PG&E Presents California State Parks Foundation's 16th Annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup on Saturday, April 13

SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)--

The California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) hosts 24 environmental improvement projects at state parks across California on Saturday, April 13, as part of its 16^th Annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup presented by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E (News - Alert)). Volunteers are encouraged to help maintain the beauty of California's treasured state parks.

The importance of Earth Day activities has never been greater as California's state parks continue to be underfunded, with severe budget reductions over the past several years and $1.4 billion in deferred maintenance. Businesses and individuals are sought to actively participate with their communities to help restore the beauty and glory of California's treasured state parks. Trail and campground improvements, trash cleanup, bridge building, tree planting, and wildlife habitat restoration are just some of the projects planned for Earth Day. To further aid California communities, volunteers are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items benefitting local food banks to project sites on Earth Day.

"For 16 years, our Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup has brought communities together to beautify and preserve beaches, forests and historic sites at California state parks," said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of CSPF. "We could not do it without the support of our sponsors, partners and volunteers including PG&E, Southern California Gas Company, Edison International, Chevron, Oracle (News - Alert) and Virgin America. State parks continue to need a helping hand and we'd like to thank our friends for their contributions in helping to keep our state parks magnificent."

PG&E, which is sponsoring 11 public sites in northern and central California, is providing a $210,000 grant to CSPF and to participating parks for the supplies and materials required to complete Earth Day projects. PG&E is providing extra support for state parks by participating in four additional cleanup days for PG&E employees and their families: April 4 at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area; April 6 at Mt. Diablo State Park and Angel Island State Park; and April 27 at Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park.

"Helping to restore and preserve our state parks for the enjoyment of both current and future generations of Californians is a key part of PG&E's environmental commitment," said Ezra Garrett, PG&E vice president, community relations and chief sustainability officer. "We are proud to support state parks in the communities we serve where our employees and their families have dedicated over 25,000 volunteer hours during the twelve consecutive years that PG&E has been the statewide presenting sponsor of the Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup program."

Project sites:

Eastshore State Park - Alameda County
Redwood Regional Park - Alameda County
Mt. Diablo State Park - Contra Costa County
Millerton Lake State Recreation Area - Fresno/Madera counties
Patrick's Point State Park - Humboldt County
Picacho State Recreation Area - Imperial County
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook - Los Angeles County
Malibu Creek State Park - Los Angeles County
Angel Island State Park - Marin County
Mt. Tamalpais State Park - Marin County
Chino Hills State Park - Orange (News - Alert) County
Doheny State Beach - Orange County
San Clemente State Beach - Orange County
Auburn State Recreation Area - Placer County
California Citrus State Historic Park - Riverside County
Folsom Lake State Recreation Area - Sacramento County
San Onofre State Beach - San Diego County
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area - San Francisco County
Montaña de Oro State Park - San Luis Obispo County
Half Moon Bay State Beach - San Mateo County
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park - Santa Cruz County
Benicia State Recreation Area: Forrest Deaner Native Botanic Garden - Solano County
Jack London State Historic Park - Sonoma County
Sonoma Coast State Park - Sonoma County

Since its inception in 1998, CSPF's Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup program has resulted in 78,394 participants contributing more than 326,582 volunteer hours valued at nearly $6.25 million in park maintenance and improvements. Additionally, more than $4.3 million has been raised for the Earth Day program.

To register for Earth Day, visit calparks.org/earthday or call 1-888-98-PARKS.

In-kind sponsors include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Fruit Guys, KIND Healthy Snacks, Noah's NY Bagels, Peet's Coffee and Tea and Starbucks Coffee.

Media sponsors include: Bay Area News Group (The Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times, Marin Independent Journal), El Mensajero, KTVU-TV Channel 2 and KICU-TV, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Star 101.3 and World Journal in San Francisco Bay Area; Auburn Journal and KAHI-AM in Auburn; Radio Bilingue in Central California; KEYT-TV, Coast 101.3 and San Luis Obispo Tribune in SLO/Santa Barbara; KSOF-FM Radio in Fresno; LA Daily News, San Clemente Times, Dana Point Times and Capistrano Dispatch and KBIG 104.3 in Southern California; and Eureka Times Standard, KHUM-FM and KIEM-TV in Humboldt County.

Local organizations supporting Earth Day include: East Bay Regional Park District, Friends of Lakes Folsom & Natoma, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, Jack London Park Partners, Malibu Creek Docents Association, North East Trees, Protect American River Canyons and Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods.

For more information, visit pge.com/community and calparks.org.

For high resolution images, please visit calparks.org/media.