SJB State Historic Park also expected to be closed by state
cuts
Members of the Fremont Peak Observatory Association said they
are hoping an Aug. 22 meeting to gather support for Fremont Peak
will forego what seems to be an inevitable closure of the state
park as part of a far-reaching budget cut.
”
This isn’t a typical state park as just a recreational use,
”
said Doug Brown, the association’s president.
”
In this case, there is clearly a science and education value
that would be lost. I think the value outweighs the cost.
”
SJB State Historic Park also expected to be closed by state cuts
Members of the Fremont Peak Observatory Association said they are hoping an Aug. 22 meeting to gather support for Fremont Peak will forego what seems to be an inevitable closure of the state park as part of a far-reaching budget cut.
“This isn’t a typical state park as just a recreational use,” said Doug Brown, the association’s president. “In this case, there is clearly a science and education value that would be lost. I think the value outweighs the cost.”
In June, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a widespread closure of state parks, beaches, reserves and historical sites to save $8 million to the state. The original list of proposed closures included more than 200 sites, including Fremont Peak and Henry Coe in the Gavilan sector of the Monterey parks district. According to Gavilan sector Superintendent Eddie Guaracha, when the final state budget passed, it included an additional $6.2 million in cuts to state parks. Now the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park is also in jeopardy. The official list of state park closures is expected to be released to the public on or after Labor Day weekend.
“At this point, we had some preliminary preparation,” Guaracha said.
The historic park has initiated Monday closures, and is looking at ways to partner with the city to keep the park open.
As for Fremont Peak, Brown said the superintendent said the park is likely to close if they can’t come up with the money to fund one ranger position from other income sources.
“I understand the amount he needs to fill the gap and so somehow we need to figure out how to fill that,” Brown said. “He told us if we could find $50,000 to cover this fiscal year and $50,000 to cover the next fiscal year, we could stay open.”
Brown put it in perspective for the nonprofit association.
“For us, that would be basically 30 years of operating costs,” he said. “There is no way we could find that in 30 days.”
Brown and another association member Steve Loos, a local businessman, said the group’s Aug. 22 meeting at 5 p.m. is an effort to inform community leaders and members of the public about the importance of the park.
“As a state park, it is one of the few local state parks that we have easy access to, where families can take their kids to camp and hike,” Loos said. “Fremont Peak is a pending closure. It’s not a maybe anymore. I think it is going to happen. My fear is that people won’t know it’s closing and will drive up to use it, and then it is going to be too late.”
Loos has long been a visitor to the park with his own family, but what really drew him to the park was an interest in astronomy when he was a high school student.
“Even back in the ’70s, Fremont Peak was a popular place for the summer,” he said. “I’ve been going up there for over 30 years… There is really no other resource for astronomy that is as good as Fremont Peak within 100 miles.”
The observatory association maintains the Challenger telescope at the site – a 30-inch telescope – and from May to October they run three public programs a month. In addition, they host free lectures for local school groups. Between 1,500 and 2,000 people attend the lectures each year. In addition, the association members offer an internship program for community college students.
“They learn how to give a public demonstration and learn about astronomy,” Brown said. “Some of them would have been involved in gangs if they weren’t doing something like that – they told me that themselves. It is a very positive experience that affects their career choices.”
Brown said Fremont Peak offers some unique conditions for astronomy.
“At the observatory, we can control light pollution and not have lights shining in people’s eyes,” he said. “Being on a mountaintop, sometimes the fog below cuts down on the city lights. It’s also on the coast, and the airflow is smooth…you don’t get the twinkle of the stars as much. They are not shimmery so you get a much clearer, sharper view of objects because the air is stable.”
The $100,000 figure, Guaracha said, would be the cost to maintain one park ranger for two years. If state park staff were to be completely cut at Fremont Peak, Brown said the group would have to dismantle the telescope for security reasons and put it in storage or find a new site for it.
Guaracha has concerns, too, about a permanent closing of the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park.
“One of the biggest concerns is the condition of the historic structures,” he said. “At least when we have staff here, with the historic adobes, we can keep on and try to maintain the structures. Trying to repair an adobe wall is a time-consuming and long-term project. There are other structures within this sector, such as the hotel, that need immediate attention.”
In addition to worries about maintaining the buildings, Guaracha is aware of the educational loss if the park closes permanently.
“We have approximately 40,000 kids come here every year,” he said, adding that it is almost a tradition for local students. “They come as far away as the Fresno area so it is something that is embedded. We want to meet the needs as far as academics.”
For now, Guaracha and his staff are looking for ways to keep some function of the local state parks, and the association members hope to drum up support with their Saturday meeting.
“We want people to show their support for Fremont Peak and communicate to community leaders how important Fremont Peak is,” Brown said. “Leaders need to understand what the resource is and how important it is for their community and for the future of the use in their community.”
Fremont Peak Observatory Association information meeting
FPOA will host an informational event and barbecue to discuss the loss of the state park with community leaders and members of the public Aug. 22, at 5 p.m. at Fremont Peak Observatory.
For more information, call 623-2465 or visit www.fpoa.net.
