Panel urges transformation of California state parks system

I think it would be cool if there were more emphasis on restoration and invasive plant management, people could really change these areas to better reflect their past beauty imo: The Central Valley for example used to be a much wetter place with many lakes (see Tulare Lake esp) and streams in the lower hill areas (before most sierra origin waterways were damned - this also causes many of the new waterways to be muddier since it hasn't washed away most of the looser sediments over time), a wide savannah of wildflowers (that would blanket it like 'a sea' in spring), bunchgrasses (which have in large part been replaced by the shorter green period european oatgrasses), and large oaks (which have been threatened by sudden oak death). There once existed a wide array of wildlife like herds of Tule Elk, Black tailed deer, and Pronghorn Antelope (which is one of the fastest sustained runners among animals and probably developed so because of the now extinct American Cheetah chasing it (more closely related to the cougar). There were predators like the California Grizzly (which was unique in a lot of respects: it had a wide variety of colors, was the largest bear in the continental US, was very social by bear standards (travelling in packs at times), and it slept at night and often didnt' hibernate in winter (some that did hibernate would burrow into the ground too)- the subspecies was eventually hunted to extinction. Ground squirrels and their little burrows were really plentiful too before ranchers started to leave out poisoned food sources to rid them, and great swathes of birds roamed the skies (like the california condor) and others that would start with the 'sound of a hurricane' when frightened. <3

the problem with environmental benefits though is that, despite their great value to our quality of living, our current economy often doesn't reward their value in magnitude to their benefit. Because while it benefits everyone, no one feels directly responsible for its costs, so no one is willing to foot the bill so to speak. You may think this is an argument for government, but gov is often bloated and corrupt too. :/

/r/California Thread Link - latimes.com