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6 Desert State Parks Slated to Close
Photo of the Salton Sea by lostlosangeles via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
As a cost-cutting measure, "the California Department of Parks and Recreation has come up with a list of 70 parks statewide that it will close by July 2012," reports KCET. Of the 70, just 13 are located south of San Luis Obispo, however of those 13, six represent half of our Desert State Parks.
For those who make the annual trek to the Antelope Valley to see the blooming glory of the California Poppy Reserve, fear not--the "Crown Jewel" parks will remain open, which includes the aforementioned Poppy Reserve, as well as Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Red Rock Canyon [LAist Road Trip], State Vehicular Recreation Areas at Heber Dunes and Ocotillo Wells, Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland, and the Indio Hills Palms.
However, there are a half-dozen desert parks poised to close up. They are: Salton Sea State Recreation Area, Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, Saddleback Butte State Park, Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park, Picacho State Recreation Area, and the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve.
KCET's Socal Focus breaks down what the park closures mean for recreation and nature-seekers statewide.
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