Thanks to the efforts of volunteers Eleanor Osgood, Garry George and Martha Balkan, LA Audubon gathered the most signatures for the initiative of any large chapter in California winning the $1,000 Incentive offered by Audubon California. In early May, the Save Our State Parks campaign delivered over 700,000 signatures, far more than the 400,000 needed to qualify for the ballot. The California State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010 will be on the November ballot! The act establishes an $18 increase in car registration fees, for which registrants receive free admission to all State Parks, that is placed in a trust overseen by a Citizens Oversight Committee. The trust fund cannot be borrowed from, reduced, or touched by the Legislature or the Governor. It is estimated that the registration fee increase will bring permanent funding to California State Parks such as our own Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park, Rio de Los Angeles State Park, Malibu Creek State Park, Topanga State Park, Point Dume State Park, Placerita State Park, Dockweiler State Beach, Castaic Lake, all places that are important for birds and birders.
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