Name: Elizabeth Goldstein
Age: 58
City: San Francisco
Position: President, California State Parks Foundation
J.: You oversee a nonprofit organization that has raised more than $223 million to improve the 279 state parks and help better educate people about the park system. What are the more serious challenges California’s state parks face today?
Elizabeth Goldstein: In recent years we’ve done a lot of advocacy work because of budgetary threats to the state parks. There have been three park closure threats in the last six or seven years, all related to general fund support. Two of those were beaten back through advocacy efforts that we led the charge on.
In addition to budget cuts, what other threats do you see the parks facing?
Clearly the drought and climate change are huge issues right now, especially on the coast. Many environmental issues are stretching the state park system thin. There’s also a human impact on the system, in the sense that the demographics of California are changing. Keeping the park system relevant and connected to all Californians is everyone’s focus.
In terms of good news, what California State Parks Foundation projects are you most excited about right now?
In the Bay Area we’re working on a 34-acre project at Candlestick Point, around the former stadium. We’re taking a portion of the land, which was completely undeveloped and under ownership of the state park system since the 1970s, and building a park and wetlands restoration there. We also work with kids in relatively poor communities in Califor-nia to get them into parks this summer through a summer learning program. We’re trying to get kids to learn and experience the outdoors in a new way.
How did you come to be interested in state parks and their preservation?
I grew up in New York City, and early on its urban parks were an important part of my life. I went to Beloit College [in Wisconsin] and studied government, expecting to be an academic, but I loved the real world. I ran the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department after working in the New York State Park system.
You have a Jewish father. Did Judaism and Jewish culture have an impact on you growing up, and on your professional life?
We celebrated the holidays, the High Holy Days, Hanukkah and Passover, but I was very influenced by the Jewish ethic of giving back and being part of a broader community. These are the things that have influenced my work and life most extensively.
You mentioned the drought. And last month there was a horrible oil spill near Santa Barbara that impacted two state parks. Wildfires also seem to be a constant threat. How would you assess the health of the state park system today?
We’re quite optimistic that after years of crisis in the state park system, the community is turning the corner to think about this system living up to the extraordinary potential it’s always had. It’s one of the largest in the country, with 70 million visitors a year. So coming out of crisis and turning its face to the light again is really exciting.
Can you tell me if you have a favorite park among the 279 in the state park system?
I’m not allowed to say. They’re all fantastic.
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