The California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) is launching a series of television public service announcements (PSAs) that will air statewide with the tagline 'Defend What's Yours.' The new public awareness effort aims to empower citizen action and mobilize grassroots support to save the nation's biggest and best state park system.


The ads will reach the public as the state of California prepares to close one of every four state parks just six months from now. Moreover, Gov. Brown's Fiscal Year 2012-13 state budget, released Jan. 5, also calls for potentially eliminating all seasonal lifeguards and 20 percent of ranger positions in state parks. This is the first time such closures and reductions have occurred in California.


As the largest nonprofit dedicated to state parks in California, CSPF is fighting to keep them open and available to the public. Through the Defend What's Yours effort, CSPF has developed a full online campaign, including the launch of a new crowd-funded campaign with IndieGoGo.

The Defend What's Yours PSAs were shot in three state parks on the closure list: Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, Hendy Woods State Park, and Garrapata State Park. The spots are the creative brainchild of the team at Nice Advertising and feature stunning cinematography from filmmaker Josh Murphy of Unparalleled Productions, both based in San Francisco. The Spanish version PSAs feature the recognized voice of David Cruz, former television anchor of KNBC-TV in Los Angeles and current syndicated news talk anchor of the David Cruz Show on Clear Channel Radio Network.

“Park closures aren't just a possibility, they're a reality,” said CSPF President Elizabeth Goldstein. “The state has already closed some parks and is planning to close more. It has taken citizens over 100 years to build this world class system of parks, yet budget cuts are quickly eroding that legacy. The people of California must be informed about this crisis before it's too late.”

Defend What's Yours is asking Californians to watch the videos and then get involved by visiting calparks.org/defend and following these simple steps:


 


  • Be a Defender 

  • Spread the word

  • Volunteer in parks

  • Join CSPF to support solutions to keep parks open

“These parks belong to each and every one of us and we need all Californians to take this fight on as their own,” said Goldstein.
More information about the Defend What's Yours public awareness outreach movement can be found on CSPF's website, calparks.org.



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