Long Beach residents can now access more than 200 of California’s state parks and beaches for free and all they need is a library card.
The Long Beach Public Library has joined a three-year pilot program that kicked off earlier this month “to advance safe and equitable outdoor access for all Californians,” according to a press release.
There are 13 California State Library parks passes available for checkout in Long Beach, one at each public library in the city on a first-come, first-served basis. Library card holders can check out one pass at a time for a period of seven days to receive free vehicle day-use entry to any participating state park.
The program is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $9.1 million Outdoors for All Initiative allocated in the 2021-22 state budget, which states that “four of every ten Californians have no access to open space within walking distance of their home and six of every ten Californians live in park-poor neighborhoods, or areas with less than three acres of parks or open space per thousand residents.”
“Research shows that spending time in the outdoors is associated with better mental and physical health, and that many Californians face barriers to accessing their parks,” said Christine Hertzel, acting library services director. “Through this partnership, we can help our residents explore the outdoors and generate positive impacts in the area of health, natural resource stewardship, and historical and cultural connections.”
The pass is good for one vehicle with up to nine people inside or a highway-licensed motorcycle and it can only be used for free-entry, not for camping, boat use, group use or special events.
Park passes can be placed on hold through the library’s online catalog and participating state parks and beaches can be found using the interactive map feature.