parks

California's Senate Democratic Leader Responds to Park Scandal and Pay Raises

By Amy Quinton • Aug 7, 2012

California’s Senate President Pro Tem is responding to criticisms of legislative pay raises and the hidden assets found at the parks department. The issues are giving ammunition to opponents of Governor Jerry Brown’s tax initiative.

Audit of State's Hidden Surplus Money Due Next Week

By Amy Quinton • Jul 27, 2012

Photo used under Creative Commons from Andy Patterson / Modern Relics / http://www.flickr.com/photos/modernrelics/4461010654/

We should learn next week whether there’s any more hidden surplus money in California state special funds. The state's Finance Department plans to release its audit of those accounts after $54 million dollars in surplus money was found in two parks funds.

California Governor Downplays Parks Scandal

By Amy Quinton • Jul 25, 2012

California Governor Jerry Brown is downplaying the state parks scandal in his first public statement on the issue.

Last week, the Brown administration revealed that the Parks department had failed to report 54 million dollars in two funds for the last 12 years. State Parks Director Ruth Coleman resigned as a result.

But the governor says it’s better to find money than to discover money missing.

On Valley Edition: Valley Environment Study, State Parks, Fresno Zoo

By Juanita Stevenson • Jul 24, 2012

This week on Valley Edition, we talk with the UC Merced scientist behind a new study of the Valley's environment, and find out where we're making progress and where we're still falling behind in cleaning up our air and water. We also examine the fiasco involving the State of California's Department of Parks and Recreation, which last week discovered over $50 million in an account that had gone unreported for a decade, all happening at the same time that many parks have been threatened by closure.

Future of Mariposa Museum Still In Doubt

By Joe Moore • Jul 24, 2012

Randy Bolt has a passion for rocks. Well, not just rocks, but gems and minerals too. He's a historic guide at California's Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa.

He can tell you about the state's official gemstone, "which most people have never even heard of, which is actually one of the rarest gems in the world, it's called Benitoite, named after San Benito Creek."

Or he can tell you about the history of the world-famous nugget from the California Gold Rush that is nearly the size of a basketball.

California Parks Director Resigns Admid Scandal

By Amy Quinton • Jul 20, 2012

California Governor Jerry Brown has accepted the resignation of state Parks Director Ruth Coleman after learning the department underreported tens of millions of dollars for at least 12 years.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the State Parks and Recreation Fund and the Off Highway Vehicle Fund held a total of 54 million dollars more than what was reported.

Community Rallies as State Park Faces Threat of Closure

By Amy Quinton • Jul 19, 2012

Many of California’s state parks were saved from closing this year thanks to operating agreements with nonprofits and private organizations. Others are on the rocks – or narrowly avoided closure, like Benicia State Recreation Area, which we heard about yesterday. But one state park in Nevada County offers quite a different story. As Amy Quinton reports in the second of our two-part series, the entire community pulled together to save South Yuba River State Park.

State Park Scrambles as It Faces Two Week Deadline

By Kathleen Masterson • Jul 17, 2012

It's been a rollercoaster ride for California state parks. A year ago, the Department of Parks and Recreation selected 70 parks to close on July 1st as a result of budget cuts. But operating agreements with private partners have kept 40 of the parks open.

Now it appears all but a handful will stay open, but nobody knows for how long. In the first of a two-part series looking at the state of California's state parks reporter Kathleen Masterson visited one still struggling to stay open.

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On Valley Edition: Learn2Earn; Parks; Fresno Film Festival

By Juanita Stevenson • Apr 24, 2012

This week on Valley Edition, we talk about the new program called Learn2Earn, the future of parks programs in the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield in an era of tight budgets, and learn about the upcoming Fresno Film Festival.

Valley Edition for April 24, 2012:

On Quality of Life: State and National Parks

By Joe Moore • May 24, 2011

Part I: National Parks - Central California's National Parks are known worldwide and attract millions of visitors each year. In 2010, over 4 million people visited Yosemite National Park, just short of breaking the park's all-time record. But those visitors bring big city problems with them, from traffic jams, to pollution and safety concerns. This week on Quality of Life, we examine the difficult task of balancing public access with preservation of natural resources, in Yosemite and beyond.

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