The last year and a half hasn’t been easy for state parks in California. The massive budget crisis threatened to close a huge number of parks, and when fees were raised to make up for part of the budget shortfall, an increase in incidents of people evading fees followed. Now, the most recent problem facing the state parks appears to be population growth and technology.
Population is rising in California, and developers trying to cash in on this claim to be running out of space. How, in a state as large as California, this is possible, I’m not sure. Of course, they have their eyes on some of the most beautiful land in the state–the 1.3 million acres of land owned by the public and maintained by the state.
Park borders are being encroached upon, and a recent proposal by the California Department of Transportation to widen a stretch of Highway 101 in Humboldt County has residents in an uproar. Residents are upset because the proposed widening occurs in a twisting stretch of road that runs through Richardson Grove State Park, one of the last old-growth forests on earth.
This isn’t the only occurrence of infringing on state park land. The increased need to supply power, cable television, high speed internet, and cell phone recepton has resulted in towers and lines sprouting up along the edges (and sometimes even within the park boundaries) at an alarming rate. What was originally envisioned to be places of remoteness, tranquility, and beauty now has to fight daily to maintain that vision. Unfortunately, even with State Senators and Representatives advocating for the parks in legislation, most bills to tighten requirements for changing state parks are met with defeat when they reach the Governor.
The article in the Tribune outlines just a handful of some of the problems facing the parks right now. Among them:
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the state’s largest, for instance, San Diego Gas & Electric had planned to route a 150-mile, high-voltage transmission line.
- A toll road agency was planning to build a six-lane tollway through popular San Onofre State Beach.
- Border Field State Park on the Mexican border, the Bush administration announced plans to erect a secondary border fence that would eliminate public access to a plaza known as “Friendship Park.”
- Caltrans plans to widen and realign a 1.1-mile stretch of Highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park.
You can read more about the problems facing California State Parks in Sunday’s article in the Tribune, “California state parks threatened by population growth, technology.”
Related Daily Hiker links: Update on California State Parks
