A new report has been released by Save the Redwoods League that highlights the urgent funding requirements of the California State Parks system. The report recommends that state legislators allocate necessary funds through a 2024 climate bond measure or the annual budget process.
Due to wildfires and storm damage, the park system has accumulated over $1 billion in deferred maintenance costs, and it has been over a decade since the last active land acquisition program. These mounting expenses clearly demonstrate that the California State Parks system lacks adequate funding and resources to maintain equitable outdoor access for everyone, conserve the state’s biodiversity, and enhance its climate resilience.
“California’s unrivaled state park system was built on a backbone of old-growth redwood parks. In fact, California State Parks is the largest public redwood forest manager, which means the health of the redwood forests depends on a healthy California State Parks system,” said Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League. “Our longtime park partners are doing an amazing job in light of significant resource challenges, growing visitation and climate impacts. To continue providing unique and inspirational park experiences for millions of visitors every year and investing in our climate resilience, state legislators need to uphold California’s legacy of conservation leadership and deliver adequate funding for California State Parks.”
The Save the Redwoods League is urging lawmakers to allocate funding for land acquisition and deferred maintenance. Specifically, they are requesting a minimum of $500 million towards park improvement projects and $200 million towards natural resources management in a climate bond planned for 2024.
Report highlights: Why California State Parks needs increased and sustained support
- With 280 park units, the California State Parks System protects the largest and most diverse recreational, natural and cultural heritage holdings of any state agency. This includes 140,000 acres of coast redwood forests (40% of the world’s protected redwoods), 340 miles of coastline, 5,200 miles of trails and 15,000 campsites.
- Across all park units, there is a $1.2 billion deferred maintenance backlog. There are 49 coast redwood and giant sequoia state parks (17.5% of California’s state parks), and they carry $324 million (27%) of the deferred maintenance projects.
- Recent storms wreaked havoc throughout the state, causing an additional $72 million in damage in December 2022 and January 2023. Of that, $10 million (13.9%) in damage occurred in redwood and sequoia parks. This damage, along with that from recent fires and other emergencies, are identified as projects to be only partially funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency by as much as 75% of the costs.
- More than 68 million visitors from around the world travel to California’s 280 park units every year with 14 million (20.6%) visiting the redwood and sequoia parks annually.
- Without an active and robust land acquisition program for the last 14 years and with inconsistent funding for facilities maintenance, park improvements, staffing and more, California State Parks cannot keep pace with growing visitation while continuing to provide equitable outdoor recreation experiences.
- The success of California State Parks is vital to several high-priority state initiatives. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Outdoors for All initiative promises access to California’s prized landscapes for everyone, regardless of background or location. The state’s bold plan for climate leadership through California’s 30×30 Initiative and the California Climate Adaptation Strategy call for accelerating land conservation and for investing in nature-based solutions to climate change. California’s state parks serve as the ideal foundation for climate leadership, offering climate-resilient landscapes, carbon sinks, equitable park access and a restoration and stewardship economy.
It’s important for California State Parks to receive adequate funding that reflects its leadership in advancing the state’s climate plans. State Parks should be acknowledged as a crucial partner in ensuring a resilient future for California. The inconsistent funding patterns of the past few decades are unsustainable and are impacting the state park system, which is known for its world-class offerings.
