FRIENDS OF SANTA CRUZ STATE PARKS

In 2019, thanks to our wonderful supporters and community partners, working with California State Parks, we:

-Supported projects and programs in 35 state parks and beaches in Santa Cruz County and coastal San Mateo County.

-Provided project management, marketing, event planning, community outreach, fundraising and administrative support to our local California State Parks.

- Continued to grow Kids2Parks (K2P), an innovative park-equity program to bring students on field trips to the parks including Wilder Ranch, Henry Cowell, Castle Rock, Seacliff, Rancho del Oso, Castro Adobe, Natural Bridges and The Forest of Nisene Marks. This school year, K2P will serve 4,230 students. (Partners: Kitayama Brothers Flowers, Santa Cruz Elks Lodge #824, The Sempervirens Fund, Portola and Castle Rock Foundation, and other generous donors).

-Funded State Parks interpretive staff who led thousands of school field trips at 17 state parks and beaches.

-Employed 88 Friends Visitor Service Aides and 12 Senior Visitor Service Aides at our local parks and beaches.

All Parks
-Launched Commemorative Picnic Table Program.

Año Nuevo
-Funded replacement of the Kiosk planter and restored vegetation with native plants.

Big Basin
-Funded replacement of trail guide kiosks, water treatment facilities and emergency fuel needed during this year’s harsh winter.

Big Basin & Castle Rock
-Funded repair and realignment of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail (Partner: The Nathan Foley-Mendelssohn Family)

Castle Rock
-Opened the new Robert C. Kirkwood Entrance Station in partnership with State Parks and The Sempervirens Fund, and contracted with State Parks to take full financial responsibility for management of the new park.

Castro Adobe
-Project-managed and funded construction of partition walls, electrical and alarm systems, and planning for fire suppression, lighting, paint and final finishes.
-Launched double-match campaign to raise funds for restoration. (Partners: Friends Board and Staff Matching Fund, James and Carol Toney Matching Fund)
-Funded interpretive planning including research, exhibit design, interpretive content and furnishings selection.
-Furnished the cocina (historic kitchen).
-Designed, built and installed barn owl boxes.
-Launched habitat restoration project in an environmentally sensitive watershed.

Forest of Nisene Marks
-Funded road repairs and improvements and trail signs installation project. (Partner: Advocates for the Forest of Nisene Marks)

Half Moon Bay
-Funded installation of traffic control barriers at various area beaches.

Henry Cowell
-Funded installation of an interpretive mural and taxidermy exhibit of a mountain lion. (Mural artist: Ann Elizabeth Thiermann)

Natural Bridges
-Funded new entrance kiosk, which kicked-off a program to replace deteriorated kiosks at various parks.

Pigeon Point
-Funded restoration of the Lighthouse Fog Signal Building. (Partner: Coastside State Parks Association)

Portola Redwoods
-Supported upgrade of the campground.
(Partner: Portola and Caste Rock Foundation)

Santa Cruz Mission
-Purchased artifacts to replace items lost in a break-in, fortified the door and upgraded the alarm system to prevent future losses. (Partners: California Missions Foundation
and a generous donor)
-Through Friends’ new ThatsMyPark Press brand, launched The Mission Santa Cruz Mystery: Seven Clues to Find the Site of the First Mission by Melanie J Mayer, with artwork by Ann Elizabeth Thiermann, to benefit the park.

Seabright and Twin Lakes
-Funded removal of driftwood and debris from the past winter storms, eliminating a fire hazard, and clearing the way for rescue operations.

Seacliff
-Upgraded the Visitor Center with new carpeting and a revamped ParkStore.

Wilder Ranch
-Funded the Farm Animal Program, materials for the Cow Barn restoration and repairs to livestock fencing for pastures and corrals.

FRIENDS SUPPORTERS CAME TOGETHER
for our beloved parks and beaches through an impressive array of local events and partnerships.

FRIENDS-SUPPORTED STATE PARKS EVENTS
-Natural Bridges State Beach – Welcome Back Monarchs Day and Migration Festival
-Wilder Ranch State Park – Gardening and Wool Day, Heritage Harvest Festival, Old-Fashioned Independence Day and Holidays on the Ranch
-Castro Adobe State Historic Park – Monthly Open House events and Holidays on the Rancho
-Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park – Summer Archaeology Program (Partner: Santa Clara University Cultural Resource Dept)
-Half Moon Bay State Beach – Wildflower Festival/Earth Day Celebration (Partners: Coastside State Parks Association, California State Parks Foundation)
-Seacliff State Beach – Centennial Celebration of the SS Palo Alto (aka “The Cement Ship”) (Partner: E.Clampus Vitas. Supporters: Pizza 1, Safeway, Taquitos Gabriel’s, Aces Flower, Forget Me Not Clothing, Juicy Sweet, Pacific Coffee Roasting, State Parks Junior Guards)
-Henry Cowell Redwoods – Annual State Parks Volunteer Celebration (Partners: Mountain Parks Foundation, Coastside State Parks Association, Waddell Creek Association, Portola and Castle Rock Foundation)

FRIENDS-HOSTED EVENTS
-Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
 PopUp Picnics in the Park
 7th Annual Mole & Mariachi Festival
 Book Talk with Melanie J. Mayer and Ann Elizabeth Thiermann, author and artist of The Mission Santa Cruz Mystery: Seven Clues to Find the Site of the First Mission

-Castro Adobe State Historic Park – “Thankful for our Stewards: Creating a New State Historic Park Together,” special open house celebrating progress toward restoration.
-Seacliff State Beach – 4th of July Feed the Force event to supply refreshments throughout the day to first-responders. (Partners: Woodstock’s Pizza, Crystal Springs Water, Pacific Cookie Company, Marianne’s Ice Cream)

FRIENDS PARTNER EVENTS & PROGRAMS
-10th Annual Kitayama Brothers Gerbera Festival supporting Kids2Parks
-SS Palo Alto History Talk at the Aptos History Museum, along with concert at Cabrillo College, celebrating the centennial of the SS Palo Alto (aka “The Cement Ship”)
-Friends ParkStore wholesale partners: American Cycling, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Down Works, Epicenter Cycling, Kelly’s Books, Outdoor World, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, and the Waddell Creek Association

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT & PARK EQUITY
-Lifeguard Aquatic Safety Talks and Career Panels: Piloted program that provided more than 500 middle school and high school students with information on rip current awareness, beach safety and careers in California State Parks.
-Launched year three of TEAM Castro, high school youth leadership development program with seniors from Watsonville High School.
-Developed high school field trip model with Santa Cruz County Office of Education, serving students from alternative high schools.
-Partnered with Watsonville High School’s Environmental Science and Natural Resources Academy to provide students with additional opportunities to connect with California State Parks.
-Partnered with Community Bridges’ Nueva Vista program to offer 4th year of Summer Fun in Parks and a Spring Ocean Scholars program for youth in Santa Cruz’s Beach Flats community.
-Partnered with Your Future is Our Business and staffed 11 high school career fairs.
-Friends Community Outreach Director recognized as United Way Advocate of the Year
for his equity work in the community.
-Co-sponsored Food What?! youth empowerment dinner at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park.

Honored the memories of Nathan Foley-Mendelssohn, Buzz Gorsky, Maria Nieto, Dale & Euni Lingenfelter, Marvin Labrie, Ev & Marge McTaggart, Clayton Robert Gross, Ann M. Frohn, John Warren and Dick & Leslie Wenzel.