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Del Norte has shown its typical resiliency in response to the governor’s proposal to devastate the North Coast economy by closing the state parks. Run them with volunteers, said a letter-writer. After all, when something needs doing, local residents have typically answered the call, and plenty of unpaid people already help out in the parks. But year-round operation and maintenance of remote trails and other park amenities is a job for full-timers. Del Norte would just have to promote what it still had, said the economic development director. And it’s true we’d still have scenic beaches that come in all the tourist-friendly flavors, from long and flat to craggy and sea-stacked. But some of those beaches are accessible only via trails through state parks. We prefer the response of Sandra Jerabek on behalf of the stewards of Tolowa Dunes State Park, which is on Gov. Schwarzenegger’s hit list. Don’t ask her to dwell too much on how we would handle closure, Jerabek said: “I’m not thinking about what it might mean right now, I am thinking about fighting it. People need to call the Legislature and express our outrage over the impact this could have on our community.” That is exactly right. We’re not going to escape shouldering part of the burden of state budget cuts. We’re home to a lot of state employees, some of whom have received layoff notices and all of whom have had their pay cut. And many of our residents depend on state-funded social services that are going to be reduced or eliminated. To pile on top of that a proposal to shut off access to almost all of Del Norte’s redwoods and some of its beaches is, frankly, obscene. Ironically, park closures are a money-loser, not a money-saver, even for state government. The State Parks Foundation estimates that for every dollar the state spends on its parks, it gets a return of about $2.35 directly into its coffers in Sacramento. And that doesn’t count the other economic benefits that accrue to the communities surrounding those parks. So the governor has come up with a proposal that will lose money for a cash-strapped state government while also damaging the private sector. Brilliant. Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro said this week he will oppose the proposal. Reach him at (916) 319-2001 or go to democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a01. A representative of state Sen. Sam Aanestad stopped short of that, saying there can be no “sacred cows” when it comes to budget-cutting. Reach Aanestad at (916) 651-4004 or go to republican.sen.ca.gov/web/4. The governor’s office can be reached at (415) 703-2218 or by going to gov.ca.gov. His media relations officer said this week that “we are also looking at creative ways to limit the numbers of parks that are closed.” Translation: We might keep them open if someone else pays for it. It may come down to that. The National Parks Service plays an integral role in operating all the redwoods parks of the North Coast, even though most of the NPS land is south of the Del Norte County border. And private organizations might step in to help. That doesn’t absolve the state government of its duty to squelch this misguided proposal at the front end. We need to fight it every step of the way. We need to fight it until we win.
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