COUNTY PARK FRIENDS AWARDED OUTDOOR EQUITY PROGRAM GRANT
June 1, 2022 Live Oak, Santa Cruz County, Calif.—County Park Friends is proud to announce they have been awarded the Outdoor Equity Program grant from California State Parks to expand access to outdoor experiences on public lands for families and youth in the Live Oak neighborhood. “We asked Live Oak families what they wanted and needed for their children to fully enjoy public parks and nature.” said Executive Director Mariah Roberts. “This grant is built on what we learned from the families who will participate.” Along with 125 total communities statewide, the funding helps establish a community hub at Brommer County Park for local activities and trips to natural areas for underserved communities. The program also empowers youth and families with outdoor leadership education, career pathways, environmental justice engagement, and access to nature. “California State Parks is incredibly proud to announce grant funding to strengthen access to parks and open spaces and contribute to a better quality of life for Californians,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “These programs will turn parks into outdoor classrooms, inspiring a new generation of environmental leadership in California.” For the first grant cycle of the program, State Parks evaluated 384 grant applications totaling $167.78 million in requests. The $57 million in grants was made available through general funds approved by the California Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 state budgets. In addition to County Park Friends (Friends of Santa Cruz County Parks) multiple other Monterey Bay communities received grants in a testament to area commitment and best practices, with the full list of projects available online at parks.ca.gov/oep. In 2019, the Outdoor Equity Grants Program was enacted when Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 209. The concept for the grant program began with findings in the 2015 Parks Forward Commission Report stating that State Parks must expand access to parks for underserved communities and urban populations. The 2015 Parks Forward discussions became a catalyst for AB 209. Californians shared a similar vision in 2017 during 30 focus groups with over 500 participants for the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. Throughout the state, from heavily urbanized to rural areas, Californians emphasized a desire for multi-generational programs that “bring families together,” activate local parks and take residents with transportation challenges to natural areas outside their communities. “Delivering services across the state – including in many communities currently without adequate outdoor programs – will make a real, lasting difference in the lives of young people and all residents,” said Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “I am especially excited about empowering young people to explore their leadership potential. It’s one more way the state of California is working to improve the lives of all Californians.” Four of every 10 Californians have no access to open space within walking distance of their home and six of every 10 Californians live in park-poor neighborhoods. Programs such as the Outdoors Equity Grants Program help advance the “Outdoor Access for All” initiative championed by Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the Natural Resources Agency’s “Outdoors for All” initiative. This effort expands outdoor access to all Californians through focused investments in open space infrastructure, outdoor programming, and improvements to permit applications, with a priority to expanding access in underserved communities. |