Hailey Branson-Potts
The Auburn State Recreation Area occupies 40 miles of steep river canyons and rugged terrain in drought-stricken El Dorado and Placer counties.
The counties, which stretch from the Sacramento suburbs into the Sierra, are two of the fastest growing in California, experiencing a population boom that was hastened during the COVID-19 pandemic by urban expats fleeing expensive cities with a newfound ability to work remotely.
California is now considering a controversial plan to accommodate growing use of the Auburn State Recreation Area, 40 miles northeast of Sacramento. Residents in foothill communities and local fire agencies are enraged by a proposal by California State Parks and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that would allow up to 142 new campsites to be built in the crowded park.
California State Parks said new campsites are being proposed as an attempt to manage inevitable overcrowding.
“With the projected growth, if no improvements are made within the park unit, risk of wildfire and impacts to evacuation routes would be higher than if improvements from the general plan were implemented,” State Parks said in a statement to The Times on Friday.
Read More from: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-25/la-me-california-fire-parks-population.