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On January 10th, the Governor announced the proposed closure of 48 state parks are part of a plan to balance California's budget. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve and Austin Creek State Recreation Area were among those parks. Armstrong Redwoods is the only old-growth redwood forest open to the public in Sonoma County and redwoods are one of the major reasons why people visit Sonoma County. Close to 1 million visitors a year enjoy the majestic beauty of Armstrong Redwoods, making this state park a significant destination for tourists. Tourism is the leading industry that drives the local economy in the Russian River recreational area. The closing of Armstrong Redwoods will have a significant impact on the economy of the towns along the Russian River in western Sonoma County, as well as the County of Sonoma as a whole.

Michele Luna, Executive Director of Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods (Stewards) recently convened a committee of community members to estimate what the economic impacts could be. With the help of Michael Kennett, innkeeper of Fern Grove Cottages and a member of the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau Board of Directors, the committee came up with a range of financial impacts for both western Sonoma County and Sonoma County as a whole.

To detemine the impacts in western Sonoma County, local figures for 2007 lodging revenue were used as well as a multiplier for additional services that visitors use in the community. In 2007, $20 million in revenue was derived from lodging with an additional $49.5 million derived from other services for a total economic benefit of $69.5 million from tourism in West County. If the closing of Armstrong Redwoods results in a 10% decline in visitors, the corresponding economic loss will be $6.9 million. A 25% decline in visitors could result in a $17.3 million economic loss. It is believed that the actual loss will lie in between these two figures, both being significant to local businesses that already struggle during the off season to sustain themselves. Under current conditions, businesses in the Russian River area go under every year, so a revenue decline of this magnitude would certainly result in the closure of many more local businesses.

The impacts to the Sonoma County economy as a whole are also significant. Sonoma County welcomes 7.5 million visitors a year and 13% of those visitors are attracted to Armstrong Redwoods. Considering that the average length of stay for visitors is between 2 and 3 nights and that a visit to Armstrong Redwoods is a half-day experience, it promotes the visitor to spend an additional night in the county. It is estimated that the economic loss to Sonoma County would be between $51 and $78 million/year.

The govenor’s budget is proposing a $13.3 million budget cut for California State Parks. This figure pales in comparison to the millions of dollars that will be lost just in Sonoma County, not to mention all the other communities, cities, and counties across the state that will also become more economically depressed as a result of this shortsighted proposal to close our state parks.

Write your letter to the governor’s office today – SAVE OUR STATE PARKS for future generations!