'This would be devastating'

Tolowa Dunes State Park is among the areas targeted for closure. (The Daily Triplicate/Richard Wiens)

More criticism of proposal to close state parks

From the Save the Redwoods League to the Tolowa Dunes Stewards, alarms continue to sound over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to close state parks because of the state government’s budget crunch.

“This is like shutting down a huge piece of our local economy,” said Tolowa Dunes Stewards spokeswoman Sandra Jerabek. “This would be devastating for our little community, not to mention harmful to the park itself.”

While some might think that closing Tolowa Dunes State Park north of Crescent City would decrease the human impact on sensitive plants and wildlife in the area,  Jerabek said the result would be quite the opposite.

“It won’t be possible to keep people out of Tolowa Dunes,” Jerabek said. “People will continue to use the park, but all the good stuff like oversight and infrastructure will go away.”

Jerabek is worried that without money to support conservation efforts and enforcement of park regulations, misuse could become rampant.

Jeff Bomke, Redwood State Parks superintendent, agreed.

“I anticipate a fair amount of impact throughout the closed parks,” Bomke said. “We would have to have a law enforcement presence to ensure that people weren’t using the park for illegal activities. I expect that if this comes to pass, with the large area that we have to cover, crime will rise and infrastructure will be damaged.”

Added to worries about unregulated use are questions of how quickly parks will become overgrown while structures deteriorate.

Bomke said Friday that if the parks close for two years, it could take another 10 to get them back into their current state.

Jerabek said Tuesday that now is the time to fight park closures.

“I’m not thinking about what it might mean right now, I am thinking about fighting it,” she said. “People need to call the legislature and express our outrage over the impact this could have on our community.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by Gerry Hemmingsen, chairman of the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors.

“The parks have always been a draw to this community and it would just exacerbate the already declining economy,” Hemmingsen said of the closure proposal. “We will have a letter (stating opposition) completed Wednesday to be presented at the board meeting next Tuesday.”

Save the Redwoods League executive director Ruskin Hartley issued a statement lamenting the possibility of shutting off access to a national treasure.

“With only 5 percent of the world’s ancient redwood forest left standing, California State Parks create irreplaceable opportunities for people of all ages to experience the awe and majesty of the world’s tallest trees,” Hartley said. “These parks are a vital source of enjoyment, education and inspiration for current and future generations.”

The Save the Redwoods League also encouraged park visitors and supporters to communicate with state leaders.

Here are telephone numbers and Web sites (which provide email access) for state leaders:

State Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro, (916) 319-2001, democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a01

State Sen. Sam Aanestad, (916) 651-4004, republican.sen.ca.gov/web/4

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, (415) 703-2218, gov.ca.gov

The Save the Redwoods League also provides these options:

Send a message to your elected officials by visiting: savetheredwoods.org/voice.

Upload a one-minute video to Save the Redwoods League’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/savetheredwoods to let people know what you think.