These are the kids at the park they saved.
These awesome elementary school kids saved a California state park from closing, and you can learn their story in a new documentary called (kinda prosaically) How The Kids Saved The Parks.
Back in 2011 and 2012, the state of California, racked by budget cuts and the general fallout from having so many assholes live there who want to enjoy this amazing state without paying the kind of taxes that make such enjoyment possible, made an attempt to close South Yuba River State Park. Some kids at Grass Valley Charter School were not happy about this. So they took action.
[vimeo 61025491]
The kids put together a Mobile Media Action Team, and met with John Laird, the California secretary for natural resources. They explained to Laird why they thought South Yuba Park should not close, and also gathered more than 10,000 signatures urging the state to keep the park open. In short, they did a lot of difficult, adult stuff, and because of their efforts, the community managed to find a way to keep the park open (with a $3 to $5 entry fee, but still).
The entry fee alone won’t generate enough revenue to keep the park open, but officials say that the groundswell of support ensures it will not close. And they’re likely to get even more support after people see the documentary that tells the story, which was recently shown at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City, Calif. And remember, you’re never too young to make people pay in some form or another the taxes they’ve tried to avoid paying elsewhere!
