State Parks Decline as Budget Tightens : Outdoors: Increased fees can’t halt the erosion of facilities and services at scenic oceanfront campgrounds.

The state’s mounting budget crisis has cast a dark shadow on schools and social services, but the future also seems to be bleak for Southern California’s glorious oceanfront state parks.

True, Sacramento’s slash-and-burn budget proposals won’t eliminate the spectacular sunsets and the awesome beaches that draw campers back year after year to South Carlsbad, San Onofre and the state’s other beach campgrounds.

But after spending a week at San Clemente State Park earlier this month, I can say that it’s woefully obvious that these camping areas are on the decline. The troubling signs are everywhere, although still largely hidden by the parks’ scenic beauty.

To start, the cash-hungry state is bumping up camping fees to bolster declining tax revenue. Camping remains a relatively inexpensive option for a family vacation, but during our San Clemente stay, we paid $80 for five nights at a campsite near potable water, restrooms and showers.

We also paid a $3.95 non-refundable fee to Mistix, the San Diego-based firm that processes state park reservations.

And it cost 25 cents each time we wanted to take a five-minute shower.

One ranger suggested that state legislators will soon realize that there’s money to be made in those shower stalls. His prediction: Next year we’ll be popping two quarters into the slot when it’s shower time.

It made me wonder if it would be cheaper to book our family of four into a room at the nationally advertised chain that promises to “leave a light on for you.”

The fees aren’t surprising, given our increasingly pay-as-you-go society. But the funds raised simply aren’t enough to offset the millions of dollars that already have been cut from state park budgets.

The result of that imbalance is evident in declining maintenance.

Normal wear and tear is slowly eroding the quality of park services. A case in point: One morning at San Clemente, I took it upon myself to repair a restroom hot-water faucet that was ready to fall apart from lack of maintenance.

To be sure, some of the problems are exacerbated by uncaring patrons. On at least one night, spray-painted graffiti appeared in the bathrooms, straining already overworked crews who are hard-pressed to clean up after hundreds of campers.

Some campers--vandals, really--fuel their campfires by stripping planks from atop ramadas at the park’s bluff-top picnic area. Because of the worsening budget crunch, the ramadas aren’t being repaired.

Because of budget constraints, park rangers no longer patrol the campsites in the early morning hours. City of San Clemente officers now handle that chore.

There are no toilet facilities on the beach at San Clemente because there are no funds to repair an old, broken restroom. The options: Drag the kids back up the hill to the campground or make a dash for the beachfront city park more than a quarter of a mile away.

During a Wednesday night campfire session--they don’t have a real campfire anymore because the budget doesn’t cover the cost of wood--one ranger predicted that, if the next round of budget cuts occurs, the Golden State’s parks will be “finished.”

Oh, they won’t close the money-makers like South Carlsbad, San Clemente and Doheny, but dozen of smaller parks could be closed, and needed maintenance at other parks simply won’t take place.

The falling parks budgets have stalled improvements and maintenance for several years, according to Warren Snow, a retiree who spends his summers as a “volunteer host” at San Clemente. Snow, who coincidentally taught years ago in our neighborhood elementary school, answers campers’ questions, runs nature programs and conducts a morning story hour.

As park budgets continue to decline, more rangers will be laid off and the parks will become increasingly reliant on volunteers.

While hiking to the Wednesday night campfire, my wife dreamed about campfire songs and ghost stories. Instead, the ranger used the gathering to detail the park system’s dire financial straits and beg campers to tell legislators in Sacramento that the state’s parks are jewels that deserve to be protected.

Then, the ranger showed a movie that, given today’s video-oriented culture, highlighted the sorry state of the state’s parks. While the footage shown was truly beautiful, the movie was shot in 1972 and the ranger had problems focusing the picture beamed by his ancient movie projector.