Interested in seeing native Californian grasslands in the Central Valley? If you wanted to see the grasslands at Great Valley Grasslands State Park, you may want to go soon: it may be closed to visitors due to budget cuts.
(It sounds like CA would still keep the park but close it to visitors, unlike Texas where the General Land Office would unashamedly sell it off to the highest bidder.)
From the Central Valley Business Times, "Schwarzenegger: Lesser-used state parks to be closed":
"State parks, beaches and museums would be closed under budget cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor’s plan would shut down 43 state parks and curtail operations at five others. …
Among the parks to be closed are: … Great Valley Grasslands State Park in Merced County – The park is one of the last intact examples of native grasslands on the floor of the Central Valley. It is part of the larger Grasslands Ecological Area of federal, state and private lands all managed for wildlife values. Several rare and endangered plant and animal species inhabit the park."
From a California Native Plant Society web page (with photos) "Vernal Pools: A Vanishing Habitat", it sounds like the park may have vernal pools.
Photo of Jepson Prairie Vernal Pool by Lisa Spangler.
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