Meet LandPaths - Sharing Our Love Of Nature Every Step Of The Way

The old news is that our California State Parks are underfunded and at risk of further decline and closing.  More recent news is that Proposition 21, the State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010, qualified for the November 2 statewide ballot, submitting more then 760,000 signatures, nearly twice the number required to qualify the measure.  The important news-and the news to remember-is that Proposition 21 needs your yes vote.

The question for many of us it not whether State Parks are underfunded, but whether this ballot measure is the right solution.  Many of us agree that the fiscal structure of our state government needs to be improved and the initiative process is imperfect at best.  However and unfortunately, our Parks can not wait for the State to reform our legislative process-we need reliable funding now.

The goal of Proposition 21 is to provide a stable, reliable and adequate source of funding for the state park system.  Based on LandPaths' experience, this is a critical piece in providing access to nature with 278 Parks throughout the state. 

Prop. 21 will create an $18 surcharge assessed as part of California's vehicle registration.  In exchange California licensed vehicles will gain free day use access to all State Parks.  Funds from this surcharge will be placed in a trust fund dedicated to state parks and wildlife conservation. As a result of Prop. 21, an estimated $500 million will be generated annually providing the needed funds to steward and keep state parks open today and for future generations.  Creating this new source of funding also allows the current Parks general fund budget ($140 million per year) to be allocated toward other critical fiscal needs.

While not everyone in the state visits our State Parks, we all benefit from Parks.  Some of these benefits include simply a sense of well-being (knowing that such places exist), stronger local economies, higher quality of life with cleaner water, air, enhanced education and carbon sequestration.

LandPaths works with State Parks across Sonoma County and has direct experience with the impact of budget limitations.  We have witnessed State Parks staff build on partnerships to be creative and forward thinking, enabling access to be maintained and even expanded.  Willow Creek is an example of which we are all proud. Thanks to the permit program, Willow Creek was one of the only park units not considered for closure during recent budget cuts.  State Park districts, agencies and non-profits around the state are watching Willow Creek, considering how this model may be applied to other open spaces and future parks. 

Yet, even the Willow Creek partnership is compromised by the budget crunch, evidenced by reduced staff time to plan for stewardship, natural resources and trails.

With State Parks' budget so impacted, we have also seen potential park properties purchased and protected through our tax dollars remain in limbo (and often decline), without access or stewardship.  We also have witnessed a reduction in stewardship and interpretation staff in parks, impacting public education and our legacy of natural and cultural resources. 

With stable funding through Prop. 21, State Parks can maintain access to Parks, address already protected land that remains in "limbo", begin tackling the backlog of stewardship, and build on the history of first class interpretive programming that makes California State Parks the country's largest outdoor classroom.  Increased funding will also increase Parks' ability to participate in, and strengthen partnerships.

LandPaths has endorsed Prop. 21-voting Yes is the first step in getting our Parks "back on their feet." Find out more and lend your support at: www.YesForStateParks.com

Working on a school project that helps restore an ecosystem and will endure for years to come is not something most students have time to squeeze in between math and spelling, but the Flowery Elementary 3rd graders in Sonoma are doing just that. Begun in the 2008-09 season as part of LandPaths' In Our Own Backyard (IOOBY) program, and continued this year with a grant from the EPA and the Sonoma Valley Fund, Flowery students are restoring a native grassland with far-reaching implications.

Last spring, Flowery students collected native purple needlegrass, California brome, and blue wild rye seeds from Glen Oaks Ranch, a Sonoma Land Trust property in Glen Ellen. This year's 3rd grade planted the seeds in their school's greenhouse in September. By November the seedlings were robust and ready to be transplanted back at Glen Oaks to an oak meadow over-run by thistle and non-native grasses. Students planted the seedlings, mulched and watered them, and marked each one with a flag so that they could be located later in the year. On subsequent visits to the property, they kept their grasslings watered and mulched, and their plots weeded. By June, most of the grasses had grownseveral feet, and even produced seeds of their own! Next year's third grade will repeat the process, steadily increasing native grass populations on the property.

There are several differences between the non-native, annual grasses that were introduced to the California landscape from the Mediterranean by European settlers and thnative, perennial grasses that comprised our grasslands for hundreds of years. Perennial grasses are more drought tolerant than their annual counterparts. In fact, when only native grasses grew here, the hills of Sonoma County used to stay green all year long!

Perennial grasses live for several years, and are able to establish deep root systems (purple needle grass has been reported to have roots 16 ft deep!) that can absorb water from deep underground. In contrast, annual grasses complete their entire life cycle in one season, and only grow roots a few inches deep, dying as soon as the rains stop.

Annual grasses lose most of their nutritional value after the rainy season and turn brown. In contrast, native grasses persist as high-quality forage for native animals throughout the year, providing food for deer, birds, insects, and rodents.

Settlers both introduced annual grasses and suppressed wild fires to protect settlements and livestock. As a result, annual grasses spread quickly. However, published research in Ecology (2004) shows that, once reintroduced, perennial grasses hold their own against non-native annual grasses (more on CA grasslands at www.cnga.org).

By working to strengthen native grass populations, Flowery students are acting as positive role models and ecological stewards in their community, providing valuable food and habitat for native California wildlife, and creating a legacy of environmental education that will continued as a Flowery 3rd grade tradition for years to come.

In Our Own BackYard (IOOBY) is LandPaths' school-based education program. If you'd like to be a part of this wonderful work, contact Bree Benton at Bree@LandPaths.org and register to become an IOOBY volunteer.

This article was written by Lansia Jipson, LandPaths Assistant Education Director.  It appeared in the Summer 2010 edition of LandPaths Calendar / Newsletter.

Related Documents

LandPaths Summer 2010 Calendar - web version Download (204Kb, pdf)