Rainy Season Gathering:Today, tomorrow, and the Next 12 Months from a Park Partner 16 January 2014

• The changing roles of the cooperating association as experienced at two Parks

• Some thoughts on State Parks

• Andy Vought

– President, Portola and Castle Rock Foundation

– Director, Save the Redwoods League– Prior: 25 years Start-up experience– avought@yahoo.com– Support Portola and Castle Rock

State Parks– www.portolaandcastlerockfound.org

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Portola and Castle Rock Foundation

• We’re the 501 (c) 3 –Cooperating Association for: – Portola Redwoods State Park– Castle Rock State Park

• Since 1991

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Closest State Parks to Silicon Valley …

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Castle Rock State Park• Ridge hiking – start of Skyline to the

Sea Trail• Unique bouldering and climbing• Castle Rock and Waterman Gap

Trail Camps• 138,000 visitors/year (1)

• 5229 acres; Opened 1968• (1) Statistical Report FY2011-12 – 86%

‘free-use’ hiking.

Castle Rock Donor Agreement

• Partnerships:– Sempervirens Fund deeply

invested strategically in Castle Rock SP; eventually took lead

• Donor Agreement:• $250,000

– $50,000 from Portola and Castle Rock Foundation

• Two year term

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Castle Rock State Park Projects

Portola Redwoods State Park• Redwood hiking and camping• Peters Creek Old Growth, Slate Creek

Trail Camp• 53 family campsites, 4 group sites• 42,000 visitors/year (1)

• 2768 acres; Opened 1945• (1)

Statistical Report FY2011-12

Portola Redwoods Donor Agreement• Partnerships:

– Save the Redwoods League and Peninsula Open Space Trust nurtured as equal parties to Donor Agreement

• Donor Agreement:• $60,000 DA + $40,000 Improvement Fund

+ Volunteer team• Two year term • Business Plan: Randy Widera• Built ongoing partnership for

infrastructure investments

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Portola Redwoods State Park Projects

Everyone’s Role is Changing• Parks

– Continued triage; difficulty fulfilling commitments – adverse climate for creative solutions

• Land Trusts (Sempervirens Fund, POST, Save The Redwoods League)– Longer inventory holding – larger balance

sheet requirements• Cooperating Associations

– Engagement Elevations due to Donor Agreements, Operating Agreements, …

– Revised Mission Statement: Inspire Protection of Castle Rock and Portola Redwoods State Parks Through Quality Educational Experiences and Infrastructure Improvements

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Parks need to be more affordable…• State Parks are too expensive:

– $35 per night + $8 ResAm = $43– $8-10 daily parking fees– Out of reach of many Californians

• Best path would be the defeated 2009 $15 State Park Access Pass proposal (mandatory: 28m vehicles, net benefit $360M )

• New $150 150th Anniversary, $75 California Park Experience and $50 Historical Passport Passes a great idea

• We need further initiatives and pricing experiments– Targeted price reductions could enhance access

without unduly burdening budget – all camping fees are only 11% of Parks budget.

– Pricing – learn through experimentation; Price gouging on weekends or lowering prices during the week, for example buy 2 get 1

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A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste …

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• California Parks look costly in comparison to other States:

Source: Statistical Report of State Park Directors, 2010-2011, Tables 1-5

• Benchmarking suggests budget may not be spent as efficiently as other States:– “California [28%] had the second highest percentage of full-time

headquarter employees in the comparison set. Oregon had the highest [34%] and Illinois [3%] had the lowest percentage”

Source: Parks Forward Commission, California State Parks Baseline Financial Assessment, FTI Consulting, p.71

We Need to Embrace Change Throughout the System

• Market Our Parks Better– Understand our visitors based upon data

• Share this data with partners to leverage value– Try things: accept credit cards, experiment with

pricing, offer wifi, offer light accommodations

• Changing roles for ‘the Supporting Cast’ eg. Land Trusts, Cooperating Associations– Evolve Different Business Models – Develop New Support / Cooperation Alternatives

• Parks Needs to Embrace Parks Forward Highlighted Change– Understand the challenge– Simplify to improve employee efficiency– Reap benefits to fulfill commitments and build

sustainability– And support with money

Source: Word cloud ‘brand analysis of key descriptive words for Portola Redwoods SP, from by RW Widera Consulting

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Source: PR SP Sustainability Plan and Road Map for Park Partner Engagement, RW

Widera Consulting

Thank You

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