Give back by volunteering for an improvement project in a state park near you

Half Moon Bay State Beach, California

California State Park Foundation’s Park Champions Program holds volunteer work days in state parks across California. This program was created in response to the unprecedented budget cuts that California State Parks face right now.

In partnership with California State Parks, Park Champions provide consistent, sustainable volunteer support in the areas of park maintenance and beautification.

Park Champions projects improve the quality, safety and preservation of our state parks. Projects in the past year have included trail repair, invasive plant removal, habitat restoration, the rehabilitation of an historic orchard, fence construction, bridge construction, and re-painting park structures.

If you enjoy volunteering outdoors, want to work with a fun group of people, and you want to make a difference in our state parks, then become a Park Champion and join us for the next work day happening near you!

You can find out about upcoming work days and how to sign up for a work day on the Foundation's website.

New California travel planner in print or digital app

Near Big Sur. prawnpie on flickr.com

Is California in your travel plans this year? A revised guidebook to both public and private campgrounds in the Golden State is now available, both in print and as a digital app.

 “It’s an app friendly, digital magazine,” said Susanne White, advertising manager for the California Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds, which produces the guide.

2014 Camp California guide “This camping and travel planning guide will live in your newsstand on your device if you want it to,” White said. “You can flip through the magazine, and while connected to a network, access more content than the 80-page print version of the directory can hold.”

The digital version of the guide includes links to both travel information as well videos of campgrounds and products or services that may interest RVers. There's no need for an Internet connection to access much of the information. You can "flip" through pages of info to locate a park while offline.

In an effort to attract more readers, the cover of the camping guide also has a QR code that can be scanned for a chance to enter a sweepstakes for $1,000 worth of free camping. The sweepstakes winner will be announced in December and will be featured in the 2015 edition of the camping guide.

200,000 print versions of the camping guide are being distributed free of charge through California Welcome Centers and Camping World stores throughout California as well as campgrounds, RV parks and resorts that are affiliated with California Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds.

Additional sections provide information on driver’s license requirements and road restrictions involving 40-foot plus RVs.

For more information, visit www.CalARVC.com and www.Camp-California.com.

SOURCE: California Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds press release