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Fellow residents around Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, who live with the worst air quality in the nation, likely expect a break from that hazard when they escape to places like Joshua Tree National Park. Unless there’s a nearby wildfire or other disaster happening, I’ve certainly never worried about air pollution when I’ve visited eight of California’s nine national parks. (Lassen, I’m coming for you!)
So when I saw the latest Polluted Parks report from the National Parks Conservation Association that says 97% of 399 key national park sites are experiencing “significant” or “unsatisfactory” levels of human-caused ozone pollution, with the four most polluted sites in California, I had to write a story. Click here to read that article, which includes steps we all can take to help reverse the problem and stay safe when we visit these sacred places.
Of course, California’s state parks also are being impacted by climate change.
Two days after my national parks story came out, the California State Parks Foundation released its first report that looks at how rising seas, warmer temperatures, increased widlfire risks and other side effects of climate change are harming state parks today and threatening worse damage down the road. Those parks make up almost a quarter of California’s coastline and include everything from coastal redwoods to wetlands to desert.
“We are seeing the increasing effects of the climate crisis up close and personal in state parks,” said Claire Schlotterbeck, executive director of Hills For Everyone, a partner organization working in Chino Hills State Park. “In our region, too many fires have burned through our park, allowing opportunistic invasive species to take over the burn area and displace local wildlife.”
But Schlotterbeck said seven recommendations laid out in the foundation’s 70-page report could help. Most of those recommendations would require funding, including suggestions to add more protected state park space and to support programs that would help existing programs adapt to risks and climate-friendlier practices. But the state parks department is instead facing funding cuts, including to its popular library park pass program, amid a looming state budget deficit.
“California State Parks has effectively used its limited resources to increase climate resilience and to develop strategies to build a climate-resilient state park system, but we need more,” said Rachel Norton, executive director of the California State Parks Foundation. “We need policies that prioritize state parks. We need the permanent staff to carry out these policies and adequate, sustained funding. We need climate resilience built into every aspect of park management, from ecosystem stewardship to building climate-smart infrastructure to public outreach and education.”
Protecting these places not only safeguards them for visitors, for indigenous communities and for all of the flora and fauna linked to them, but the report points out it also helps fight climate change. Undisturbed forests are huge carbon sinks, while healthy ecosystems are less likely to experience catastrophic wildfires that worsen climate change.
“State parks can be a powerful tool in fighting the climate crisis,” Norton said, “but we need to make it happen.”
— By Brooke Staggs, environment reporter
ENERGIZE
Oil slick remains mystery: A 2-mile-long oil sheen spotted offshore of Huntington Beach late last week raised concerns that another spill could be underway. But while Laylan Connelly reports the source of the sheen is still being investigated, authorities said the problem appears to be contained and that enough has been cleaned up to call off the emergency response effort. …READ MORE…
Hydrogen tests still in hot seat: Following protests I’ve been covering since late 2022, SoCalGas has scaled back plans to replace up to 20% of natural gas in some UC Irvine pipelines with lower-carbon hydrogen. The utility now wants California’s first “real world” hydrogen-blending test to happen in a small, low-income, Latino farming town near Fresno. Controversy around the projects is part of a larger debate over the role hydrogen should play in our cleaner energy future. …READ MORE…
Quote from a supporter: “We’re going to need all the tools in the toolbox to get to greenhouse gas neutrality.”
Quote from a protestor: “The hydrogen blending pilot at UCI was an expensive, poorly thought out proposal, but this new iteration is even worse.”
