Partners in park sustainability, education and advocacy! |
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In This Issue
- What's New With CALPA?
- CALPA Member's Corner
- California State Parks Updates
- Park Partner Updates
- CALPA Board of Directors - 2021
- Park Partner Organization Quick Links
Important information for our readers: Some systems may truncate this newsletter. Look for "View entire message" link at the bottom of this email to see the full newsletter.
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Dear CALPA Members and Park Supporters,
I will make this short because I know that all of us are busy getting ready to re-open. Even if we are re-opening a little, it seems it is as much work as fully re-opening, getting our teams and our parks ready to welcome visitors like we used to. And I know I speak for all of us that it can’t come soon enough!
I want to take this opportunity to let you know that CALPA will be reaching out soon to all of you to learn about what makes a successful partnership. In collaboration with the Partnership Office, Parks California, and the Potrero Group, we are going to gather success stories from cooperating associations, nonprofits with operating agreements, concessions, field staff and others who help to make parks in California the gems that they are. Some of our data gathering is already going on behind the scenes, some will be in the form of short surveys, and some will be interviews with you to hear and record your stories. We look forward to hearing from you over the next few months and hope you will give us your time to make your voice heard!
George Loyer
President, CALPA
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SAVE THE DATE
Dates:
October 17-20, 2022
Location:
Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley)
Warner Center Marriott - Woodland Hills, CA
Who Should Attend:
Nonprofit Board Members and Staff
State Parks Staff
Concessionaires
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Park Partner Database and Survey Project |
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CALPA is currently developing a database that captures what success looks like for park partners. This information will be used to inform future trainings and capacity building activities and services. Look for a survey in the next few months, followed by an opportunity to be interviewed by CALPA board members for more in-depth information. CALPA is conducting this project in collaboration with the California State Parks Partnership's office, Parks California, and the Potrero Group. |
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Please welcome our first CALPA interns, Charlton Ellzey and William Ellzey! In our effort to grow CALPA as an organization, we have started an ongoing internship program in cooperation with Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business. Both Charlton and William are working on their Master's degrees in International Business and just happen to be brothers. They reside in the Los Angeles area. Each week, our interns have been visiting some of our amazing California State Parks in Southern California to meet with park staff and park partners. You may be hearing from our interns as they work on several projects such as the survey/database project, the 2022 CALPA Conference, and our social media. |
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CALPA-PLA Online Community |
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All CALPA member organizations have access to the PLA Online Community on the Public Lands Alliance (PLA) Platform. Remember that this is YOUR community of like-minded park partner professionals. Feel free to submit your questions in the online community. Many of your colleagues are experiencing the same types of issues that you are experiencing, and some may have great solutions to share. If your organization is an active member of CALPA, you are eligible to access this useful tool! For more information on joining CALPA and getting access to the PLA benefits, please visit our membership home page.
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Do you have a success story from your organization and/or your park that you would like to share with our readers? To share your organization's or park's success story in one of our upcoming e-newsletters or on our social media, please follow this link to a brief form to submit your success story for consideration in future communications.
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Parks Related Job Postings |
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Do you have a job opening that you would like others in our park organizations to know about? Please follow this link to submit your job opening for consideration in a future CALPA communication.
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Educational Opportunities |
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DPR Form 973 Annual Report: Tips, Challenges, and Lessons Learned - Join us on Wednesday, June 30th @ 1 PM for an informative webinar on completing the DPR Form 973 Annual Report! Rene Hamlin will be presenting the nuts and bolts of the form, followed by a panel discussion from cooperating association members on their tips, process, and challenges with the form. Come learn from your fellow CALPA member organizations. Preregistration is required; webinar is FREE.
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Member Grant Opportunity Suggestions |
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Route to Parks Grant - Applications due August 6, 2021 (see more details in Parks California Update below)
Do you know of a great grant opportunity that might be useful to other CALPA members? Use this link to submit your suggestion for consideration to be included in one of our future communications.
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Public Lands Alliance Benefits |
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Don't forget that CALPA members also have access to the Public Lands Alliance member benefits thanks to our join membership program! Here are some PLA benefit highlights:
- Access to online forums for collaboration and connection with other public lands partners (National and State of California)
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Free online training webinars and access to the PLA Resource Library
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Advocacy resources, training and support
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And much more!
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Not already a CALPA Member? All nonprofit organizations and/or individuals serving the California State Park System are invited to join CALPA, which is founded on the principle that member organizations are independent, but not alone. Association memberships include access to the Public Lands Alliance (PLA) benefits as well. |
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July 28, 2021 - 1 PM - CALPA Educational Webinar: Healthy Parks and Parks Rx - Registration Coming Soon!
