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A local environmental organization reports making significant progress in its effort to save two local state parks.
On Monday, Dec. 12, Caleb Dardick, the executive director of the South Yuba River Citizens League, announced the effort to generate 5,000 signatures on a petition that opposes the closure of the South Yuba River State Park and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park.
Nine days into the petition drive, the organization has collected 2,757 signatures on the petition, while an online petition garnered 1,366 for a total of 4,123, Dardick said Wednesday afternoon.
“I think it says a lot that all these people took time to collect signatures during the busy Christmas season,” Dardick said. “It is humbling to see this level of community engagement and support.”
The drive includes rewards for the person able to garner the most signatures — a free pass to the 10th annual Wild and Scenic Festival in January and a $250 donation on behalf of the winner to a local school of their choice.
In May, California State Parks announced it would close Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park and South Yuba River State Park, along with 68 other state parks, creating scores of indignant residents who are regular users of the two parks.
Dardick said he has been in communication with other communities that will be potentially affected by the closures and is in the process of forming practical methods of keeping the parks operating.
To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda, e-mail mrenda@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4239.
On Monday, Dec. 12, Caleb Dardick, the executive director of the South Yuba River Citizens League, announced the effort to generate 5,000 signatures on a petition that opposes the closure of the South Yuba River State Park and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park.
Nine days into the petition drive, the organization has collected 2,757 signatures on the petition, while an online petition garnered 1,366 for a total of 4,123, Dardick said Wednesday afternoon.
“I think it says a lot that all these people took time to collect signatures during the busy Christmas season,” Dardick said. “It is humbling to see this level of community engagement and support.”
The drive includes rewards for the person able to garner the most signatures — a free pass to the 10th annual Wild and Scenic Festival in January and a $250 donation on behalf of the winner to a local school of their choice.
In May, California State Parks announced it would close Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park and South Yuba River State Park, along with 68 other state parks, creating scores of indignant residents who are regular users of the two parks.
Dardick said he has been in communication with other communities that will be potentially affected by the closures and is in the process of forming practical methods of keeping the parks operating.
To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda, e-mail mrenda@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4239.
