County Plan to Cut Park Employees’ Jobs Draws Protests : Finances: Supervisors say the decision was among the tough budget choices. Volunteers argue that the nature areas’ educational value outweighs the savings.

All staff jobs at eight nature parks and 10 other protected natural areas in Los Angeles County would be eliminated under the proposed 1991-92 county budget, a plan that drew protests Friday from park volunteers.

They described as shortsighted the proposal to cut the positions of all 15 county employees who administer and maintain the nature parks, which would cause many of the parks to close.

During testimony before the County Board of Supervisors Friday, they said the $574,000 savings that would be achieved is a pittance compared to the value of the parks to society.

“We teach schoolchildren about the cycles of life, the real world,” said Donald Hamilton, a docent at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center in Newhall and one of 120 nature park volunteers who assist the paid county employees.

But Mary Jung, assistant county chief administrative officer, said the nature park cutbacks were among the “difficult choices” that had to be made to deal with the $278-million county budget shortfall expected in the fiscal year.

“Each of the programs were critical, but we had to make some choices,” Jung said. “This program was less critical than others.”

The parks vary from undeveloped sanctuaries for plants and animals to formal nature centers featuring Indian archeological or live animal exhibits.

The 18 sites encompass more than 6,000 acres and in 1991 attracted more than 1 million visitors, according to the volunteers’ records.

In addition to Placerita Canyon, the parks that would lose their staff range from Devil’s Punchbowl in Pearblossom to Eaton Canyon in Pasadena.

Natural areas--such as the Antelope Valley Wildlife and Wildflower Sanctuaries east of Lancaster--also would be hurt because county employees from the eight parks also lead tours and perform occasional maintenance in those areas, said Jim Okimoto, senior assistant director of the county Department of Parks and Recreation.

“This is a tough year, but we are not happy about these cuts,” Okimoto said.

The department will attempt to keep some of the areas open even if the Board of Supervisors approves the staff cuts, he said.

Volunteers and county workers from other parks might be able to continue a few of the current programs, which include nature walks, bird identification and live animal exhibits, he said.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who was in Washington on Friday, vowed in a June 6 letter to one of the volunteers that he would restore funding for the nature parks when the board makes its final budget decisions in July.

Friday’s testimony from center volunteers presented the supervisors with a politically awkward moment because it followed an impassioned plea for more AIDS funding from a representative of an activist group, ACT-UP.

When Alice Nock, president of the Nature Center Associates, began to tout the value of bird walks and nature hikes, Supervisor Kenneth Hahn interrupted.

“I don’t mean to make light of your request, but following this young man . . . on life and death issues,” Hahn said.

“Do you see what I am trying to tell you nicely? If I were you, I would come here another day.”

Nock agreed the juxtaposition of the two speeches was unfortunate, but persisted.

“I feel that our thrust is equally important because of the youth and children that we help,” she said.

Endangered Park List Eight major nature centers and parks could lose rangers and maintenance staff in Los Angeles County. The parks include:

* Charmlee, Malibu--461 acres of oak woodlands and grassy meadows in the Santa Monica Mountains. Includes a nature center and museum and picnic grounds. Panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.

* Devil’s Punchbowl, Pearblossom--1,310 acres of sedimentary rock walls which tower hundreds of feet above a stream. Includes a small exhibit area and a park office and a network of hiking and nature trails.

* Eaton Canyon, Pasadena--184 acres at the base of Mt. Wilson alongthe southern flank of the San Gabriel Mountains. The center there features displays of local flora and fauna and of prehistoric animals.

* Placerita Canyon, Newhall--350 acres of oak groves and a sycamore-lined stream. Nature center museum includes natural history exhibit and small collection of live animals. A wildlife sanctuary is adjacent at Walker Ranch.

* San Dimas Canyon, San Dimas--100 acres of chaparral and riparian stream vegetation bordering the Angeles National Forest. Nature trails, picnic areas and a wildlife zoo.

* Tapia, Calabasas--80 acres of oak woodlands and chaparral slopes. Includes hiking and equestrian trails, picnic tables and barbecues.

* Vasquez Rocks, Saugus--745 acres of upthrust rock formations where hundreds of movies and commercials have been filmed. Contains numerous archeological sites. Camping for organized youth groups by reservation.

* Whittier Narrows, South El Monte--325 acres of riparian woodland along the San Gabriel River. Lots of wildlife ranging from cottontail rabbits to migratory wildfowl. Nature center emphasizes the river environment, with graphics and live displays of plant and animal life.