Creative spots for solar: Forget the rooftop vs. open land debate. With demand for solar energy booming, developers are getting creative with where to put installations. From landfills to art installations, Jessica Nix with Bloomberg News highlighted five unexpected places you can find a solar farm — or at least some strategically placed panels. …READ MORE…
Keeping an eye on San Onofre: “Gary Headrick walked the soggy sea wall between the nuclear plant and the roiling ocean at king tide. Wild waves crashed just yards from where millions of pounds of nuclear waste sat, encased in steel and concrete. It felt scary.” Teri Sforza looks at how rising king tides and groundwater levels might impact the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. …READ MORE…
REGULATE
No expansion at controversial landfill: The Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, which has been plagued by odor complaints for years, won’t get to expand after a state water agency denied a needed permit. Colleague Steve Scauzillo reports regulators cited concerns about toxic leachate running down the landfill’s slopes and possibly contaminating underground drinking water supplies. …READ MORE…
Tampon PFAS bill is back: A new bill could ban the sale of tampons and other menstrual products that contain potentially toxic “forever” chemicals in California, reports Mackenzie Mays with the Los Angeles Times. Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected a similar effort last year that had strong support from legislators. ...READ MORE…
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HYDRATE
Colorado River debate rages on: Shortages from the Colorado River may not be top of mind for many people now that we’re nearing the end of our second wet winter. But the debate among Western states over long-term plans to conserve that critical resource is still roaring. Ian James with the Los Angeles Times has the latest on where things stand. …READ MORE…
TRANSPORT
$200 million fix proposed: As work continues on a 200-foot-long wall to keep a slipping hillside off train tracks in San Clemente, our Laylan Connelly reports Orange County Transportation Authority planners are proposing to spend $200 million more to protect the train line that’s long been plagued by closures. …READ MORE…
Good news/bad news for Rivian: Irvine-based Rivian is halting plans to build a new multibillion-dollar factory in Georgia while celebrating the debut of its lower-priced R2 and R3 prototypes. Ed Ludlow with Bloomberg has details on the coming models. …READ MORE…
The little (electric) engine that could: The nation’s first all-electric tug boat has docked at the Port of San Diego and expects to begin emissions-free operations in about a month, reports Rob Nikolewski at our sister paper The San Diego Union-Tribune. …READ MORE…
CELEBRATE
Study back on: An unfinished study to restore the Arroyo Seco stream in western San Gabriel Valley is back, our Steve Scauzillo reports, after Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors asked public works to complete an analysis abandoned by the Army Corps of Engineers seven years ago. It’s a sign that efforts to return native fish, remove concrete barriers and add bikeways along its banks could be realized. …READ MORE…
Run for the planet: Heading into Saturday’s Catalina marathon, I wrote about how organizers have made the oldest trail event in California sustainable, their efforts to be certified by the Council For Responsible Sport, and how organizers and participants for other events can be greener, too. …READ MORE…
P.S.: The first-time runner I interviewed, Jacob Pletcher, did indeed finish this difficult course at No. 189 out of 425 runners!
Grunion season, which kicked off on March 10, 2024, is a chance to see a rare sight of fish spawning on the shoreline. The phenomenon happens twice a month, during new and full moons, through August. (AP Photo/Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Gary Florin)
EXPLORE
Grunion run 2024 is on: Grunion season is now officially underway. If you’ve never seen the spectacle, it happens twice a month through August. But before you head out armed with flashlights, Laylan Connelly reports there are new rules and regulations to know. She’s also got tips on where to go and how best to see them in the dark of night. …READ MORE…
PITCH IN
Help clean a Riverside creek: For this week’s tip on how Southern Californians can help the environment… Volunteers are needed Saturday, March 16, to help clean up Sunnyslope Creek in Riverside’s Louis Robidoux Parkland and Pecan Grove. The cleanup will be from 8-10 a.m., with snacks and free class by master gardeners after. Click here to RSVP and get more details.
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Related Articles
After protests, SoCalGas scales back plans to test hydrogen energy at UC Irvine
The little (electric) engine that could: California port unveils the nation’s first all-electric tug boat
Four most polluted national park sites are in California
Why trees in Los Angeles are political, cherished, underfunded and controversial
Catalina Island Marathon team shows big event can leave small footprint