PARKS CALIFORNIA
400 CAPITOL MALL SUITE 900, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 www.parkscalifornia.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: AS CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS' STATUTORY PARTNER, WE HAVE A SIMPLE MISSION-TO HELP STRENGTHEN PARKS AND INSPIRE ALL TO EXPERIENCE THESE EXTRAORDINARY PLACES.

TO HELP STRENGTHEN PARKS

AT PARKS CALIFORNIA, WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY COMMUNITY SHOULD FEEL A SENSE OF CONNECTION TO PARKS AND THE NATURAL WORLD. WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL HAS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP, IT EVOKES A SENSE OF PROTECTION AND STEWARDSHIP FOR THE PLACES THEY HOLD DEAR. THROUGH LOCAL AND RELEVANT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND OUR COMMITMENT TO PARK EQUITY, PARKS CALIFORNIA CONTRIBUTES TO THE LONG-TERM HEALTH OF OUR PARK SYSTEM AND COMMUNITIES. WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN BY FACILITATING AND CO-DESIGNING PARK EXPERIENCES THAT SPEAK TO ALL PEOPLE STATEWIDE, BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AND NATURE.PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.PASSPORTS: REIMAGINING THE SCHOOL FIELD TRIPTHIS 3-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM WORKS TO RE-IMAGINE THE K-12 FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCE IN CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS. IT BUILDS OFF THE EXISTING PORTS - PARKS ONLINE RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM, PROVIDING DIGITAL INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR CLASSROOMS AND IN-PARK USE, AND FUNDING TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO PAY TRANSPORTATION COSTS FOR PARK VISITS. PARKS CALIFORNIA HAS PARTNERED WITH COMPUTER USING EDUCATORS TO DESIGN AND PROVIDE PROJECT AND LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT OF THE PILOT PROGRAM, WHICH WILL SERVE 4,250 STUDENTS OVER THE PROJECT PERIOD.WITH COVID-19 HAMPERING IN-PERSON FIELDTRIPS, INITIAL FOCUS WAS PLACED ON DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT'S ONLINE RESOURCE LIBRARY, WHICH INCLUDES NEW CURRICULUM FOR PRE- AND POST- CLASSROOM USE, COMPLETE WITH STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES TIED TO STATE CONTENT STANDARDS. CONCURRENTLY, AN ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING CDPR PROGRAMS RELATED TO EDUCATION AND STUDENT ACCESS WAS COMPLETED. OAT - OUTDOOR ACCESS TOGETHEROUTDOOR ACCESS TOGETHER (OAT), A JOINT PROJECT OF FRESNO BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES (BHC), LATINO OUTDOORS, YOUTH OUTSIDE, THE OUTDOOR EMPOWER NETWORK, AND PARKS CALIFORNIA, IS A PILOT PROGRAM DESIGNED TO BUILD LOCAL CAPACITY TO CONNECT TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES TO THE OUTDOORS. BY PACKAGING EXPERTISE AND WORKING WITH THE LOCAL BHC, OAT ENSURES THAT LOCAL STRUCTURES ARE IN PLACE FOR YOUTH, FAMILIES, AND RESIDENTS TO SHARE THE MANY BENEFITS OF TIME CONNECTING TO AND IN NATURE. COVID-19'S IMPACT ON THE OAT PROJECT WAS ABRUPT, BUT THE PARTNERSHIP HAS BEEN ADAPTABLE. TO COMPENSATE FOR THE CHALLENGE, THE OAT NETWORK PIVOTED TO A PHASED LAUNCH APPROACH. THIS ALLOWED THE PARTNERS TO BUILD PROGRAMMATIC INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE KEEPING THE COMMUNITY SAFE. IN 2020, BHC/OAT HAS:-HIRED A LATINO OUTDOORS COORDINATOR AND RECRUITED FIVE VOLUNTEER AMBASSADORS, WHO HAVE HOSTED SMALL BUT COVID-SAFE OUTINGS; -LAUNCHED A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM; -INITIATED AN OUTDOOR