This article was originally published by Capitol Weekly.
On New Year’s Day, many Californians participate in “First Day Hikes” in our state parks. They take in the incredible height of redwoods, the rolling surf of our state beaches and the delight of seeing wildlife. Participants in these experiences often report using the peace and tranquility of First Day Hikes to reflect on their hopes for the year ahead.
I, too, am reflecting on the start of the new year and what I hope California’s leaders will keep top of mind as they make decisions that will impact our state parks in 2026.
First, I hope that our leaders recognize that state parks are on the front lines of climate change and that we must create climate-resilient parks that can prepare for, adapt to and recover from major climate events.
In Northern California, for example, winter storms devastated Seacliff State Beach’s infrastructure and historic pier in 2023. In 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire burned 97% of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. These are just two examples of the serious damage intense wildfires, extreme winter storms and other climate-driven events are causing to parks throughout the state.
Thankfully, in 2024, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 4. Among many priorities, Prop. 4 aims to address critical climate needs in state parks, including dedicated funds for wildfire resilience positions and projects, as well as for sea-level rise adaptation on state beaches. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to begin to address these pressing issues.
As Prop. 4 moves forward, a key priority for our state leaders must be to ensure these funds are additive to the state budget; they should not be used to backfill and replace General Fund appropriations. To put this more simply, California voters approved Prop. 4 with the expectation that these funds would add resources to the state’s climate efforts — not replace existing commitments.
Second, I encourage our leaders to help ensure that state parks are accessible to more Californians. California’s state parks belong to everyone, but barriers like entry fees can keep people from experiencing the joy of exploring them.
The California State Library Park Pass is a landmark initiative helping address this issue. Each year, California State Parks provides vehicle day-use passes to California library systems. Californians can then use their library card to check out the pass and visit participating state parks.
The program is hugely popular, and libraries report that these passes are among their most frequently checked-out items. We also know the initiative is effective at bringing new people into parks: 63% of respondents to a program survey said cost is their primary barrier to visiting state parks, and 90% said they now plan to revisit state parks.
While the program will continue through 2026, it lacks a permanent funding source and is dependent on the annual state budget process. In last year’s budget cycle, funding for the program was cut, but then restored after thousands of Californians contacted their legislators. This is not the first time this has happened, and it should be addressed in the coming year by ensuring a more sustainable, ongoing funding solution for this popular and effective program.
Lastly, as our state leaders develop the next budget, I urge them to take stock of how, for decades, parks have been subject to boom-and-bust budget cycles and the toll this has taken on these special places.
California State Parks oversees 280 state park units, a quarter of California’s coastline, 15,000 campsites, 5,200 miles of trails, 3,195 historic buildings and more than 11,000 known prehistoric and historic archaeological sites. More than 68 million people visit California’s state park system annually. It is no small task to care for and steward this extraordinarily diverse system.
In prosperous years, state parks have received funding, but often only for one-time projects rather than ongoing operations or staffing. And in leaner years, deficits have led to across-the-board cuts that leave parks with fewer staff, fewer resources and compounding maintenance backlogs. The result? The agency is understandably unable to focus on strategic, long-term park management.
As California enters a new year, we will face many choices as a state. As we consider these choices, we should all remember that access to nature is not a luxury. It is a vital right that strengthens physical health, supports mental well-being and provides spaces for learning and growing. When we invest in parks, we invest in climate resilience and equitable access to nature that keeps communities healthy. We all benefit from a future where our state parks thrive.
Rachel Norton is the executive director of the California State Parks Foundation.
Capitol Weekly covers California government and politics in order to enlighten and educate Californians about public policy and state governance, and to provide a platform for engagement with public officials, advocates and political interests.
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