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Under a more recent--and controversial--contract, State Parks approved the conversion of a historic lighthouse keeper’s house on Point Cabrillo, in Mendocino County, into a bed and breakfast inn that now advertises rooms starting at $177 a night. Handicapped-accessible rooms go for $267. The inn is managed by the Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers’ Association. The Coastal Conservancy spent nearly $12 million over 12 years to acquire the Point Cabrillo headland and restore historic structures and habitat, then turn the property over to State Parks. Earlier visions were of more affordable accomodations, including a hostel and campground.

Could State Parks raise money for upkeep of other parks and historic structures if it used other historic buildings for overnight accommodations, perhaps with nonprofit organizations as concessionaires? According to Ruth Coleman, such opportunities are limited, “but we’re always on the lookout for more.” How the public is served may depend on whether the model set at Crystal Cove or at Point Cabrillo is emulated.

One potential opportunity may exist in Topanga State Park, in Los Angeles. At the mouth of Topanga Creek, a scruffy collection of old motel units and low-end roadside businesses face the ocean, empty. Los Angeles District Superintendent Ron Schafer said he plans to renovate the units as moderate-cost overnight accommodations. “This project is my number-one priority for Proposition 84 funds,” he said.

What’s Next for Parks?
To protect irreplaceable resources and to accommodate a growing population, the state park system needs to grow. Voters have approved a series of bond issues for state parks, clearly signaling their commitment. But occasional bond issues do not pay the monthly bills, nor have they eliminated the backlog on upkeep. The question remains: can state government adequately support the system that the people of the state, over generations, have worked for, volunteered for, paid for, and that they continue to cherish and enjoy?

“There needs to be a blend of user fees, along with government funds and support from the private sector and nonprofit sector,” said Coleman. She noted that some institutions, such as public universities, have endowments. “In the 1940s and 1950s, the state’s oil revenues supported the parks’ operation,” she said. “Tidelands oil revenues were always intended to be used for natural resources.” Now those funds are directed into the General Fund, which supports all kinds of agencies, instead of just those concerned with natural resources. In fiscal year 2005-06, the Department of Social Services got $8.7 billion from the General Fund, the Department of Corrections got $7.6 billion, the University of California got $2.8 billion, and State Parks got $101 million--1.33 percent of Corrections’ share.

Recognizing that our park system desperately needs assistance, the Parks Foundation convened a Fiscal Sustainability Task Force in July 2005. “We have been working with stakeholders including nonprofits that support various state parks, for-profit concessionaires, land trust partners, and think tank-type participants,” said Traci Verardo. “It has been a new event, to get all these together in the same room, which really hasn’t happened before.” A report by the task force is expected soon.

Of California’s total area, 1.5 percent, or some 1.5 million acres of land, belong to the people in the form of state parks. In most of these parks, including Garrapata State Park, the most precious asset is the value of the natural resources--the quiet, the plants and animals, and the relatively wild setting--and nothing but the most basic facilities, such as water supply and toilets, are needed. But other parks are well-suited to an expansion of recreational offerings.

The Sierra Club’s Mark Massara envisions a day when some park, such as El Capitán State Beach in Santa Barbara County, for instance, will offer more activities, more choices, more resource protection, and less pavement. “Why don’t we sell organic foods in the park store?” he asked. “Why not have live music on Friday nights?” Indeed, why not sparkling restrooms, solar panels on the roof of a “green” visitor center, camping opportunities both plain and fancy, state-of-the-art native plant restoration projects, naturalist-led walks, and campfire programs for all? California’s diverse population needs to be served in diverse ways at parks. In a state known as a fountain of creativity and an environmental leader, our state parks deserve to be models of their kind.

Steve Scholl wrote and edited the first two volumes of the California Coastal Commission’s Experience the California Coast guidebook series and is working on the third volume. He is a member of the California State Parks Foundation.

This article is abridged. For the complete article see the print edition of Coast & Ocean.

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