280 California parks (listed) bring annual $4.3 billion to state, millions locally. 200-park closure to shoot deficit?

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The State Parks use less than 1/10th of 1% of the budget, yet return $2.35 for every dollar spent in revenues from surrounding communities whose economies are boosted by (or based on) proximity to the parks.

Proposed state parks closure list is not for the faint of heart

"This morning, I glimpsed the list of California state parks earmarked for closure if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger successfully cuts funding, and I became sickened and angry. There are 220 parks, reserves and beaches on the list. That would leave a mere 59 parks for our continued enjoyment." (Comment posted by Maggie Wolfe Riley: "The State Parks use less than 1/10th of 1% of the budget, yet return $2.35 for every dollar spent in revenues from surrounding communities whose economies are boosted by (or based on) proximity to the parks.")

California's state parks generate $4.3B annually

California state parks generate about $4.3 billion in direct spending from visitors, according to a California State University Sacramento survey released Tuesday. The average park-goer spends about $57.63 per visit, including $33 outside of the park, according to the report commissioned and funded by the California Parks and Recreation Department and conducted by the university’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration. About 74.9 million people visited state parks a year. About 12 percent of the park visitors were from outside of the state, and they spent much more than the average - about $185 per visit.

Study: Parks bring billions to state, millions to local communities

What's the value of local state parks to the county's economy? a newly released study found that 74.9-million-people annually visit of California state parks generate $4.32 billion per year. Therefore and apparently, the losses of park closures could be much greater as Schwarzenegger is suggesting the park closures to save an estimated $145.

It also reported that park visitors spend an average of $57.63 per person per visit, including $24.63 inside state parks and nearby communities, and $33 in communities more than 25 miles from the park being visited. Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration faculty and students surveyed 9,700 visitors at 27 state parks representing the diversity of the parks system’s 280 parks. The survey was taken from fall 2007 to February 2009, according to the report.

Tahoe officials struggle to save state parks

Lake Tahoe tourism officials oppose California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to close 220 state parks at the end of summer, saying it could cost the region about $9.5 million in annual visitor spending. Steve Teshara, executive director of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, said the seven state parks around Tahoe provide a major boost to the local economy. They include Donner Memorial, Emerald Bay, Sugar Pine Point and D.L. Bliss state parks. "It's a stupid idea," Teshara told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "To suggest a proposal that eliminates jobs and economic activity just makes no sense. It's one of those proposals that makes you cringe to be a Californian."

A list of 220 California state parks - 6 in Marin - that could close

These are the 220 state parks, state beaches, state recreation areas, museums and state reserves that officials say would be closed under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts:

1. Leo Carrillo State Park.
2. Los Angeles State Historic Park.
3. Los Encinos State Historic Park.
4. Malibu Creek State Park.
5. Malibu Lagoon State Beach.
6. Pio Pico State Historic Park.
7. Point Mugu State Park.
8. Rio de Los Angeles State Park.
9. Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach.
10. Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park.

11. Topanga State Park.
12. Verdugo Mountains.
13. Will Rogers State Historic Park.
14. California State Capitol Museum.
15. Governor's Mansion State Historic Park
16. Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park.
17. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.
18. State Indian Museum State Historic Park.
19. Sutter's Fort State Historic Park.
20. Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area.
21. Calaveras Big Trees State Park.
22. California Mining & Mineral Museum.
23. Caswell Memorial State Park.
24. Columbia State Historic Park.
25. George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area.
26. Great Valley Grasslands State Park.
27. Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park.
28. McConnell State Recreation Area.
29. Carpinteria State Beach.
30. Chumash
31. El Capitan State Beach.
32. Emma Wood State Beach.
33. Gaviota State Park.
34. La Purisima Mission State Historic Park.
35. McGrath State Beach.
36. Point Sal State Beach.
37. Refugio State Beach.
38. San Buenaventura State Beach.
39. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
40. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.
41. Indio Hills Palms.
42. Palomar Mountain State Park.
43. Picacho State Recreation Area.
44. Salton Sea State Recreation Area.
45. Annadel State Park.
46. Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park.
47. Benicia Capitol State Historic Park.
48. Benicia State Recreation Area.
49. Bothe-Napa Valley State Park.
50. Candlestick Point State Recreation Area.

51. East Shore State Park State Shoreline.
52. Jack London State Historic Park.
53. John Marsh Home State Historic Park.
54. Mount Diablo State Park.
55. Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park.
56. Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.
57. Sonoma State Historic Park.
58. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.
59. Brannan Island State Recreation Area.
60. Delta Meadows.
61. Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park.
62. Franks Tract State Recreation Area.
63. Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
64. Stone Lake.
65. California Citrus State Historic Park.
66. Chino Hills State Park.
67. Mount San Jacinto State Park.
68. San Timoteo Canyon.
69. Wildwood Canyon.
70. Angel Island State Park.
71. China Camp State Park.
72. Mount Tamalpais State Park.
73. Olompali State Historic Park.
74. Samuel P. Taylor State Park.
75. Tomales Bay State Park.
76. Caspar Headlands State Beach.
77. Caspar Headlands State Natural Reserve.
78. Greenwood State Beach.
79. Hendy Woods State Park.
80. Jug Handle State Natural Reserve.
81. MacKerricher State Park.
82. Mailliard Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
83. Manchester State Park.
84. Mendocino Headlands State Park.
85. Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve.
86. Navarro River Redwoods State Park.
87. Point Cabrillo Light Station.
88. Russian Gulch State Park.
89. Schooner Gulch State Beach.
90. Van Damme State Park.
91. Westport-Union Landing State Beach.
92. Andrew Molera State Park.
93. Carmel River State Beach.
94. Fort Ord Dunes State Park.
95. Fremont Peak State Park.
96. Garrapata State Park.
97. Hatton Canyon.
98. Henry W. Coe State Park.
99. John Little State Natural Reserve.
100. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