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October 17 - 20, 2022 - CALPA Conference - Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley) - Details Coming Soon!
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California State Parks Updates |
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Getting Ready to Open for the Season? |
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Everyone has been looking forward to the Governor's orders on reopening the State on June 15th. As you start to plan your opening and resume normal activities please check in with your District to make sure your plans are in line with the District’s reopening plan. You can also consult the California State Parks COVID 19 Resource Center for the latest updates.
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May Revised Budget:
Have you had a chance to review it yet?
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According to the Budget Summary from Natural Resources, “six of every ten Californians live in park-poor neighborhoods and four of every ten Californians have no access to open space within walking distance of their home.”
The Governor's proposed budget is providing a source of one-time fund expenditures. These expenditures are focusing on key state park initiatives such as, outdoor access for all, outdoor education, park development and community revitalization and fire resiliency. You can read more of the budget summery for Natural Resources on the state's website.
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Partnerships Division Office |
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Fond Farewell to Christina Jaromay and Paige Haller |
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We wish the best to Christina Jaromay, Chief of the Partnerships Division, as she moves to a new and exciting chapter of her career with the City of Lodi as their new Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director. Read all about her new position here.
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Paige Haller is still with State Parks, now reporting to the Sierra District. She still supports the Partnership Division when she can. We will still be seeing her around and working with her in a new capacity. |
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California State Parks Weekly Digests |
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Updates from Parks California |
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2021-2022 Route to Parks Grants
Parks California is proud to launch its second year of the Route to Parks Grant Program, which supports improvements to park access for all Californians. Applications are due on August 6, 2021 at 5 PM PST. Please refer to the Route to Parks Grants information page on the Parks California website for details on the eligibility criteria and grant application process.
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Updates from California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) |
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Recap of Park Advocacy Day 2021
On Wednesday, April 28 California State Parks Foundation hosted the 19th annual Park Advocacy Day. Over 200 advocates joined the General Session webinar for 2 hours of engaging on park issues and hearing from park leaders. Speakers included California State Parks Director Armando Quintero, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, Danielle Lynch of Environmental and Energy Consulting, and Tanisha Gupta, California State Parks Foundation volunteer. If you missed it, you can view recording and slides presented during the webinar.
Director Quintero spoke about the importance of advocacy, and how it is the origin of the oldest state park in the system, Big Basin Redwoods State Park. It came about from lobbying the legislature and gathering signatures from citizens, convincing the legislature that starting a state park system was a good idea. Assemblymember Garcia spoke to advocates about his bill, AB 1500, and his general priorities for parks this year. Danielle Lynch reviewed the state budget and legislation with a park focus. Highlighting areas for expanding park access and climate change. She also spoke about SB 85 (Ting) Budget Act of 2020: Early Action Wildfire and Forest Resilience Package, which was signed into law on April 13 and is available immediately. The funding totals at $536M, including $15M for state parks. You can read more about the Governor Newsom’s proposed budget and bills that impact California state parks.
Due to the pandemic and not being able to walk the halls of the Capitol, advocates were provided tools and resources to get to know their legislator, learn about the legislative process, action alerts, and social media toolkits. The most urgent deadline is June 15, where Governor Newsom will approve the FY21-22 budget. You can check California State Parks Foundation’s Act Now page to get the most up-to-date action alerts that need support.
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Updates from California Parks Hospitality Association (CPHA) |
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Pandemic Relief for Concessionaires
Among other priorities, for the past several months the CPHA leadership has been working with State Parks and its membership to identify and implement actions to keep concessions open despite the pandemic impacts. A statewide temporary rent relief policy ends on 6/30; however, the DPR will consider continued relief on a "case by case basis". Concessionaires and State Parks have worked well together during the pandemic, and will continue as visitation increases over the busy Summer months.
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CALPA Board of Directors - 2021 |
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Officers:
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President - George Loyer
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Vice President, Development - Rod Smith
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Vice President, Education and Outreach - Carolyn Christian
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Vice President, Nominations and Governance - Bri Fordem
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Vice President, Membership - Ashley Tittle
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Secretary - Thomas Stratton
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Treasurer - Rick Vogel
Board Members:
Elizabeth Cameron / Ruth Coleman / Laura Davick / Heidi Doyle / Virginia Green
Dr. Jarrell Jackman / Michele Luna / Chuck Ross / Sarah Sweedler / Kate Wheeler
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Interested in joining the CALPA Board of Directors? Contact Bri Fordem, VP of Nominations and Governance.
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Park Partner Organizations Quick Links |
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3580 Prestwick Circle
Oceanside, CA 92056
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