The local cost of closing parks
By Laura Brown
Staff Writer, laurab@theunion.com
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12:01 a.m. PT May 5, 2008
Some counties are researching the impacts state parks have on local economies and what kind of loss they face if parks close.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to revise the state budget in mid-May, and park supporters are hoping he will change his mind about saving an estimated $13 million by shutting down 48 state parks, including Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park on the San Juan Ridge.
"Really, what this does is push economic displacement to the local level," said Traci Verardo-Torres, director of legislation for the California State Park Foundation. The nonprofit group raises money and advocates for the state parks.
In Tuolumne County, officials have calculated that, if Railtown State Historic Park were to close, the county would lose $13 million in various retail, visitor lodging and tax revenue, Verardo-Torres said. The park attracts filmmakers to its last intact operating railroad roundhouse.
In Sonoma, visitors from the Bay Area spend $7 million to $17 million in the community while vacationing near Armstrong Redwood State Reserve, Verardo-Torres said.
While such an analysis has yet to be done for Nevada County, several businesses on the San Juan Ridge depend on tourists who visit Malakoff Diggins. Each year, 3,000 students attend overnight history camps there.
The state legislative analyst's office has suggested raising user fees as an alternative to closing the parks.
But to reach a $25 million increase that analysts propose, day-use fees would have to rise from $4 to $6 and camping fees another $10, which could limit who visits the park, Verardo-Torres said. Day-use fees average $5 to $10 and camping fees typically cost $15 to $25.
"Every Californian should be able to afford a state park," Verardo-Torres said.
The group is researching alternatives and looking at the big picture: What has caused a long-term accumulated decline in funding for the parks and what can be done to fix the problem.
In January, Schwarzenegger called for many state departments to cut costs by 10 percent to close a deficit projected at the time to be $14 billion. But last week, he said the slide in the housing market could push the deficit to $20 billion by July.
