Redwoods Suffering from a New Form of Cutting Essay

It is not a secret that nature has a great effect on our body and mind. “Nature helps us to relax and to forget about our every day problems,” a young hiker Carlo states, “Nature helps us to create a balance which is necessary for our psychological and emotional state”. The other hikers Jay and Will who were also greatly impressed by their first visit to Redwood State Park consider that “flora and fauna feed our souls. That is why so many poets developed the theme of nature in their poems.”
Three young man made up their minds to spend one of their weekends hiking. They have chosen the Redwoods at Big Basin State Park because this place has a great deal of interesting things around and has a full schedule of activities including Redwood loop walk which represents a half-mile stroll through the oldest Redwood forest, campfires in a historic campfire center, twilight hike, Big Basin Nature Club program, Wildflower walk, Shadowbrook stroll, a four mile hike which lasts three hours and many others. All the hikers are satisfied with the services which are rendered at this State Park. It is known that all the tours are guided and there is no need to be worried about the safety of life. (Big Basin Redwoods State Park)
The young men Carlo, Jay and Will decided to go hiking on Big Basin Trail, Skyline to the Sea Trail. They chose twelve mile trail with camp for one night. It is a rather long distance to walk but the young hikers are satisfied with the results. Carlo says: “It was one of the best hikes I have ever had. I enjoyed the nature and I was greatly impressed by the waterfall.”
Jay, a young man of 25 years old considers that he has got a rather serious training for his body: “I am happy to have such a wonderful weekend! I’ve got a good supply of energy. I work for a small firm. I am a manager. I cannot allow to spend so much time outdoors. Hiking is the best rest for me!”
Will, the third young man who took part in the hike at Redwoods of Big Basin State Park, also expressed his opinion concerning the importance of his first hike at Redwoods: “ I think it is really the best place for the best rest. I had some problem with my choice. There were a great deal of different Parks offered to us but we decided to explore this area. And we succeeded in our choice. I enjoyed the wild nature around us, the waterfall which was on our way, the trees – the tallest and the oldest trees in the world, and, of course, the other hikers – several pretty girls whom we met at the waterfall. Everything was OK!”
It is interesting to note that these three young men Carlo, Jay and Will who decided to spend their weekend in the Redwoods at Big Basin State Park are not the only hikers who choose this area for their rest. It is known that thousands of people prefer to have a rest at State Parks. The problem is that “the state budget cuts continue to hit hard” and according to the Gov. Jerry Brown’s new budget cutting plan, about 70 out of 278 California State parks will be closed in July, 2012. (Bednarz)
Although the financial information concerning the benefits of this plan is rather advantageous for the state budget – the above mentioned plan will cut more than “$11 million from the parks budget for the current fiscal year” and more than $22 million in the following fiscal year 2012/2013, this method is not the way out of such a serious financial situation. (Bednarz)
The old Redwood of Big Basin State Park in not the only park which will be closed in 2012. The following parks are included in the list of park closures: Castle Rock State Park, Limekiln State Park, China Camp State Park, Bidwell Mansion State Park, Palomar Mountain State Park, Plumas-Eureka State, Garrapata State Park and others. Of course, a lot of people are worried about the future of State Parks. Ruth Coleman, the director of California State Parks regrets that there is such a necessity to close State Parks but he considers that “with the proposed budget reductions over the next two years” it is impossible “to operate all parks within a system”. (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
When I informed Carlo, Jay and Will of the government’s intention to close the Big Basin Redwoods State Park, they were very disappointed with this decision. They even protested against it. Carlo said that the government should reconsider the decision concerning the parks closure: “ I am sure there are some other ways out of the situation. It is impossible to close such a wonderful place where people had their rest and enjoyed nature. It is necessary to save the Sate Parks.”
Bill Monning writes in his article We Can Save our Parks as Part of Budget Solution that “deep cuts are necessary to balance the budget” but it will never do to eliminate those programs which “may result in the loss of human life”. He is sure that the government can find “an alternative budget solution” which will prevent any changes in the California State Park System. (Monning)
Jay, one of the hikers who gave his interview concerning the parks closure considers that it is necessary to increase fees but keep the State Parks open: “I am sure that it will be good to pay $25 or 35-per-vehicle-registration fee. It is also possible to increase the fee for guided excursions. It will allow to keep the State Parks in the System”.
The third hiker Will says: “ I know that the state proposed to close 70 State Parks because of $11 million reduction in the budget of the California State Park System. It will start in September, 2011. I also know that they decided to close small parks but with rather large campgrounds. The reason is that this part is the most expensive part for maintaining parks. Of course, I cannot agree with this solution. It is a great loss for us. California’s Redwood forests are considered to be the oldest on the planet where there are the tallest trees and the most extraordinary landscape. We should not allow the state government to hide our nation’s pride. Thousands of tourists will not be able to visit our fabulous forests. We should think about the future of these lands. Although there are six major Redwood Parks in California, all of them are different. The closure of this or that Park of the above mentioned six major California Parks will damage not only the development of tourism in our country but also it will damage our history. It cannot be allowed. As for me, I have already visited Prairie Creek, Del Norte, Redwoods National Park and Humboldt Redwoods. Big Basin was the last in my list. I should say that Big Basin State Park cannot be compared with the other ones because it has the mixed-species woodlands and a wide variety of scenery. We should save this beauty”. (Baselt)
Nature is an essential part of our life and we should not forget it! However, today some people ignore the significant role of nature. They think only about the profit they can get utilizing woods, rivers, lakes, fields, and so on.
Of course, this issue should be submitted for discussion. We cannot allow these people to leave the US citizens without those places where they can feel the power of nature – without our State parks.