California getting new state park, first in 13 years
MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — California will acquire a sprawling former farm property in the San Joaquin Valley and create a new state park for the first time in 13 years.
The park is planned for Dos Rios Ranch, where the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers meet southwest of Modesto.
The property will become California’s 280th state park and the first new one since Fort Ord Dunes near Monterey in 2009, the Modesto Bee reported.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday earmarked $5 million for the new park as part of his revised budget proposal for the fiscal year starting July 1.
The nearly four-square-mile (10-square-kilometer) expanse featuring willows and valley oaks will be donated by River Partners, a conservation group that’s spent the past decade restoring the site.
State Parks Director Armando Quintero said Friday that the property will serve “a park-poor region” — the San Joaquin Valley — and help address inequities in access to state recreation sites.
“Everyone deserves to have close access to vibrant parks and this opportunity is an exciting one,” Quintero said.
Dos Rios could get trails, picnic areas, restrooms and other basics within five years, state parks officials said. Campgrounds could follow within another five years, the Bee reported.
