Pine Grove - Indian Grinding Rock in Amador County will suffer service reductions and reduced hours as a result of a string of park budget cuts that state officials feel will help remedy the state’s severe budget deficit. Calaveras Big Trees, its sister park, will not be affected. On Tuesday, the state parks department imposed sweeping cuts on more than half of California’s 279 state parks. In many cases, this means reduced hours, reduced cleaning, closed restrooms, cancelled school field trips and complete closure of some park areas. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the parks department to reduce spending by $14.2 million on September 25. Up until that point, he was pushing a plan to completely close 100 parks. State officials were hoping that private businesses and non-profit groups would step forward with the financial resources to keep the parks open. Many environmental groups, including the Audubon Society, the California State Parks Foundation and the Nature Conservancy, are reacting to these latest cuts by drafting legislation for the 2010 ballot that would increase parks funding by increasing vehicle registration fees to roughly $15 per year. Beyond Grinding Rock, a number of other regional parks will be affected. In Sacramento, the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park, Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park, California State Indian Museum and Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park will be closed on certain weekdays. Outside of Sacramento, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown will be closed on Mondays. The Sacramento-based Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks said there will be “minimal disruption expected for park visitors.” Please contact Indian Grinding Rock State Park at 296-7488 for more information on closures. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.