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By Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee

California is on the brink of another American first, this one rather dubious: In a week or two, officials say they will start shutting down 100 state parks, an exercise in government retrenchment unprecedented for a citizenry that cherishes the outdoors. The cutbacks – which involve closing the parks much of the year – are a Band-Aid on a bleeding state budget. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, when he signed the budget, penciled in a $14 million cut for California State Parks, a relatively meager slice amid much bigger reductions. The cut to parks amounts to 0.05 percent of the $26 billion deficit the new budget tries to resolve. But for many residents, when parks start shutting their gates, that meager slice will be the most visible fallout yet from the state's budget troubles.

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