County Park Friends Awarded Outdoor Equity Program Grant

COMMUNITY NEWS

County Park Friends Awarded Outdoor Equity Program Grant

County Park Friends is proud to announce they have been awarded the Outdoor Equity Program grant from California State Parks to expand access to outdoor experiences on public lands for families and youth in the Live Oak neighborhood.

“We asked Live Oak families what they wanted and needed for their children to fully enjoy public parks and nature.” said Executive Director Mariah Roberts. “This grant is built on what we learned from the families who will participate.”

Along with 125 total communities statewide, the funding helps establish a community hub at Brommer County Park for local activities and trips to natural areas for underserved communities. The program also empowers youth and families with outdoor leadership education, career pathways, environmental justice engagement, and access to nature.

“California State Parks is incredibly proud to announce grant funding to strengthen access to parks and open spaces and contribute to a better quality of life for Californians,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “These programs will turn parks into outdoor classrooms, inspiring a new generation of environmental leadership in California.”

For the first grant cycle of the program, State Parks evaluated 384 grant applications totaling $167.78 million in requests. The $57 million in grants was made available through general funds approved by the California Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 state budgets.

In addition to County Park Friends (Friends of Santa Cruz County Parks) multiple other Monterey Bay communities received grants in a testament to area commitment and best practices, with the full list of projects available online at parks.ca.gov/oep.

In 2019, the Outdoor Equity Grants Program was enacted when Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 209. The concept for the grant program began with findings in the 2015 Parks Forward Commission Report stating that State Parks must expand access to parks for underserved communities and urban populations.

“Park Grant” page 24

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“Begonia Memories” from page 13

The Capitola Begonia Festival committee team started the Capitola Beach Festival — offering many of the same fun events, now on the 4th weekend in September. The Beach Festival rebooted the blossom-covered water parade into a Lighted Nautical Parade.

Beach Festival volunteers will be available at the Tribute from 3-6 p.m. Sept. 4 to share their love of the festival tradition and invite your participation later in September. Come down and throw a few Corn Hole bags to warm up. n •••

Laurie Hill is on the Capitola Arts and Cultural Commission. Contact her at capitolaseahorse@gmail.com for more information or to assist with the Begonia Festival Tribute.