From the category archives:

Politics

Adams’ Pack Station Under Threat From Health Department

March 15, 2010

The Adams’ Pack Station at Chantry Flats is one of the last operating pack stations in the country. It, along with most of Santa Anita Canyon, was spared during the Station Fire, but now the historic general store may be forced to close its doors by the L.A. County Health Department.
According to a recent [...]

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The Ken Burns Effect

October 1, 2009

… and no, not the built-in photo-dissolving technique in iMovie … but rather, the positive effect Ken Burns’ documentary series has already been having on attention paid toward the National Park System — and I’m not just talking about all my Twitter friends finally coming to realize how awesome John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt were.
Recently, [...]

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Surprise of the Day – NO STATE PARKS CLOSING

September 25, 2009

Wow. I honestly have to say it again. Wow. I’m completely surprised, but today Governor Schwarzenegger announced exactly how many State Parks would be closed – zero.
According to a blog entry on the LA Times site, the State Parks will still have their budgets cut, but instead of closing, most parks will [...]

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List of Closed Parks to be “Less Than 100″

September 23, 2009

Even though there is still no list of closed or potentially closed parks, Governor Schwarzenegger is now saying he will close “far fewer than 100,” according to an article in the Mercury News.
A spokesman for the Governor urged cautious optimism, saying “That 100 number isn’t something to hang your hat on” and that they “wanted [...]

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Laurel Canyon Open Space in Danger

August 7, 2009

I’m willing to bet most Angelenos have, at one point, had to drive up Laurel Canyon Boulevard to get from the city to the valley or vice versa. If so, you’ve also most likely passed what could potentially be the next addition in the patchwork of parkland that’s scattered through the Santa Monica Mountains [...]

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Angeles National Recreation Area?

August 5, 2009

The National Park Service has posted a detailed plan on the feasibility of incorporating the Angeles National Forest and the Puente-Chino Hills into its stewardship (PDF), and the news is pretty good.
When looking at recommending acquiring new land, the Park Service asks several questions:
1. Does it possess nationally significant natural or cultural resources?
2. Is it [...]

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More Bad Park News – Only 4.6% of Parks Self-Funding

July 30, 2009

More bad news for the California State Park system today. In an earlier post, I mentioned Parks Director Ruth Coleman’s comment saying that those parks who can sustain their own operations will most likely be safe when the time comes to start locking up entrance gates.
But a story in today’s LA Times [...]

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The Actual Cuts to State Parks – $39 Million

July 29, 2009

The LAist got its hands on some concrete information from California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman on the recent passed budget, and it’s pretty shocking.
According to her, with all of the money-shuffling, fund-raiding, furloughs, and reduced tax revenues in the 09-10 budget, California’s State Parks are actually getting short-changed by about $39 million, which will [...]

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Parks Due to Close, After All

July 28, 2009

With the budget finally released, it looks like our State Park System is, indeed, going to get short-changed.
Governor Schwarzenegger slashed the funds for parks by an additional $6 million, writing (PDF):
In order to create a reasonable reserve, I am making additional reductions so we have resources to address emergencies or additional revenue shortfalls. I know [...]

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Potential Budget Agreement Maybe Incoming

July 21, 2009

Rumors are starting to trickle out of Sacramento that a potential budget agreement might be coming to the table before the weekend. The LA Times has a report stating the new budget would let 27,000 prisoners out early, but doesn’t mention anything about the State Parks situation.
Right now, according to an email from the [...]

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