Parks Management by Nonprofits

A recent editorial in the Sacramento Bee commented on the recent deficit-driven decisions to seek another way to manage some parks in the County Regional Parks division through contracts with nonprofit organizations.

The American River Parkway, due to its signature status among regional parks, with core elements—the bike trail and Lake Natoma—even being known internationally, lends itself to the philanthropic fund raising crucial to survival under nonprofit management.

While that lofty status cannot necessarily be attached to the related decision to turn over the Effie Yeaw Nature Center to the nonprofit American River Natural History Association (ARNHA), where I served a term as president several years ago, we certainly wish ARNHA all the very best in their efforts to secure the future of this valued community resource.

An excerpt from the Bee Editorial.

“As Sacramento County moves to make drastic budget cuts across the board, the entire regional park system is threatened.

“Rangers are being cut by half, which means no routine patrols at many facilities, which will have to accept only "on-call" ranger services. Seasonal maintenance staff also are being cut by half, which means restrooms will be cleaned infrequently, and broken park amenities will be removed but not replaced or repaired.

“County funding has been zeroed out for the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, which has provided nature tours, Maidu Indian programs, camps, school field trips, wildlife counts, birding classes, art workshops, aquatic labs and live animal exhibits to thousands of people each year. …

“On July 3, the county turned over the Effie Yeaw Nature Center to the American River Natural History Association – with no county funds. The doors closed for 13 days, so ARNHA could set up a payroll, pay the costs of insurance, create all the details of a major business and continue to offer programs for children. It reopened on Saturday.

“For nearly 30 years, the center was open seven days a week. As part of a summer transition, beginning this week, the center will open Thursday through Sunday. It will close on Mondays and Tuesdays.

“The ARNHA volunteer organization will have to move from its old supportive role to active management, a major change for any organization. No one should underestimate the difficulty of the task. ARNHA estimates that it will need to raise $300,000 a year to operate the center. In the past, it contributed about $30,000 a year.

“ARNHA already has stepped up, with $300,000 in hand to date. It has hired an executive director, a volunteer coordinator and fundraising director. Where it relied on individuals in the past for donations, ARNHA now has begun discussions with Chevron Corp. and will also solicit grants from major corporations to keep the Effie Yeaw Nature Center running – and improving.

“ARNHA also is exploring ways to charge admission fees.”