101. Marina State Beach.
102. Monterey State Beach.
103. Monterey State Historic Park.
104. Moss Landing State Beach.
105. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
106. Point Lobos Ranch.
107. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.
108. Point Sur State Historic Park.
109. Salinas River State Beach.
110. San Juan Bautista State Historic Park.
111. Zmudowski State Beach.
112. Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area.
113. Azalea State Natural Reserve.
114. Benbow Lake State Recreation Area.
115. Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.
116. Fort Humboldt State Historic Park.
117. Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.
118. Harry A. Merlo State Recreation Area.
119. Humboldt Lagoons State Park.
120. Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
121. Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
122. John B. Dewitt Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
123. Little River State Beach.
124. Patrick's Point State Park.
125. Pelican State Beach.
126. Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
127. Reynolds Wayside Campground.
128. Richardson Grove State Park.
129. Sinkyone Wilderness State Park.
130. Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
131. Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area.
132. Tolowa Dunes State Park.
133. Trinidad State Beach.
134. Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park.
135. Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
136. Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park.
137. Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park.
138. Castle Crags State Park.
139. Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area.
140. McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park.
141. Shasta State Historic Park.
142. Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park.
143. William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park.
144. Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area.
145. Pismo State Beach.
146. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
147. Austin Creek State Recreation Area.
148. Fort Ross State Historic Park.
149. Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve.
150. Salt Point State Park.
151. Sonoma Coast State Park.
152. Border Field State Park.
153. Carlsbad State Beach.
154. San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park.
155. Silver Strand State Beach.
156. Torrey Pines State Beach.
157. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
158. Estero Bluffs State Park.
159. Hearst San Simeon State Park.
160. Limekiln State Park.
161. Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve.
162. Monta–a de Oro State Park.
163. Morro Bay State Park.
164. Morro Strand State Beach.
165. William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach.
166. A–o Nuevo State Natural Reserve.
167. A–o Nuevo State Park.
168. Bean Hollow State Beach.
169. Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
170. Burleigh H. Murray Ranch.
171. Butano State Park.
172. Castle Rock State Park.
173. Castro Adobe (Rancho San Andres).
174. Gray Whale Cove State Beach.
175. Half Moon Bay State Beach.
176. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
177. Lighthouse Field State Beach.
178. Manresa State Beach.
179. Montara State Beach.
180. Natural Bridges State Beach.
181. New Brighton State Beach.
182. Pescadero State Beach.
183. Point Montara Light Station.
184. Pomponio State Beach.
185. Portola Redwoods State Park.
186. San Gregorio State Beach.
187. Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park.
188. Seacliff State Beach.
189. Sunset State Beach.
190. The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park.
191. Thornton State Beach.
192. Twin Lakes State Beach.
193. Wilder Ranch State Park.
194. Bodie State Historic Park.
195. Burton Creek State Park.
196. D.L. Bliss State Park.
197. Donner Memorial State Park.
198. Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park.
199. Emerald Bay State Park.
200. Empire Mine State Historic Park.
201. Grover Hot Springs State Park.
202. Kings Beach State Recreation Area.
203. Lake Valley State Recreation Area.
204. Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park.
205. Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve.
206. Plumas-Eureka State Park.
207. South Yuba River State Park.
208. Tahoe State Recreation Area.
209. Ward Creek.
210. Washoe Meadows State Park.
211. Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.
212. Antelope Valley Indian Museum.
213. Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park.
214. Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.
215. Fort Tejon State Historic Park.
216. Providence Mountains State Recreation Area.
217. Red Rock Canyon State Park.
218. Saddleback Butte State Park.
219. Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park.
220. Tule Elk State Natural Reserve.

*update*
Tuesday, September 25, 2012 Open spaces around California will soon benefit from about $20 million of the $54 million in hidden public funds recently uncovered at the state parks department, after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Tuesday authorizing the expenditure.

The $54 million surplus, which existed for more than a decade in two separate special-fund accounts, was apparently known to some parks department staff for years but went undiscovered by state finance officials until July, at a time when the parks department was threatening to close parks due to a cash shortage. The disclosure prompted anger among lawmakers as well as members of the public who had chipped in time and helped raise money to keep parks from closing.

Shortly after the discovery, the governor proposed using $20 million of the money to match private donations. That $20 million was from the State Parks and Recreation Fund, which comes from user fees and is meant for general park operations; the other $34 million in discovered money is in the Off-Highway Vehicle Fund, and is earmarked for maintenance of those types of parks.

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Photos courtesy of Wikipedia, planetware.com, Pete Thomas / Los Angeles Times, Lake County News, parks.ca.gov, KenRockwell.com, and pbase.com

Original Source: LA Times, bizjournals, Lake County News, USA Today, and Marin Independent Journal