Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Most Popular State Parks are Along the Coastline--Help Protect Them!
"Sort of closed, sort of open." That's how Greg Retsinas, an editor at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, summed up the cutbacks to California's beleaguered state park system. See more articles about the 'State of State Parks' here and here.
Why Surfrider Wants Park Protection:
1.) Popularity and Number of State Beaches
- State Beaches are the most visited parks within the California State Park system.
- 8 of the top 10 most popular parks are State Beaches.
- California has over 320 miles of beachfront State Parks. That's almost 30% of our State coastline!
- State beaches and coastal park units encompass half of the total coastal land in California open to the public.
- There are 278 (classified and unclassified) park units in California. 125 of those units are located on the coast. (Parks and Recreation Department, 2008)
- Clearly, our State Beaches occupy a large portion of the coastline, they are extremely popular, and they need protecting.
2.) Park Visitors Bring Economic Stimulus
Every year, millions of people visit State Parks and spend money in local economies. A study prepared in 2002 for the Parks and Recreation Department concluded that $2.6 billion was generated by visitor spending in local communities.
- A study by California Polytechnic University found that visitors to Morro Bay State Park added $15 million to the local economy over two years. The visitors expenditures were responsible for 364 jobs in Morro Bay primarily in recreation, amusement, hotels, restaurants, and retail shops.
- UCLA researchers have found that surfers attracted to Trestles generate millions of dollars for the local economy by spending money at restaurants, local shops, gas stations, rentals and other beach-related items.
3.) The Importance of Public Access to the Coast, Especially Low-Cost Access
- A major tenet of the Surfrider Foundation is to promote the right of low-impact, free, and open access to the world's waves and beaches for all people.
- The proposed State Park Access Pass is an ideal way to lift current economic barriers in place by eliminating costly, daily beach fees (which are members pay regularly).
- The Surfrider Foundation believes State Parks need to be protected and properly funded to ensure universal access to State beaches.
4.) Surfrider Campaign to Save our State Parks! Defeating a Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach
- San Onofre draws in more than 2.5 million people annually and is the 6th most visited State Park.
- The San Mateo Watershed, also within San Onofre, is one of the last undeveloped watersheds in California and feeds clean water to Trestles Beach.
- If the toll road were constructed, it would have sent send polluted runoff into both San Mateo Creek and Trestles Beach.
- The toll road would have reduced access to surrounding surf breaks.
Join Surfrider Foundation in Standing up for Our Parks.
