Sonoma County, CA , Nov. 24, 2010 -- With Proposition 21 (the State Parks' vehicle registration fee) defeated and local budgets on a downward spiral, it is clear that we will need more than scarce public funds to keep state, county and city parks open to the public. LandPaths has one solution in its "People Powered Parks" program. This simple, innovative, community-inclusive model engages park users - hikers, bikers, and equestrians-- in a new paradigm of increased personal investment and ownership. Such ownership provides the opportunity for the public to enjoy the parks while being involved in their upkeep and support.
In Sonoma County we are fortunate to have a team of pubic and private organizations dedicated to protecting land - over 100,000 acres at last count. However, protecting the land is only the first challenge in providing public access that can be counted on and is truly open to all. To provide safe, functional parks, we must address long term operations and maintenance with the same heart and passion as we do with acquiring the land.
LandPaths and its participants address park management needs on 5,400 acres of these publicly owned lands that would otherwise be closed by tight budgets. LandPaths provides orientation and training for users-turned-stewards, who then use their park access as an opportunity for the care and stewardship of those parks. Participants pick up garbage, notify LandPaths of maintenance and safety issues, organize hikes, and even volunteer to assist in trail upkeep, invasive species removal, and more. Truly, these are community members that have "skin in the game" like no time before in our history of public lands management.
"Neighbors and communities must come together to protect and preserve our parks....we can't count on Washington and Sacramento to do so any more," says Gary Abreim, neighbor and committee chair of LandPaths Friends of the Grove.
With "People Powered Parks", LandPaths provides public agencies not only with volunteers, but with the professional oversight and insurance to reduce liability and management costs. It is this trust, based on 14 years of success, that allows LandPaths to provide access and stewardship on dozens of properties, public and private.
LandPaths provides a new way of "opening" open space, including closed state parks.
"The enthusiasm for this model is fantastic," said Caryl Hart, Sonoma County Regional Parks Director, while attending a November Taylor Mountain permit orientation along with 100 other hikers, bikers and horseback riders. "It's going to have tremendous influence on the future of how we open new parks."
Barefoot Winery Co-Founders and long-time conservation supporters Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey also received their permits. Houlihan has thoughtfully observed, "By giving people a stake in the land, ‘People Powered Parks' provides open access where public budgets have failed."
LandPaths' programs go beyond serving today's community. They also invest in the increasingly diverse community of the future. LandPaths' bilingual, educational, & urban farming programs for kids are critical to the future of conservation in Sonoma County --developing leaders and cultivating a deeper connection with open space and larger environmental issues. This dedication to creating an engaged, informed, multigenerational and multicultural conservation community serves as a model for the rest of the county and the country.
"We are looking at the public adoption of open space work that LandPaths is pioneering as a model for to help shape the future direction of land trusts statewide" says Bill Leahy, co-chair of the California Council of Land Trusts.
To ensure all of us have access to the lands we have all paid to protect, Sonoma County needs "People Power". We hope you agree that this movement deserves your support.
ABOUT LANDPATHS: LandPaths mission is to "Foster a Love of the Land." Established in 1996, the organization is powered by hundreds of volunteers, 11 staff and is managed by Executive Director Craig Anderson from offices at 618 Fourth St, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 (707) 544-7284. Additional information and schedules of orientation sessions at all four People Powered Parks are available at www.LandPaths.org.
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