As Earth Day approaches, California State Parks Foundation releases its annual “State of Our State Parks” report, which highlights that it has $900 million in deferred maintenance projects, but has only received $11.4 million from a state parks maintenance account since it was established in 1998. The account is set to expire in July. Volunteers make up a great deal in needed work.
By Vicki Godal / Special to The Malibu Times
For Earth Day on Saturday, the California State Parks Foundation is issuing an urgent call for volunteers to help on maintenance projects at 41 California State Parks, including the Malibu Lagoon State Park.
Supervising State Park Ranger Lindsey Templeton regards the Earth Day activities as a major factor in cleaning up the Malibu Lagoon, as well as an eye opener for the public to see what state park employees are up against.
“The Malibu Lagoon is filthy because it’s at the end of the watershed so everything gets flushed out into the lagoon,” Templeton said. “We never get it completely cleaned out because we don’t have the staff. On Earth Day, volunteers are a great help to us.”
Since 1998, 49,000 volunteers have spent more than 200,000 hours valued at $4.6 million at California State Parks’ Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup days. Activities range from planting trees and gardens to restoring trails and wildlife habitats, installing recycling bins, picking up trash, and repairing fences and boardwalks. CSPF’s president, Elizabeth Goldstein, said, “The project not only helps to improve, restore and maintain California State Parks but also helps to fill the gap in park staffing shortages and the backlog in park maintenance projects.”
This year’s third annual CSPF “State of Our State Parks” report underscores funding as one of the key areas needing immediate attention. Highlighted in the report is the State Park System Deferred Maintenance Account in the Resources Trust Fund, which expires July 1 this year. This is the only account in the state budget for funding deferred maintenance projects in the state park system. Created in 1998, the fund’s revenues are generated from tidelands oil revenues as a provision of the oil companies’ land leases. The State Park System Deferred Maintenance Account was to receive $10 million annually from tidelands oil revenues. However, the tideland revenues are fungible, meaning the Legislature can choose to put them in a General Fund for other needs. Since the Deferred Maintenance Account’s establishment, a total of $11.4 million has been allocated for state park maintenance. Currently, the State Parks system has more than $900 million in deferred maintenance projects.
Tracie Verardo, director of Legislation and Policy for the California State Parks Foundation, is determined to try to keep the Deferred Maintenance Account alive. “This year there have been a couple of bills introduced to reauthorize the Deferred Maintenance Account. It’s important that this account stays in the state Treasury so the Legislature has a place to put the tidelands revenue funds,” Verardo said. “Equally important is through the state budgetary process to ensure that money gets allocated to the state parks and doesn’t all get captured by the General Fund.”
Verardo continued, “Because the tidelands revenues that come into the state are dependent on the price of crude oil, those revenues have already exceeded the state’s projections. As such, we’re making a case that it’s entirely appropriate because these funds are derived by extracting natural resources from tidelands and coastal areas for the Legislature to dedicate these dollars to funding sources which protect our natural resources.”
Verardo emphasized the importance of the people’s support for state parks at the state level.
“We have a window of opportunity this year to renew tideland revenues funding. We encourage people to contact their legislators to renew this funding as well as to make sure that the state park system receives adequate funding on an ongoing basis,” Verardo said. “As the Legislature continues to talk about the state infrastructure, the people need to make sure that the state parks are part of that picture. The state parks are absolutely a part of our state’s natural infrastructure.”
Locally, for Earth Day at the Malibu Lagoon, Supervising Ranger Templeton says volunteers’ participation shows the community cares about the lagoon. “It’s nice when we see the public coming out and helping us at the Earth Day activities.” Templeton said. “It buoys our spirits a lot to have the support of this community.”
Earth Day volunteers will meet Saturday in the Malibu Lagoon lower parking lot for the cleanup, which lasts from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
More information about Malibu Lagoon Earth Day activities can be obtained by calling 310.457.8144. More information on other California State Park Earth Day activities can be obtained by calling the Earth Day hotline at 1.888.98.parks, and on the California State Parks Foundation at www.calparks.org