Save a Park. Save a Soul.

Much of the reason that I drive a VW bus, that I write this blog, that I live in California is due to the area around where we live here in Northern California. We live in Sonoma County. We have ocean to the west of us, with one of the best systems of county parks in the state dotting its shore. To the east of us is Napa Valley. To the north is marijuana-land and south is San Francisco. In our minds, it's paradise.

I won't even attempt to be colorful or dramatic when I tell you that it is access to the open land, through the local and state parks, that keep us here. The thing that blew us away about California when we moved here 7 years ago, was that there is SO MUCH land that is unoccupied and available for exploration. Cows in California have some of the best views in the world (though they do have to stand in the rain). Beaches have open access. And we're not even that great at hunting out state forests and BLM land like some of our hardcore camping friends.

So it shouldn't seem too dramatic to you when I say that losing the state parks will result in a sizable shift on how we view California. What was once access for all of us will be turned into pay-access, no access or simply voids of what used to be. And these are important and sometimes historical places. Places that once shut down, will never find the money to be able to get back open. The first 70 that are slated to be closed in June (and, let's be honest, if these close, they are just the first to be closed) are:

• Anderson Marsh SHP
• Annadel SP
• Antelope Valley Indian Museum
• Austin Creek SRA
• Bale Grist Mill SHP
• Benbow Lake SRA
• Benicia Capitol SHP
• Benicia SRA
• Bidwell Mansion SHP
• Bothe-Napa Valley SP
• Brannan Island SRA
• California State Mining & Mineral Museum
• Candlestick Point SRA
• Castle Crags SP
• Castle Rock SP
• China Camp SP
• Colusa-Sacramento River SRA
• Fort Humboldt SHP
• Fort Tejon SHP
• Garrapata SP
• George J. Hatfield SRA
• Governor's Mansion SHP
• Gray Whale Cove SB
• Greenwood SB
• Grizzly Creek Redwoods SP
• Hendy Woods SP
• Henry W. Coe SP
• Jack London SHP
• Jug Handle SNR
• Leland Stanford Mansion SHP
• Limekiln SP
• Los Encinos SHP
• Malakoff Diggins SHP
• Manchester SP
• McConnell SRA
• McGrath SB
• Mono Lake Tufa SNR
• Morro Strand SB
• Moss Landing SB
• Olompali SHP
• Palomar Mountain SP
• Petaluma Adobe SHP
• Picacho SRA
• Pio Pico SHP
• Plumas-Eureka SP
• Point Cabrillo Light Station
• Portola Redwoods SP
• Providence Mountains SRA
• Railtown 1897 SHP
• Russian Gulch SP
• Saddleback Butte SP
• Salton Sea SRA
• San Pasqual Battlefield SHP
• Santa Cruz Mission SHP
• Santa Susana Pass SHP
• Shasta SHP
• South Yuba River SP
• Standish-Hickey SRA
• Sugarloaf Ridge SP
• Tule Elk SNR
• Turlock Lake SRA
• Twin Lakes SB
• Weaverville Joss House SHP
• Westport-Union Landing SB
• William B. Ide Adobe SHP
• Woodson Bridge SRA
• Zmudowski SB

Many local communities have stepped in to save some of the parks on the list above. It's been awesome to see communities fight for the parks which often are a major source of income to them. But they aren't saving all of them.

What can you do?

A few things.

First, dig this site: http://savestateparks.org/

...and then send a letter online here.

And then tell your friends to do the same. If not for you then do it for Oak and me. Because I am really looking forward to showing him how to keep his food cool in the creek at Bothe-Napa and showing him the redwoods in Grizzly Creek and inspiring him to become a writer while visiting Jack London's house in Sonoma. And showing him the 67 other reasons why these places became parks in the first place. Without parks, we are simply a shoreline of cities and mansions.