A Message from Our General Manager
Dear Napa Open Space Supporters,
The last few months have taught us a lot:
- People really value our parks. For the past several years, use of our parks and trails had been increasing as fast as we had been able to open them. Use has skyrocketed since the Coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the economy.
- We don’t have the resources to handle current and projected demand. Measure K on the March ballot would have given us our first-ever tax base, and allowed us to continue protecting the most valuable open space lands and to continue expanding public access. While it received strong majority support from the voters, it fell short of the 2/3 threshold required in California for dedicated-purpose taxes. An unexpectedly low voter turnout ended up meaning that while just over 12,000 people, out of a total population of nearly 140,000 people, voted against the measure, their opposition was enough to defeat the measure.
- Despite facing its own fiscal challenges, the Napa County Board of Supervisors and administrative leadership have remained solid in their support of our mission. The proposed County budget for the coming fiscal year, which is expected to be approved in the next few weeks, includes a continuation of the Special Projects Fund grant that has been the mainstay of District funding since its formation by the voters in 2006.
- Being almost exclusively reliant on tourist-based revenues is politically expedient but risky in practice. About 40 percent of District revenues come from program income—mostly camping and day use fees—and these have been essentially at zero since mid-March, and no one knows when the tourists will return. Meanwhile, the County is projecting Transient Occupancy Tax revenues, which are the source of money for the Special Projects Fund, will be down 70 percent in the coming fiscal year. Absorbing a 70 percent budget cut will be a huge challenge.
Given all this, what does the future hold for Napa regional parks and open space?
The immediate question is managing public use to ensure public safety. Now that local businesses and facilities are beginning to reopen, and the spring wildflowers are nearly done with their annual burst of beauty, the press of visitors to our parks and trails should drop at least a little, and the need for daily monitoring and patrolling should diminish. It can’t happen too soon; asking our limited staff to work weekends and holidays, on top oftheir regular duties, has been possible because our staff is so devoted to what we do, but it isn’t sustainable.
The next big challenge is reopening the campground at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park (and supporting our partners reopen the campground at Skyline Park). We have developed a reopening plan that emphasizes healthy practices, and are in the process of having that plan reviewed and hopefully approved by the County Public Health Officer and California State Parks. Currently it appears camping may restart in the next two weeks, though as we have seen Covid-19 is an exceptionally sneaky virus, and if transmission rates resurge all bets are off.
We had two summer camps scheduled for this summer. The first has been cancelled, but we are attempting to revise protocols so we can offer the second camp safely. If you’re a parent in need of activities for your children this summer, let us know of your interest (check www.napaoutdoors.org for contact info and regular updates).
Finally, we need to be as frugal as possible, and develop new funding sources as much as possible. Our biggest financial challenge will hit a year from now. By then our financial reserves will be diminished, and the reduction in hotel tax revenues will be fully felt.
It won’t be easy, but with the continued strong support that the Napa community has shown, we will get through this.
Take care, and as always, thank you for your support of Napa Open Space.
John Woodbury
General Manager
Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District