Overview
- The State Parks Forward plan, announced Wednesday on Earth Day, outlines three proposed state parks and starts a formal community input process.
- Feather River Park in Yuba County would span nearly 2,000 acres, San Joaquin River Parkway near Fresno about 874 acres, and Dust Bowl Camp near Bakersfield would protect a small historic site.
- Officials say the plan would bring new river access near Fresno, establish Yuba County’s first state park, and preserve Depression‑era migrant camp buildings that inspired The Grapes of Wrath.
- All three sites are already in public ownership, enabling low‑ or no‑cost transfers under new SB 630 and AB 679 streamlining laws, with opening timelines still to be determined.
- Separately, the state just expanded existing parks by 453 acres at Montgomery Woods, 218 acres at South Yuba River, and 133 acres at Pigeon Point Light Station as part of a goal to add about 30,000 acres by 2030.