Opinion
The recent revelation that the California State Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has a “secret” fund of $54 million has plunged the department into chaos and disgusted and angered state park supporters all over the state.
For good reason. The budget deficit that precipitated the proposed closure of 70 state parks, including Lake County’s Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, is $22 million.
So, where does this leave Anderson Marsh State Historic Park?
The Anderson Marsh Interpretive Assoc. (AMIA) is the nonprofit cooperating association with the park that has been working for over a year to make sure that the park does not close.
The original closure date was July 1, but that date has been delayed because AMIA is among the many nonprofits that are in the midst of negotiating an operating agreement with DPR.
AMIA has been fundraising diligently and has been able through local contributions from individuals and other nonprofits, grants from the State Park Foundation and volunteer commitments to establish funding necessary to take over some operations of the park, including opening and closing gates on the weekend, paying for utilities, sanitary facilities, insurance and trail maintenance.
The revelation of the $54 million in hidden monies will not change our efforts.
Even before the budget crisis hit, Anderson Marsh State Historic Park suffered from neglect. Our plan is to continue to negotiate our operating agreement contract which will hopefully be in place within the next few months.
Donors to our effort need to know that all of the funds donated go to AMIA and, in turn, to the park.
Also, unlike the state, apparently, we are not only happy, but are required, to show our “books” to anyone who requests it.
There is no guarantee that the $54 million will go back to state parks and, if it does, there is no guarantee that Anderson Marsh State Historic Park will see any of that money.
If, on the other hand, the state miraculously places that money in the state parks budget, and parks are taken off of the closure list, including our park, we will celebrate.
The money collected so far could go a long way in taking care of some much-needed deferred maintenance problems at the park as well as fund needed improvements.
Having been so critical of DPR on the state level, we need to emphasize that local state park rangers and our sector superintendent, Bill Salata, are very supportive of Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
Superintendent Salata has a vision for the park and began implementing that vision when he took over the job, only to be halted by the budget crisis and threat of closure.
The important issue remains keeping the park open.
Our supporters and donors need to separate the park from the State Department of Parks.
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is important for many reasons. It supports valuable wildlife habitat. It provides walking and hiking opportunities for hundreds of people who use the park; many local folks walk there every day.
The park has been the site of the Old Time Bluegrass Festival, which has become an important event for the South County; it is an educational facility for local schools.
The park is all of these things and could be much more but it needs the continued support of local people.
We hope that our supporters don’t give up on our local park because the state park officials at the highest level have failed so miserably.
Roberta Lyons is president of the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, based in Lower Lake, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Roberta Lyons
Recently I have received numerous inquires concerning my plans for the Clearlake City Council election.
After nearly three decades of public service to the city of Clearlake, I will not be seeking reelection. It is time to rest.
I began my public service career in the early 1980s when I became employed with the city of Clearlake. My long tenure with the city has provided me the landmark honor of becoming the longest serving employee in our city’s history.
When I first walked through the doors of City Hall seeking employment, I never imagined that one day I would ultimately become an elected official, receiving landmark votes twice in our city’s election history. That honor affirmed the trust the citizens of Clearlake placed in me. It was that trust that I carried with me each day of my elected tenure.
In 2004, as I ran for a seat on the Clearlake City Council, I made only one promise. My promise was to always work hard and always work in the best interest of our community. I never forgot that promise.
Each day I would remind myself that the things I did and the decisions I made could have a lasting effect on the lives and well-being of people. I knew I had the ability to impact lives, so I took my elected position seriously.
As the years rolled by as an elected official, the more I did made me want to do more to serve our community. There was always a new challenge around the corner to help make a bigger difference.
This “part-time” council job became a full-time job to me. There were many calls on my time, filling my schedule daily. Soon my whole life revolved around this council job.
Throughout my years on the Clearlake City Council, I have had the privilege of representing our city as a three-time mayor and two-time vice mayor.
I find it difficult to think of the many accomplishments that I was a part of during the last 30 years. It is impossible to sum up these accomplishments at this time.
One of my strongest passions was promoting safety for our seniors, our youth and our communities.
I was privileged to spearhead the Burns Valley Pathway project for senior safety, as I always believed seniors should be valued, supported and appreciated.
When a drunken driving tragedy struck my family, it kindled inside of me a passion to help others. I created the award-winning Team DUI to help educate our entire county on the true realties of driving under the influence with the educational focus on our youth.
Through Team DUI, many lives have been saved and many more will be saved.
During my years on the city council, I advocated for public safety, utilizing my many years of budgeting experience and knowledge to play a key role in building effective teamwork to help provide our police department the necessary resources to maintain public safety within our community.
Throughout my entire tenure on the city council, i never let the fear of challenge keep me from doing what i believed was in the best interest of our city.
I did what I felt was right, respecting individuals’ rights to their opinions. I faced challenges with honesty, integrity and respect, as the key to success was to be true and ethical to my principals.
I never compromised my values to achieve popularity.
My career with the City of Clearlake has been an amazing journey. Regrets after nearly 30 years – I have a few, but too few to mention.
At the end of the day I can reflect on how I served our community, knowing that the office I held was all about helping people, as the heart of our city is the people within.
To all of the citizens of Clearlake and the many wonderful individuals throughout the entire county, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for being part of my life and allowing me the opportunity to be part of the life of our communities.
I will always be proud to call Clearlake my home.
Judy Thein serves on the city council for the city of Clearlake, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Judy Thein
How to resolve AdBlock issue?