Sacramento County Parks & Recreation Digest

The City of Elk Grove has released information about the financing for the $400M multi-phase project to move the Sacramento Zoo to Elk Grove, but questions remain.

California State Parks has recommended $6.7 million for seven local nonmotorized trail projects in various cities, including Galt and Gilroy.

Jack N. Sheldon Park in Sacramento’s Florin neighborhood is one of eight locations to receive funds from the California Statewide Park Program.

Renovation work at the 150,000-square-foot Sunrise Village shopping center continues, with the coming addition of a new fitness club.

Disneyland’s plan to reimagine the theme park into a more “immersive” experience may require up to $2.5 billion and a plan to privatize some Anaheim streets.

California’s projected budget deficit of close to $38 billion likely means some cuts are coming. Among them, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed ending the California State Park Adventure Pass, which offers free access to some state parks for fourth graders.

Some say the state is not developing and maintaining community recreational facilities equally. They point out that green spaces in neighborhoods where Black Californians live remain underfunded.

Last year, environmental groups and tribes rallied behind a proposed expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Expansion was tried through congressional legislation, but it stalled.

An estimated 100,000 pizza boxes have been removed from Yosemite’s waste stream. This is because the famed park now serves pizza on trays and puts to-go portions in compostable bags, part of a move to reduce food-related waste.

The 40 Acre Conservation League has recently acquired hundreds of acres of land in Placer County, 70 miles northeast of Sacramento—a significant step toward making outdoor experiences more inclusive.

Utility giant PG&E is set to raise its rates an average of 13% on Jan. 1. That equals an extra $32.50 a month, or $390 for the year.

State and local leaders gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate a new plan that will increase access to the outdoors for all Californians, regardless of who they are or where they live.

A pilot program that allows Californians to visit many state parks for free—after checking out a pass from their local library—is helping increase access for more people of color and lower-income residents, according to research from the California State Parks Foundation.

A beachside trail connecting the communities of Morro Bay and Cayucos could finally be built after 20 years. This happened after Chevron decided to sell land needed for the trail to be built.

Two theme park giants, Six Flags and Cedar Fair, announced they are merging. It could have potential impacts on California theme parks like Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

Camille Dixon, the announcer for Disney California Adventure, and her husband, Bill Rogers, the voice of Disneyland, are moving on from this work. They have been at the parks for more than 40 years combined.

​​The Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks is laying the groundwork for its Dry Creek Parkway Trail project.

Through this new program, artists, culture bearers, and California Native American tribes will be eligible to receive funding to create artwork throughout state and local parks.

Harvesting your own Christmas tree is a holiday tradition—and in the next couple weeks, permits to do so are opening up in forests throughout the state. Among them is the El Dorado National Forest.

As part of the city’s effort to enhance infrastructure in underserved areas, Sacramento announced the completion of the South Sacramento River Parkway Trail West, which connects Meadowview to the soon-to-be-finished Del Rio Trail.

The Rio Linda Elverta Recreation and Parks District unveiled the latest improvements to Westside Park, which include a sun shelter structure, a new restroom structure, new planting and walkways, and a cornhole court.

The Biden administration is one step away from designating the first national marine sanctuary nominated by a tribe. Tribal members of the Chumash, who have lobbied for the creation of this Central Coast preserve for more than a decade, would be involved in managing it.

A virtual meeting was held by the Sunrise Recreation and Park District on Thursday evening to discuss potential locations for a new performance venue that is being proposed by the Citrus Heights Community Marching Band.

A flyer posted on Sunrise Recreation and Park District’s website invites the public to share their thoughts, questions, and concerns on the construction of a new bandshell to be located at Rusch Park.

Some 7,000 square miles of ocean on California’s Central Coast could soon become the largest national marine sanctuary in the continental U.S. It could also make history as one of the first federal sanctuaries to be spearheaded by a Native American tribe.

The legacy of Arnold J. Adreani was celebrated when a neighborhood park was dedicated to him. The Elk Grove educator worked as the principal of Joseph Kerr Middle School for 26 years before dedicating much of his retirement to providing scholarships to local students.

At its July 26 meeting, the Galt Parks and Recreation Commission discussed how to prioritize youth sports groups. Parks and Recreation Director Armando Solis said his department has developed a way for sports groups to reserve fields online.

A 23-acre open space park with a nearly mile-long paved trail through a new housing development off Arcadia Drive is expected to be completed in the fall.

Morning dawns on a field bordered by residential homes a little over a mile north of Winters. Eight passengers approach the launch site where a hot air balloon will take them high above Capay Valley farmlands on one of the first perfect flying days of the year.

Next year, pink cherry blossom petals in Robert T. Matsui Park—a grove called the Hanami Line—will blanket the Sacramento waterfront. They’ll fulfill the promise of Japanese Sacramentans’ nickname for the city: Sakuramento, after the cherry blossom.

California lawmakers passed the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, permanently protecting the iconic and imperiled species.

Jurassic World Live Tour, an exhilarating and unpredictable live, family entertainment experience that brings the wonder and thrills of Jurassic World to generations of fans, will be roaring into Sacramento for the first time this summer.