Help Save Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve From Closure!

Montage by LadyHawk
Music by Secret Garden
"You Raise Me Up"

GREAT NEWS UPDATE! Governor Schwarzenegger has backed off the closures of 48 California state parks and they WILL REMAIN OPEN to the public through 2008-09 fiscal budget year!

Many thanks to all who have taken time to write the Governor and the legislature in support of keeping our parks OPEN and accessible to the public! ~ 5-14-08

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This montage is a tribute to the ONE park that has been my sanctuary, my cathedral and my spiritual place of healing and renewal for my entire life. I have been visiting this park first with my own parents in the 1950's and 60's, and then with my own children in the 70's & '80s, and now with my grandchildren in the 90's to this day.

In high school, I attended Shakespear's play, A Mid-Summer Night's Dream performed on the redwood grove amphitheater stage. My best friend has played Sunday concerts in the redwood theater, and she told me that they never needed to use their electronic equipment because the acoustics in the redwood theater were so fantastic!

The Armstrong Redwoods are at the spiritual heart of Sonoma county residents, and the park also receives over 1,000,000 visitors annually from around the world!

Recently, I have read some very disturbing news regarding the highly probable closure of 48 of California's best loved family recreational, educational and historical sites throughout the state. That is 20% of California's state parks! While every other government entity is asked to cut back 10% of their annual budget, the parks are being asked to cut back fully DOUBLE that amount!

The total park funding for ALL of the California parks comes to a whopping 1/13th of 1 percent of the State's annual budget. These cutbacks are going to do little to nothing to remedy the huge financial deficit facing our state's economy. And the loss of tourism related dollars back to the state based upon current park funding is $2.35 return for every $1 expended in support of ALL of the state parks. These cuts are negligible at best, and do virtually nothing to help remedy the budget crisis facing California at this time.

Worst of all, California residents (IE: VOTERS!) have never been given the opportunity to CHOOSE or to cast their vote on ANY of these upcoming closures. Nor has this information even been made widely available either, so many Californians are completely UNAWARE that it is happening, and they may not know until it is too late!

Sign up today at this url...

http://www.savestateparks.org/

...or write the "Terminator" and save our parks!

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

To petition directly on behalf of
Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve and Austin Creek Recreation Area, GO TO:

http://www.arrowflight.com

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• California
• State
• Park
• Closures
• Governor
• Arnold
• Schwarzenegger
• Armstrong
• Redwoods
• Reserve
• Woods
• Austin
• Creek
• Recreation

[EquuSpirit]

WOO HOO! I just want to share the good news!

Today, on May 14th, KCRA TV reported that Governor Schwarzenegger has backed off the closure of California's 48 State Parks for THIS year's budget anyway. SO, our precious parks are safe for another year! We will have to make sure they remain that way in the upcoming year. If you have good ideas about how to keep our parks open and thriving, please post them here! THANK YOU to all who responded to the call for help to save our parks! ~ Terri

[Schmangy]

Hi Terri,

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. This is absolutely beautiful. I love the music and the videography. You did a wonderful job. 5/5*! I put it into my Favorites and have also linked it to Facebook so the Save California's State Parks group there can see it. This place means a lot to you and I truly hope we can save it. It's a beautiful place.

[EquuSpirit]

Thank you, my friend. Yes, it does mean a lot to me. It has been my place of renewal, healing and inspiration for a LONG time now. I cannot even imagine not being able to go in there ever again! And I'm quite sure that there are others who feel exactly the same way about THEIR parks too! Our "terminator/governor" seems to have his action movie roles confused with his current job description, if you ask me. And I am NOT a happy camper about ANY of it either. Not AT ALL!

[rockinfortheplanet]

Dear Terri, I'm still having pc problems & films are stop/starting but I've added this tremendous work of art to faves & my playlist 'Voices For The Planet' & I hope lots more people will see how vital it is for us to speak out to save places of natural beauty, this is a breathtaking film & it saddens me to think that you & a few others are like lone voices on the wind standing up to save these treasures. The world should know about this, how can politicians close nature? Seems they're doing it.

[EquuSpirit]

Ah Maria, thank you for your unfaltering support and kind words. The problem is that so few people are even aware that it is happening. And that is no accident. The powers that be just want to do it it while everyone is kept in the dark about it and are basically sleep walking through life. All we can really do is to try to keep getting the word out, and pray that it will be enough to keep at least some of them open anyway, if not all. Of course, my vote is with Armstrong Woods. :-)

[bigboys1199]

amazing

[54spiritedwill54]

Very beautiful video. I've been there just a few days ago, it is amazing! We need to notice the world around us, it's very beautiful indeed. The closure cannot happen!

[123sedonarose]

AWESOME VIDEO & MUSIC>>>>>>>TOUCHED ME DEEPLY!  sharon(sedona) snow

[iidontcareeee]

Why why why are we stuck with only the "California Parks" Foundation to coordinate this fight? They're a smarmy group. They promote sleazy junk science, hatred of minorities and fat people, and jump on any low class band wagon that will get them a grant from leftist extremists. State Parks need LEGITIMATE support that respects ALL Californians (even if they're the "wrong" color or size), not one that's willing to sell out just to get those big hollywood checks.

[mtnspire]

Awesome place...Awesome song...Awesome memories. Praise Jesus! Praise Him!!!

[britfrenir]

We In Illinious just had out state Parks in danger of being closed too.

[jeannevdb]

beautiful! gives me goosebumps..

[theFoxthatTalks]

Show the Redwoods beauty!

[rockinfortheplanet]

I'm back & pc is working, this is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!!!!!! A pleasure to view such wonderful scenery and feels spiritual beyond the humdrum reality of day to day life & struggling. Well done Terri, keep up the wonderful work for the parks in danger of closure and nature, we need to defend nature from our own species, how utterly sick is that?!