California supporters struggle to buy time for endangered state parks

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/06/17/152620/supporters-struggle-to-buy-time.html

BCHRIS MEGERIAN | Los Angeles Times
BCHRIS MEGERIAN

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — When Ernest Chung started mountain biking in China Camp State Park two decades ago, he never worried about where the money came from to preserve the tree-covered hills, dirt trails and rocky shoreline.

Now that the Marin County, Calif., park is scheduled to close because of budget cuts, it's always on his mind. Chung and his allies are in a race to raise enough money to keep it open, courting deep-pocketed philanthropists, blasting out batches of desperate emails and rounding up musicians from the San Francisco Symphony to serenade potential donors at a fundraiser.

Chung, a retired executive who heads the nonprofit group Friends of China Camp, is part of a grand experiment California has launched to avoid closing 70 parks that state officials say the government can no longer afford to operate. Supporters across the state are trying to find ways to keep treasured natural and historic sites accessible to the public before their scheduled closure next month.

But even if they are successful, the rescue will be a reprieve, not a solution, officials and advocates say. It's a struggle playing out in California and around the country, with lawmakers searching for enough money and the right policies to save parks permanently.