Building California's State Parks

In 2010, California voters rejected Proposition 21, which would have added an $18 annual surcharge to vehicle license fees and raised about $500 million annually to fund state park and wildlife conservation programs and prevent the closure of up to 70 park sites.

During difficult economic times, it hardly seems surprising that parks and recreation, a state-funded resource that some consider non essential, would be given low priority. However, a look at the rapid growth of California's park system throughout the last century, and the degree of public support the system has received even during times of financial hardship, suggest that the recent threats to the park system are historically inconsistent.

Scroll through this timeline showing the rapid evolution of one of America's oldest and largest state park systems.

Matthew Green