look at the current budget you will find that the Legislature, with its 120 employees, is spending $2,133,883.00 per Legislator (not including retirement contributions of $8,017,000.00 or $66,808.00 per Legislator per year). Parks by contrast is spending $234,860.00 per employee. A large Department like Caltrans is spending $609,523.00 per employee. When viewed on a per employee basis the Parks Department is delivering more service per dollar to the people of California than any other Department in the State or the State Legislature. Caltrans and Parks provide in place benefits to small business and the public. The Legislature and the Governor are responsible for leadership, so what are we getting for that 2.1 million dollars per legislator?

The Governor and Legislature are passing up a significant opportunity to create jobs, business opportunities, and tourism for the people of California. This, in addition to abandoning its commitment to the people of California for open space, recreation, education, and the preservation of cultural and historical resources. The cost for all of this for less than a tenth of one percent (0.1%) of the State budget! Does it make sense to eat the goose that lays golden eggs for California? Frank Zappa once said that you do not understand legislation until you understand where the money is going. So what is the Legislature doing with the other 99.9% of our State Budget?

Cutting the budget for State Parks and or closing 70 state parks will not reduce the deficit it will only degrade the current economic environment. I believe in leadership by example, the permanent damage being inflicted upon State Parks by the Legislature is along way from leadership."

Why Care about Historic Cemeteries . . .

Pioneer Cemetery

 

   I have to say that my first interest in the Cemeteries at Marshall Gold was not as altruistic as I'd like to admit. I was fascinated by the ghost tales - the lady who beckons to people on the road to follow her into the Pioneer Cemetery, a photo sent by a visitor to the volunteer coordinator showing a light anomaly at a headstone in the St. John's Catholic Cemetery, stories that the Vineyard House (privately owned) is haunted by the tormented spirit of Robert Chalmers (more a myth than a reality).

My dream docent project was to eventually have a town ghost tour with visitors transported through historic Coloma on a hay wagon entertained by stories and ghostly historic scenes enacted on the porches of the various buildings.  It would all culminate in an evening cemetery tour where former Coloma residents would appear and tell their life stories . . . . from the touching to the truly creepy. 

Given that this would be a huge endeavor, I had to begin somewhere so I joined the Cemetery Committee and became fast friends with the Program Lead, Laura, and dug in to learn about the cemeteries, read about its inhabitants. Laura's passion, drive and commitment to the preservation of Coloma's cemeteries was infectious. Laura is a "mover and shaker" with a heart of gold and complete faith that where there's the will there's a way . . . and it can be fun! Together we created what became to be known as the Cemetery Players (more on the Players another time).

The cemetery town tour never manifested, but the process that became the current Cemetery Players program gave me a new appreciation for the importance of passing on the stories of our ancestors . . . the good, the bad, and the mundane. My task as artistic director for the Players is to work with docents on script and character development, and staging. This led me to becoming curious about my own roots. I learned that I'm the 7th generation on my mother's side to live in California and without the Gold Rush, I wouldn't be here.


Mom and me at the Prehn family gravesite
Old Shasta

The stories from that part of the family are archived up in Redding, Ca, and Old Shasta. The cemeteries there are beautifully maintained and preserved. In June of 2007, Mom and I took a trip to visit Old Shasta and photograph the family graves. We received a private tour of all the artifacts that had been donated by my great-grandmother's family. They are either on exhibit or stored in the museum at Shasta State Historic Park. Through the Shasta Historical Society I received copies of photos, diaries, and news articles. Most importantly, there was a book that my great-grandmother had been writing about her life because, as she wrote, "I saw the closing years of the Pioneer Days, the Gay Nineties, and the beginning of the Atomic Age . . ." 



In a time where we've lost touch with the value of family and community, our historic cemeteries and local archives remind us that we are a vital part of the continuity of life. What we leave in our wake as we navigate the flow of our lives matters . . .

Back in the Saddle . . . .

Well, I guess good intentions pave the road to somewhere, and the river of life can float us in unanticipated directions.  Over the past year those directions have been generally outstanding, though not without challenges . . . more on that another time . . . or not. I want to get away from just reporting on what's happening at the Park and get back to sharing the experiences and photos that keep me and my subie pointed in the direction of this most wonderful spot along the American River . . .