California State Parks Foundation Funds 25 Environmental Improvement Projects Statewide on Saturday, April 17

SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) funded 25 environmental improvement projects at parks statewide as part of the 13th annual Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup presented by PG&E, where volunteers of all ages help to restore the beauty of California's treasured state parks.  This year, as Earth Day commemorates its 40th anniversary, community participation is especially critical due to continuing budget cuts and a variety of threats to state parks throughout California.  

Statewide, thousands of volunteers each year plant native trees and community gardens, restore trails and wildlife habitats, remove trash and debris from beaches and parklands and make overdue repairs to fences and boardwalks.  Since its inception in 1998, CSPF's Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup program has had a tremendous impact—67,500 participants have contributed more than 283,000 volunteer hours worth nearly $5.6 million in park maintenance and improvements.  The program has also awarded more than $1.1 million to state parks throughout California.  

"The Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup events are a wonderful opportunity for communities to come together and volunteer to beautify and preserve California's state parks," said Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation. "CSPF values and thanks the thousands of volunteers who annually participate in the Earth Day program. Our treasured state parks need this annual cleanup, especially at a time when continued budget challenges significantly delay or eliminate environmental improvement and maintenance projects."

Volunteers will complete environmental improvement and maintenance projects in honor of Earth Day at 25 state parks. Twelve northern California sites are located in the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno/Madera, Humboldt, Marin, Placer, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo and Santa Cruz.

Thirteen Southern California sites are located in the following counties: Los Angeles, Orange County, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino and San Diego.

Individuals or groups interested in volunteering on Earth Day can call the Earth Day hotline at 1-888-98-PARKS or register online at www.calparks.org.  Click on RSVP, and a complete list of volunteer project sites statewide can be found. Parking fees are waived for Earth Day volunteers.

Presenting sponsor Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which is hosting 10 Northern and Central California sites, provided a $200,000 grant to CSPF and the participating parks for supplies and materials required to complete the Earth Day projects. Other event sponsors include: Chevron, Oracle, The Home Depot Foundation and Virgin America. Southern California sponsors include: Coca-Cola, Edison International, Sempra Energy Foundation, Stater Bros. and The Home Depot Foundation.

This year's media sponsors in Northern California are: Bay Area News Group (The Mercury News), KFOG Radio, KICU-TV and KTVU-TV Channel 2 in the San Francisco Bay Area; Times-Standard, KIEM News Channel 3 and Bicoastal Media in Eureka/Humboldt County; Auburn Journal (Gold Country Media), CBS 13 and CW 31 and Clear Channel Radio Sacramento (KFBK-AM, KGBY-FM, KHLX-FM, KHYL-FM, KQJK-FM, KTSE-AM) in Sacramento; and KGPE-TV and KHGE-FM in Fresno. This year's media sponsors in Southern California are: CBS2/KCAL9, KJILL-FM 92.7 and Huntington Beach Independent/Times Community News.

About CSPF

With its 115,000 members, the California State Parks Foundation is the only independent nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, enhancing and advocating for California's magnificent state parks. For more information about California's state parks, visit www.calparks.org.

SOURCE California State Parks Foundation