Nevada County Set to Deliver 10,000 Signatures to Governor Brown

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 2, 2012

Nevada City, CA— A delegation of local parks supporters will hand-deliver over 10,000 letters and petition signatures to Governor Brown on February 8^th in an effort to convince him and State Parks officials to remove the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks from the list of 70 State Parks slated to close in July 2012.

“The ‘Yuba Express’ is headed to the Capitol carrying the demand from over 10,000 community members that these beloved state parks must remain open,” said Caleb Dardick, executive director of the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), which launched the letter writing and signature drive less than two months ago with the goal to collect 5,000 names that has since doubled.

Last week, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a letter to State Parks officials supporting the State Parks Departments plan to start charging for parking at Bridgeport to generate needed revenue for the South Yuba River State Park. State Parks staff have stated that new revenues are required if the park is to remain open.

The Nevada County Supervisors also joined City Councilmembers from Nevada City, Grass Valley and Truckee in signing a joint statement as individuals explaining their strong opposition to the closures that will be sent to state officials this week. “It’s very unusual to see 20 individuals – especially elected officials – speak with a common voice. The very fact that we did this shows how highly prized these parks are to our community,” said Nevada City Councilman Robert Bergman who went to each of his colleagues for their support.

Several dozen community members and students from the Grass Valley Charter School will caravan to the Capitol where they will meet with State leaders and deliver the petitions to Governor Brown, Resource Secretary John Laird, Parks Director Ruth Coleman, State Senator Doug LaMalfa, and Assemblymember Dan Logue.

This will be a return visit for more than 25 students at Grass Valley Charter School who collectively collected over 1,100 petition signatures and met with Secretary Laird in mid-December. On that first trip, students explained to Laird that “nature is their teacher, and the parks are their classrooms,” recalled Alex Ezzell, Adventure & Service Teacher at Grass Valley Charter School.

The grassroots effort to save these two local state parks kicked off with a major Town Hall meeting co-sponsored by SYRCL on December 12, 2011 in Nevada City, which more than four hundred community members attended.

What: Local delegation of community members and students, the “Yuba Express,” to hand deliver 10,000 letters and petitions asking State leaders to remove South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks from the Closure List

When: Wednesday, February 8^th, 10:30am (Deliver to Governor’s office at 11:30am) – or carpool from Safeway (105 Neal Street, Grass Valley at 8:30 am)

Where: State Capitol Hearing Room 126, Sacramento (1400 10th Street, Sacramento, 95814)

Contacts:

Caleb Dardick, Executive Director
South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL)
(530) 265-5961 x207, caleb@syrcl.org