Newest Calif. state park saved this tiny town from disaster
Under a shaded refuge adjacent to a still pond in the Central Valley, dozens of California State Parks officials and nonprofit leaders assembled Wednesday to laud the first state park to open in a decade. Among the beaming faces was Lilia Lomeli-Gil, a community leader representing the tiny town 5 miles away that, thanks to the park’s debut, is being transformed. If Merced is the “Gateway to Yosemite,” then Grayson is the gateway to Dos Rios State Park. The 1,600-acre property lies within the floodplains outside Modesto and features the intersection of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers. The park’s proximity to Grayson offers the town a sense of renewal. Dos Rios will lure visitors off Interstate 5 and provide residents with a communal backyard haven. Efforts to restore the floodplain have already shown signs of success in protecting Grayson from disaster. The town owes part of its livelihood to restoring the original habitat and defending itself from flooding.