16 "cannot do", leaves 54 parks to close.
From Silicone Valley Mercury News, 5/28/11. "In the latest setback to Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to close one-quarter of California's state park system to save money, 16 of the parks he is proposing to shutter cannot legally be closed, federal officials said Friday, because they have received federal money that requires parks to remain open. "This funding is a grant to the state, like a contract," said Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. "It is linked directly to the deed of these lands. It says the state makes a commitment to provide these places for public use in perpetuity. To not do that is essentially a breach of that contract." The affected parks include Castle Rock State Park in Santa Clara County, Twin Lakes State Beach in Santa Cruz, Portola Redwoods in San Mateo County, Candlestick Point near San Francisco, Limekiln in Big Sur and Salton Sea State Recreation Area in Southern California.
"It's a challenge. It's a legitimate issue we have to work through," California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman said Friday. Problems with the state's plan surfaced last week, when the head of the California Coastal Commission said that even though 11 state beaches are on the closure list, state park rangers cannot legally block anyone from the shoreline. The latest stumbling block centers around a federal program known as the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, the fund collects royalties from offshore oil drilling and uses the money to buy land for national parks, forests and wildlife refuges. The leading source of parks funding in the United States, the fund also issues grants to state and local parks to pay for everything from land acquisition to building new trails, visitor centers and restrooms.".... Read More.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
8 comments:
Silicone Valley?
Open the link, try looking above Mercury news?
I always thought of Silicone Valley as the area between Carol Doda's breasts. Silicon Valley, however, is just down the peninsula ...
Interesting that when parks are being closed due to no money, Plater wants to create another one.
Butch, it's the State parks that might be closing, and Plater wants Sharp Park to become a National Park, and the National Park system is well funded at the moment. I'm no Plater fan, but we should keep our facts straight.
Anon, facts? In the "read more" article continuation these 16 parks which receive Federal Parks monies would require a land or a cash payback if closed. And the National Parks system may be funded today, but is looking for private money to supplement funding. Hope all those Platerites are on that "generous donation" list.
If I remember correctly when John Burton created the GGNRA the legislation required that the Park be self sustaining and profitable by a certain time which is a couple years away. That is why they now have the Walt Disney Museum, Lucas Films, renting out the old quarters and doing other things to bring in cash. IF the golf course is turned over to the GGNRA will they want to close which according to statements made here and in SF is making money.
Yahoo! came out with a article about desirable communities to live in and what people that have money are looking for. Top of the list is a Golf Course in the community, is one of the most requested. Not one mention of a National Park.
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