EDUCATORS INSTITUTE (OEI) WITH A SMALL LEADERSHIP GROUP;-OPENED THE OUTDOOR ACCESS HUB, AN OUTDOOR GEAR LENDING LIBRARY; AND-STARTED A NEW GRANT-FUNDED PARTNERSHIP WITH YOSEMITE, ENABLING FUTURE FIELDTRIPS FOR FRESNO RESIDENTS TO THIS NEARBY NATIONAL PARK. ROUTE TO PARKS GRANTSEVERYONE DESERVES A WORLD-CLASS PARK EXPERIENCE, AND ALL BENEFIT FROM A LIFE-LONG CONNECTION TO NATURE. HOWEVER, TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS PREVENT MANY FROM EXPERIENCING THEIR LOCAL PARKS. TO ENSURE THE STATE PARK SYSTEM IS ACCESSIBLE AND RELEVANT TO ALL VISITORS, PARKS CALIFORNIA LAUNCHED ITS ROUTE TO PARKS GRANT PROGRAM. THE GOALS FOR THIS PROGRAM INCLUDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT IMPROVE PARK ACCESS AND ENHANCE THE PARK EXPERIENCE FOR VISITORS, THE CREATION OF INNOVATIVE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES ACCESS TO STATE PARKS AND BEACHES, AND THE CAPTURE OF BEST PRACTICES FOR CREATING RELEVANT AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS THAT ADDRESS TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS TO PARKS. AFTER SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH AND INTERVIEWS WITH NONPROFIT PARTNERS, GRANT MAKERS, FOUNDATIONS AND OTHERS, A NUMBER OF BEST-PRACTICE TOOLS AND PROCESSES WERE IMPLEMENTED. APPLICANTS EXPRESSED A PRIORITY FOR COLLABORATION WITH ADDITIONAL STAKEHOLDERS, MULTIPLE AND MEANINGFUL OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES, AND INNOVATIVE TRANSPORTATION APPROACHES THAT COULD BE SCALED STATEWIDE. OVER 50 GRANT APPLICATIONS WERE RECEIVED AND VETTED BY COMMITTEE. AN ANONYMOUS DONOR MATCHED THE PUBLIC FUNDING, SO TWENTY NONPROFIT AWARDS OF UP TO $25.5K WERE AWARDED. GRANTEES WILL PROVIDE PARK ACCESS TO A CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF OVER 9,000 YOUTH AND/OR FAMILIES FROM ACROSS THE STATE REPRESENTING ALL DEMOGRAPHICS IN 2021. A THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTOR, THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO'S NONPROFIT INSTITUTE, IS DEVELOPING THE GRANTEE AND OVERALL PROGRAM EVALUATION. REOPENING CA STATE PARKS, (COVID) GRANTSWE CREATED A GRANTS PROGRAM TO COMBAT THE PARK REOPENING CHALLENGES RESULTING FROM COVID-19. REOPENING CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS, COVID-19 SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO SUPPORT THE SAFE OPERATIONS OF CALIFORNIA STATE PARK VISITOR CENTERS, BOOKSTORES, MUSEUMS, AND GIFT SHOPS AS THEY OPEN THEIR DOORS TO VISITORS. ULTIMATELY ENABLING 60 LOCAL PARTNERS TO PURCHASE PRECAUTIONARY SAFETY ITEMS INCLUDING PLEXIGLASS, SIGNAGE, PPE FACE MASKS, HAND SANITIZER, FLOOR TAPE AND MORE. SUPPORTING PARKS ONLINE RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS (PORTS)WITH THE TRANSITION TO VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS IN CALIFORNIA IN 2020, MANY KIDS WERE LEFT DISAPPOINTED AS PLANNED FIELD TRIPS WERE CANCELLED STATEWIDE. YET THROUGH THE INNOVATION OF ITS PORTS PROGRAM, CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS CONTINUE TO PROVIDE VIRTUAL TRIPS TO THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS EACH WEEK. WE SUPPORT PORTS, NOW IN ITS 17TH YEAR, TO ENSURE EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DIGITALLY CONNECT WITH PARKS ACROSS THE STATE. PARKS CALIFORNIA HAS PROVIDED TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT ALLOWING THE PROGRAM TO MORE THAN DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF PARKS TO RUN LIVE, INTERACTIVE VIDEO-CONFERENCING.

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