Santa Cruz Parks Launch Staycation 2020 Campaign

Press release from Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks:

SANTA CRUZ, CA—Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends) today launched its Staycation2020 campaign, an effort to help locals in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties rediscover their local state parks and beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic that has curtailed summer travel for many.

“We want to help locals have a great summer, despite the current challenges,” said Bonny Hawley, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. “We also want to encourage safe, social-distanced activities in fresh air and great spaces, and close to home.”

Staycation2020 will share day trip ideas for residents of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, the area where Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks partners with California State Parks to co-manage 32 state parks and beaches. Local state parks and beaches provide a diverse array of redwood forests, rocky pocket beaches, rolling hills, expansive bayside beaches and preserved historic properties.

The Staycation2020 campaign will highlight local parks and beaches, share insider tips, encourage healthy activities for park visitors of all ages and encourage sharing of experiences and photos on social media. Follow Friends on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more details, and use #Staycation2020 and #ThatsMyPark on photos when you visit a local state park or beach.

Visitors also help support local state parks and beaches by paying parking and other fees, most of which stay local to help Friends fund local jobs, maintenance, educational programming and more.

About Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks
Established in 1976, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends) is a vital partner with California State Parks, creatively working to ensure our cherished local parks and beaches are thriving and available to all. Friends’ innovative and collaborative community partnership provides support and investment for education, equity and inclusion, conservation, facilities improvements, historic preservation and cultural events. Friends also operates six ParkStores, offering nature- and history-themed merchandise for sale to benefit local parks and beaches. ParkStore locations include Natural Bridges, New Brighton, Santa Cruz Mission, Seacliff, Wilder Ranch and Online. Learn more at www.ThatsMyPark.org or via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.

This press release was produced by Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. The views expressed here are the author's own.