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 Joshua Tree to Offer Front-Row Seat for Solar Eclipse Joshua Tree National Park will offer a front-row seat for one of the biggest celestial events of the year. On May 20, large areas of the western United States will experience an annular solar eclipse, an event last seen in the United States in 1994. In the hours before sunset, the Earth's moon will pass in front of the sun casting a giant shadow across the land. The view from some areas of the country will look like a "ring of fire," with the moon centered on the sun. Joshua Tree is in the zone to experience a partial (near total) eclipse. Death Valley National Park to Hold Annular Eclipse Viewing The first annular eclipse seen in the United States in 18 years will be visible on May 20, 2012, and Death Valley NP Rangers will be offering prime time viewing from Dante's Viewpoint. From 5:30-7:30 pm, rangers will assist park visitors in seeing the eclipse through telescopes and solar glasses from a premier vantage point within the park. State Park Operations Offered as Concession Opportunities California State Parks is accepting proposals for five-year concession contracts to continue the operation and maintenance of campgrounds, facilities, parking and day use areas at 13 California State Parks scheduled for closure. The State Parks offered in this Request for Proposals (RFP) are located within 3 different regions of California: Salton Sea SRA, Providence Mountains SRA and Picacho SRA in the Desert region; Castle Crags SP, Grizzly Creek Redwoods SP, Benbow Lake SRA, and Standish-Hickey SRA in the North Coast region; and Castle Rock SP, Portola Redwoods SP, Gray Whale Cove SB, Moss Landing SB, Zmudowski SB, and Limekiln SP in the Central Coast region. Clarification on State Park Closures Reports that have indicated that most State parks slated to close this summer will stay open are not entirely accurate. As of this date, it is more accurate to say that a significant number of State Parks could remain open if negotiations now underway are successful. At present, there are 11 parks on the closure list of 70 that will remain open with agreements. There are another 24 where partnership negotiations are in progress with cities, counties, non-profits and others and there is a strong likelihood that many of these will remain open. Beyond this, the Department has put out an RFP (Request for Proposals) on 11 parks, asking for bids back from non-profits or for-profits for operation of these particular parks. This process has just begun and the Department has not yet heard back with any proposals on those 11. State Parks Announces Closures California State Parks announced a plan to close up to 70 of its 278 parks due to budget cuts. The closures are necessary to achieve an $11 million reduction in the next fiscal year 2011/12, and $22 million in the following fiscal year 2012/13. These cuts were mandated by AB 95, which was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in March. Five of the parks listed are within the California desert: Antelope Valley Indian Museum, Picacho SRA, Providence Mountains SRA/Mitchell Caverns, Saddleback Butte SP, and Salton Sea SRA. 
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