Palomar Mountain News

 From: Barclay Family 

“Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park” under consideration

Fans of Palomar Mountain State Park are warmly invited to participate in a feasibility study for the possible formation of  “Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park” (Friends of PMSP), a non-profit charitable organization that would support the Park. Details may be found at www.palomarsp.org/friends  

The Park is currently supported by another non-profit cooperating association, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Interpretive Association (CRSPIA). “CRSPIA’s been very helpful and supportive,” says Rick Barclay, a Temecula resident and CRSPIA member who is spearheading this project, “but we want to see if we can get more local support and participation by having a “home grown” organization that focuses on Palomar Mountain State Park. One that will attract supporters from the Palomar community as well as Southwestern Riverside County and Northern San Diego County.”

Barclay points out that this effort has the endorsement of CRSPIA and Nedra Martinez, Superintendent of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s sector in which the Park is located.

What exactly would Friends of PMSP do? “The association’s mission would be to support the park financially — raise money through a variety of means and give it to the Park to buy things like equipment and supplies for educational and interpretive programs, materials for facility and sign repair, tools for trail maintenance, and so on,” says Barclay. “This would be money that simply wouldn’t otherwise be available to the Park, especially in these times of budget cutbacks.”

Barclay admits that the announced closure may have some people scratching their heads about the timing. “Yes, the closure does present a couple of problems when it comes to a new association. First, there’s the possible misconception that we’re doing this in response to the closure, when in fact the idea came up well before the closure was announced.  It’s easy to assume Friends of PMSP will be about combating the closure, but this just isn’t the case. Fighting the closure won’t be part of the association’s mission. Efforts to keep the park open are being capably handled at the superintendent’s level.

“The other problem is that — let’s face it — the closure is discouraging. Some people would say that it’s pointless to start an association for a park that’s slated for closure.

“But the Park needs as much support as it can get now… full closure isn’t planned til July 2012,” Barclay states. “And besides, we really don’t know what the future holds or what solutions may emerge between now and then. What I can tell you is that Park staff and volunteers are keeping a positive mental attitude and soldiering on as if the closure weren’t looming ahead — making long range plans for improvements and events, keeping trails clear. The whole point of all this is to make everyone’s visit to the Park as pleasant and safe and rewarding as possible. Now is the perfect time to give more people the opportunity to step forward and support the Park.”

To find out more about this project and how you can help, visit  www.palomarsp.org/friends

Rick Barclay   barclay_zone@yahoo.com   909-783-9091