National Trust hopes to save slice of history at state park
Ceramicist Marguerite Wildenhain left her legacy at Austin Creek State Recreation Area in Sonoma County. What happens when the interests of art history and state parks coincide?
Parks
Investigation finds State Parks deliberately hid some funds
The California Attorney General's office releases the results of its investigation into the State Parks Department over its funding fiasco.
The General’s mission for California state parks
Major General Anthony Jackson came out of retirement for one more mission: to turn around California's state parks department. In a Bay Nature interview, Jackson explains why, "My goal, honest and truly, is not closing any parks."
Will park groups accept the state’s apology?
The California parks department is figuring out how to disperse $10 million to groups that kept their local state parks from closing this year. But some parks fans wonder how they'll get out from the shadow of a parks department in scandal.
Santa Clara purchases land, creates 822-acre preserve
Santa Clara County added more acres to its open space preserve outside of Gilroy and stopped housing estates from destroying wildlife habitat.
Sonoma parks turn to South Africa, elsewhere for funding ideas
What does South Africa and Sonoma County have in common? Both suffer from debilitating shortages of public funds for parks. In the aftermath of the California state parks crisis, parks advocates in Sonoma County are scouting around for enterprising ideas … Read more
Under new management: China Camp volunteers take the helm
After six months of fundraising, the nonprofit Friends of China Camp raised $250,000, enough money to take over operations of the cultural and historical landmark along the northwest shores of the San Francisco Bay. Just one day after assuming the … Read more
In state parks uproar, Benicia keeps its cool
While park advocates around the state expressed shock and anger over the discovery of a secret stash of $54 million in the state parks department, the city of Benicia kept its cool. “I was surprised there was that large a … Read more
Fixing State Parks without the “scandal”
It’s certainly not hard to apply words like “outrageous” and “appalling” to the current scandal surrounding $54 million dollars in funding for state parks that had gone unspent and undiscovered for over ten years. But it’s not going to do … Read more
Downtown parks get higher profile
Downtown San Francisco doesn’t typically spring to mind when planning an outdoor excursion. But get past the crowded streets and there’s a multitude of lovely open spaces, replete with honest to goodness foliage. In fact, the city boasts a large … Read more
