California Expands State Parks with River Parkway

It's April 24th. From your city to your ears, this is California News Today, powered by AI.

After four decades of building the San Joaquin River Parkway, piece by piece, California is handing over 874 acres across six.

Properties to State Parks. This creates the new San Joaquin River, Parkway State Park.

Part of Governor Newsom's State Parks Forward Plan, the biggest expansion in decades, adding.

Two more parks to push the total past 282. These spots include Friant Cove, the 64-acre Wagner property, and the 170-acre River Vista, near Friant, plus Sticomore Island,

Fambier & Unit, and Wildwood Native Park around Highway 41. The San Joaquin River Conservancy, running on grants since 1992, is transferring nearly a third of its land for proper management.

Local leaders are thrilled. Conservancy head, Kari Deniska, pushed for this after a state review, saying State Parks brings Rangers, staff, and real structure.

The River Parkway Trust dodges a contract cliff in June, 2027, gaining steady ops without dedicated funds like other parkways.

Challenges linger, though. River Vista has stayed closed for years over a salmon-spotting bridge, and big trails from Friant Danza Highway 99 remain in pieces.

Restoration might still need outside cash, and spots like River West Fresno face excess road delays.

This handoff swings open doors for public use, maybe even camping at Sticomore Island along the river, speeding up access and projects that have waited too long.