California State Park’sCentral Valley Vision

Great Valley Center's Sacramento Valley Forum

Chico- October 27, 2010

The Valley today…

• More than 6 million residents

• Bountiful natural and cultural resources

• The world’s #1 agricultural region

• Valuable outdoor recreation, especially on and near rivers

Why the Valley needs a plan• Has less

parkland than other CA regions

• Big population growth projected in next 20+ years

• Climate changes will affect rivers, lakes, air and water

What is the Implementation Plan?

The Plan is a catalog of potential projects to expand recreation opportunities.

Created by:• Valley residents

(workshops, other input)

• State Parks experts

What Valley residents want• River access, for swimming,

fishing, boating, etc.• Group picnic and camping

areas• Trails (multi-use, water, and

OHV)• Resource protection• Interpretation of the Central

Valley’s culture and history

CA State Parks Staff Analysis

• Reviewed existing parks, • Studied demographic

projections and recreational trends, and

• Reviewed proposed development projects, park unit General Plans, and information on regional and local planning, funding and partnering efforts.

• Improve and expand the 36 existing state parks in the valley study area

Plan Strategy (1/2)

• Add 13 new parks.• In your area:

– 2 new parks in the northern Sacramento River Valley near Red Bluff (ON HOLD)

– 1 new park on the Sacramento River near the Fremont Weir (near Davis)

Plan Strategy (2/2)

If fully implemented, the plan would:

• Almost triple the number of campsites in the Valley.

• More than double the number of picnic sites in the Valley

• Almost double the acres of State Parks land in the Valley.

Plan Benefits

More Plan Features• Heritage corridors to

interpret Valley history and culture

• Boating trails to link outdoor recreation areas along rivers and waterways.

• “Base camp” strategy to maximize access to public lands and save money.

“Base camp” Strategy

• Improves access to existing public lands

• Encourages purchase of smaller parcels of land for State Parks

• Limits impact to environment by concentrating developed facilities

Create a base camp on state parks lands toprovide facilities and a gateway to other public lands

Northern Sacramento River Valley

Region State Parks:• Shasta SHP• William Ide Adobe

SHP • Woodson Bridge SRA

Region Initiatives• State Park initiatives

would expand water access and water-based recreation in the region

Park Initiatives1. Shasta SHP2. Anderson-Sacramento

(proposed)3. Big Bend (proposed) 4. William B. Ide Adobe

SHP5. Woodson Bridge SRA• Sacramento River

Water Trail (proposed)

Southern Sacramento River Valley

Region State Parks:• Bidwell Mansion SHP • Bidwell-Sacramento River

SP• Lake Oroville SRA• Clay Pit SVRA• Butte City (State Park

property)• Colusa-Sacramento SRA• Sutter Buttes Property SP

Region Initiatives

• Priorities include preserving Sutter Buttes and improving water recreation on the Sacramento River.

Park Initiatives6. Bidwell Mansion SHP7. Bidwell-Sacramento River

SP8. Lake Oroville SRA9. Clay Pit SVRA10.Butte City (state park

property)11.Colusa-Sacramento River

SRA 12.Sutter Buttes SP • Sacramento River Water

Trail (proposed)• Feather River Water Trail

(proposed)

Central Valley Visionwww.parks.ca.gov

Thank You!