 Quarterly Newsletter: Volume 3, Issue 1
December 31, 2011
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One of the 70: Jack London State Historic Park 
One of the 70: Jug Handle State Natural Reserve 
One of the 70: Anderson Marsh State Historic Park 
One of the 70: Castle Rock State Park |
State Parks and the California Budget
Assembly Bill 42, authored by Assembly Member Jared Huffman (D - Marin, Sonoma), was signed by Governor Jerry Brown and this important legislation is already producing results in mitigating the threat of closure to 70 California state parks.
The bill makes it easier for state parks to work together with non-profit organizations, a number of which are stepping forward to support state parks and involve the community in preserving our precious wilderness, history, and cultural heritage.
The number of parks on the closure list has now officially been reduced from 70 to 65, thanks to the help of non-profit organizations and the National Park Service.
Parks that have now been officially removed from the closure list:
For more information about the California state parks and what we can all do to help keep them open and thriving, refer to the following websites:
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 A Cinnamon-colored Black Bear in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park
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Free Days in the National Parks in 2012
The National Park Service announced in October that there will be 17 days in 2012 on which admission to all of the 394 units of the National Park System will be free of charge. These days include the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Weekend from January 14-16, the entire National Park Week, from April 21-29, Get Outdoors Day on June 9, the first day of summer on June 21, National Public Lands Day on September 29, and Veterans Day weekend, from November 10-12. This is an especially good deal in the big national parks such as Yosemite, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon, where normal admission prices can be as high as $20 per vehicle. National parks belong to all of us and are an amazing part of our heritage. Take advantage of these free days to explore our national parks and bring the whole family to some of the greatest displays of nature in the country.
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 The Site of the Briones Homestead at El Polín
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The Presidio of San Francisco
El Polín and the Tennessee Hollow watershed have undergone a dramatic transformation over the past few years, and the project is now nearing completion. Non-native plants have been removed and replaced with a variety of California natives, restoring the area to the way it looked when the Spanish first came upon the reputedly healing powers of El Polín Spring. A protective boardwalk now loops around the head of the valley, which is fed by three tributaries of a seasonal creek which tumbles down the hillside. The Presidio Archaeological Lab has conducted extensive digs in this area, uncovering the old homestead of Juana Briones and her family, which is now marked off in a small area near the spring. Interpretive signage will soon be added to tell the story of this place, which was important to the original Ohlone residents and the early Spanish founders of the Presidio.
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 The Verna Dunshee Trail
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Mount Tamalpais State Park
Work is almost complete on upgrades to the Verna Dunshee Trail, which circles the peak of Mount Tamalpais. This trail is fully accessible to the disabled and has now been resurfaced, with new benches and railings. The work has been done by the Sonoma County Supervised Adult Crew (SAC), a jail alternative program which has allowed offenders a great experience to give back to the community and enjoy the spectacular and healing natural display of the mountain. This is the same program that brought in crews back in 2009 to construct the Gravity Car Barn, a beautiful museum that tells the story of the old Mount Tamalpais Railway.
The program has saved Sonoma County $725,000.00 annually in jail costs, as well as saving money on projects that would otherwise be completed by private contractors. This type of innovative program is essential in helping our state parks in this time of ongoing budget crisis.
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 The View from Hawk Hill
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The Marin Headlands
The amazing view from Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands is about to become a 360 degree panorama, as non-native Monterey cypress and pines are removed by the National Park Service. This is an important step in the restoration of the area, which provides critical habitat for the endangered Mission Blue butterfly. The butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves of lupine plants, whose growth is inhibited by the dense canopy of trees overhead. The trees will be replaced with coastal scrub, where lupine will flourish and enlarge the territory of the Mission Blue. Hawk Hill is also an important stop on the migration routes of dozens of types of raptors, who soar up on the thermal updrafts before they make the mile-wide crossing of the Golden Gate. The old military batteries are closed during the tree removal, but will soon open up again, providing a look at the defenses that once guarded the entrance to San Francisco Bay.
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 Poetry in the Detention Barracks at the Angel Island Immigration Station |
Angel Island State Park
The poetry and inscriptions on the walls of the Detention Barracks at the Angel Island Immigration Station have long been a source of inspiration and cultural pride for immigrants to America and their descendants. Recent examinations of those walls have uncovered new inscriptions, including the oldest known writing on the walls. In the International Men's Dormitory, a Japanese immigrant inscribed his name Meamoto Masaru, his home village of Kawauchee, and the year 45 of the Meiji period, which would date this to 1915.
Charles Egan, a Professor of Chinese at San Francisco State University, will present a lecture on the new discoveries at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, located at 1840 Sutter Street in San Francisco. The lecture will take place on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 1PM and admission is free to the public.
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 Download this FREE Guidebook to China Camp State Park
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China Camp State Park
Download this FREE guidebook to China Camp State Park and learn about this gem of a park on the shores of San Pablo Bay.
China Camp Village preserves the last remaining buildings of a once flourishing Chinese shrimp fishing camp, with a Visitor Center and Museum that tells the story of this unique place. China Camp State Park also offers hiking and biking trails, meadows filled with wildflowers, and the best preserved tidal salt marshes in the Bay Area.
This guidebook is intended to make people aware of China Camp and to prevent the planned closure of our state park.
Another way to support China Camp State Park is to join Friends of China Camp, a non-profit organization that is working to support the park. Download a membership form and help keep China Camp open! |
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Happy New Year! Download a free scenic calendar for 2012. These calendars feature images of Angel Island, Mount Tamalpais, China Camp, the Presidio of San Francisco, and the Marin Headlands. They are in PDF format and can be printed out on 8½" x 11" paper. Ten different designs to choose from. Check out the entire selection here. 
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