The future of the state park system remains in doubt after the failure of Prop. 21, which would have funded the parks by adding an $18 fee to motorists” annual vehicle license fees. The proposition failed by a wide margin. Even Lake County voters rejected the proposition.
Few people want a tax increase for any reason in today”s economy. A number of people also told me they thought the proposition was poorly presented and just too much. Many said they would have gone for a $5 or $10 increase, but $18 per vehicle is too expensive.
Just about all the experts agree that some of the 278 state parks (the largest park system in the nation) will be closed by next year. In fact, more than half are likely to close and the remainder will face major cutbacks.
What will happen to the Clear Lake State Park and the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park? Unfortunately, unless some sort of local funding materializes to keep both operating, the Clear Lake State Park services will be curtailed drastically and Anderson Marsh State Historic Park will likely be closed.
Actually, with its 120,000 visitors a year, the Clear Lake State Park is more than paying for itself. With each visitor paying an $8 entrance fee (that doesn”t include camping and boat launching fees) the park takes in nearly $1 million a year. Of course, all that money doesn”t go back into park operations. It”s sent to Sacramento and used for parks throughout the state, many of which are operating in the red.
The visitors to the park also contribute a lot to the local economy. Studies show us that each visitor spends approximately $57 per day on the local economy, which includes restaurants, gas stations and local stores. That adds up to about $6 million per year. If the park closed or services were cut back, it would be yet another blow to local businesses.
The park has offset some of the expenses of operating the facility by using volunteers. There is now a resident camp host onsite and he not only picks up trash but also cleans the restrooms. This individual basically works for free. There are also volunteers who operate the visitor center, lead organized hikes and bird watching trips and maintain the hiking trails.
There is no question that the Clear Lake State Park is one of the most beautiful parks in Northern California. There are 147 camping sites, an excellent boat ramp with docks, a swim beach, miles of hiking trails and a visitor center featuring wildlife displays and a large aquarium. There is also a small auditorium where programs are held.
It would be foolish for the state to close or cut back services at the Clear Lake State Park. It”s already a proven moneymaker and actually provides revenue for other parks.
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is a different story as it would take some justification to keep it open. The 1,000-acre park is only open on weekends and doesn”t have a high visitor base. However, it is still a valuable piece of property. There is fear among its supporters that if the park is closes the land will be sold to developers because of its prime location. Since it doesn”t take a lot of money to maintain the park, volunteers could perform much of it and the park could remain open. Another option is to turn both parks over to private concessionaires. The U.S. Forest Service has been doing this for several years in the national forest campgrounds and it has been successful. The state could set the fees for park use and the concessionaires would be paid a portion of that.
The bottom line is that Lake County can”t afford to see the parks closed and hopefully the Board of Supervisors will use their influence to keep them open.
