State Parks Need Volunteers

Twentieth annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup presented by PG&E

This Earth Day, 40 state parks will receive funding from the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) for much needed restoration and improvement projects, to be completed by volunteers during CSPF’s 20th annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup on Saturday, April 21.

Thanks in part to a $250,000 total grant provided by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), the funds will support parks across the state to provide needed upkeep and repair at state parks — from constructing new native plant gardens and repairing nature trails, to upgrading building and improving park infrastructure.

For 20 years, CSPF has mobilized volunteers across the state to demonstrate their support for environmental protection on Earth Day by spending time protecting and improving state parks.

This year, thousands of people will gather across California for special volunteer projects that make state parks more accessible and enjoyable, like:

• Replacing trees lost during the drought at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
• Painting an ocean-themed mural at San Elijo State Beach
• Updating campgrounds with new ADA-compliant campfire rings at Castle Rock State Park
• Installing a permanent public bike fix-it station and signs at Huntington State Beach
• Promoting stewardship and sustainability of our shoreline parks at a community engagement event at McLaughlin Eastshore State Park
• Rebuilding a severely damaged access road at Jack London State Historic Park

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of CSPF’s Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup program, for the first time PG&E is including a supplemental grant ($50,000 of the $250,000 total) for projects to prepare state parks for natural disasters.

These grants will focus on brush removal and habitat management to make parks better able to cope with fires, drought and other environmental impacts in the short term, and will bolster strategies to help make parks more resilient in dealing with the effects of climate change in the long term.

Climate resiliency projects will be completed in conjunction with Earth Day volunteer activities on Saturday, April 21 or on a date to be determined by individual state parks during the spring of 2018.

Volunteer registration for the 40 parks opens in early March. To find out more about CSPF grants and projects in your area, or for more ways you can help protect our state parks this Earth Day, please visit calparks.org/earthday.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company has been a sponsor of the Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup since 2001. Supporting CSPF since 1994, PG&E has donated nearly $3.7 million to help protect state parks, and thousands of PG&E employees have volunteered their time on Earth Day and beyond.

California State Parks Foundation is a member-supported, non-profit dedicated to protecting, improving and advocating for all of California’s state parks. Together we ensure that the natural beauty, rich culture and history, and recreational and educational opportunities of our 280 state parks are available for all to enjoy now and for generations to come.

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2018 Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup presented by PG&E
Saturday, April 21, 2018 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Participating State Parks in Central and Northern California: Angel Island State Park • Asilomar State Beach • Benicia State Recreation Area • Candlestick Point State Recreation Area • Carmel River State Beach • Castle Rock State Park • China Camp State Park • Coast Dairies State Park (Panther Beach) • Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park • Grover Hot Springs State Park • Half Moon Bay State Beach • Jack London State Historic Park • Lighthouse Field State Beach • Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park • Montaña De Oro State Park • Monterey State Beach • Mount Diablo State Park • Natural Bridges State Beach • New Brighton State Beach • Rio Del Mar State Beach • San Clemente State Beach • San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area • Seabright State Beach • Seacliff State Beach • Sinkyone Wilderness State Park • Sonoma Coast State Park • Sugarloaf Ridge State Park • Trione-Annadel State Park • Wilder Ranch State Park (4 Mile Beach)