SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is joining the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) on Saturday, April 17, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. More than 1,000 company employees, retirees and their families and friends will volunteer at 10 state parks in Northern and Central California. In addition, PG&E is granting $200,000 to CSPF for restoration and environmental improvement projects at these parks.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100417/SF88440 )
"California state parks currently face a $1.2 billion maintenance backlog that cannot be addressed due to extensive staff and funding shortages," said CSPF President Elizabeth Goldstein. "PG&E will provide critical funding, expertise, in-kind contributions and volunteers to help clean and restore shorelines, plant trees and shrubs, remove invasive non-native plants, clear trash and debris, and make other improvements at several state parks."
This year marks the ninth consecutive year the utility has partnered with CSPF. Since 2001, PG&E has granted more than $1.2 million to fund vital maintenance and improvement projects at California's parks, while PG&E employees, retirees, and their families and friends have contributed over 18,000 volunteer hours.
"We are proud to continue this long-standing partnership with the California State Parks Foundation to help preserve the natural beauty of our state parks," said Chris Johns, President of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. "This is a natural extension of our work to provide environmentally responsible energy service and of our commitment to give back to the communities we serve."
In recognition of this special Earth Day anniversary, PG&E is becoming a founding "Park Champion," pledging to provide year-round support to four parks in the utility's service area. The Park Champions Program was developed by CSPF in response to the growing problems faced by state parks due to lack of funding and staff resources. This year, 10 pilot project sites will be launched statewide, including those sponsored by PG&E.
"Now more than ever," stated CSPF's Goldstein, "private partnerships designed to address state parks' needs are critical. Our parks continue to be wildly popular -- accommodating some 80 million annual visitors -- all the while suffering from budget cuts, staffing furloughs and service reductions. PG&E's leadership in helping maintain and preserve our state parks is something we hope others in the public and private sector will emulate."
On Saturday, April 17, PG&E employee volunteers, retirees, and their families and friends will join the CSPF at the 10 following locations:
PARK TIME PROJECTS East Shore State Park 10:00 am to Noon Non-native fennel/pampas Alameda County removal and shoreline cleanup Mt. Diablo State Park 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Split rail fence Contra Costa County installation, redevelopment of picnic area, trail maintenance and removal of non-native plants Millerton Lake State 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Native plant species Recreation Area planting, general Fresno/Madera County improvements to South Shore day-use area and creation of fish habitat Patrick's Point State 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Habitat restoration, park Park landscaping and meadow Humboldt County management Angel Island State Park 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Beach cleanup, vegetation Marin County management, drainage and culvert maintenance and exotic plant removal Auburn State Recreation 8:00 am to 1:00 pm Park clean up, install Area benches and paint over Placer County graffiti Folsom Lake State 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Removal of vegetation around Recreation Area and historic structures, trash Folsom Powerhouse State cleanup and non-native plant Historic Park removal at several locations Sacramento County Candlestick Point State 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Community garden Recreation Area rehabilitation, split rail San Francisco County fence installation, shoreline cleanup Montana de Oro State 8:30 am to 1:00 pm Remove deteriorated Park fencing and maintain trail San Luis Obispo County treads Coast Dairies State Park 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Extend existing boardwalk to Santa Cruz County regulate access to culturally and ecologically sensitive areas, removal of invasive plants and trash cleanup
In 2010, as a 'Park Champion,' PG&E will encourage employee volunteers, retirees, and their families and friends to join the CSPF to provide year-round support at the four following locations:
PARK 2010 PG&E 'PARK CHAMPION' PROJECTS Tule Elk State Reserve Fence removal and replacement, construction Kern County of patio enclosure to be used as a visitor's center, tree planting and removal of non-native Trees Angel Island State Park Installation of solar vent fan at Camp Reynolds, Marin County installation of solar lighting at the boat docks/ finger piers and restoration work on multiple historic buildings including plumbing, painting, cleaning, electrical, landscaping and carpentry Candlestick Point State Fence repair, wind screen repainting and graffiti Recreation Area removal, tree trimming, removal of weeds and San Francisco County invasive plants and revitalization of picnic areas Caswell Memorial State Grounds maintenance including detailing the Park campfire center and cleaning campsites and San Joaquin County native plant restoration About Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation , is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/.
About California State Parks Foundation
With its 115,000 members, the California State Parks Foundation is the only independent nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, enhancing and advocating for California's magnificent state parks. For more information about California's state parks, visit http://www.calparks.org/.
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PG&E
CONTACT: PG&E Media Relations, +1-415-973-5930 or, California State
Parks Foundation, Julia Spiess, Office: +1-916-658-0144, Cell:
+1-916-601-8282
Web Site: http://www.pge.com/
