CALIFORNIA (KRON) – A coalition of environmental and nonprofit groups are hoping an increase in vehicle license fees will help keep California parks open and accessible to residents.

The new initiative, California State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010, would charge drivers an extra $18 to register their vehicles. In exchange, motorists would receive free admission to all state parks.

The extra money would help establish a State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund, in which only state parks operations and urban rivers, wildlife, open space and ocean conservation programs would benefit from the funds.

Twice in the past two years, state parks were on the brink of being shutdown. Only last minute budget reprieves kept them open. Budget cuts, however, will result in nearly 60 state parks shutting down part-time or having their hours of operations reduced.

"California state parks are in peril because of chronic underfunding," said Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation in a statement. "Our state parks were once considered the best in the nation, and now they're falling apart and threatened with closure because they have no reliable source of funding. This parks measure would create a dedicated funding source to prevent park Proposed Ballot Measure Filed to Protect California State Parks & Conserve Wildlife closures, eliminate a backlog of more than a billion dollars in repairs and properly maintain parks and other natural resources for our children and grandchildren to enjoy."

Supporters of the measure are hoping to put the State Park Access Pass on the ballot for November 2010.

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