Opinion: California must create climate-resilient state parks
Four years ago, over 97% of Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz County burned during the state’s worst wildfire season in recorded history. Last year, unprecedented winter storms caused an estimated $190 million in damages to coastal parks. And at Seacliff State Beach, also in Santa Cruz County, storms flooded the campground and destroyed the beach’s historic pier. Climate change and the resulting severe wildfires, extreme storms and rising sea levels are increasingly threatening our beloved state parks. … To address this unprecedented threat, we need to create climate-resilient state parks that can prepare for, adapt to and recover from climate impacts.
-Written by Rachel Norton, the executive director of the California State Parks Foundation.