MODESTO, Calif. — A new state park will soon open to the public in the Central Valley. Dos Rios State Park, located eight miles west of Modesto, is the first new state park in California in a decade.
Visitors can hike, picnic and bird watch at the 1,600 acre park. It's home to native trees, like the valley oak, and wildlife, including fish and turtles.
It’s the largest public-private floodplain restoration project in California. Alicia Manzo will be one of the guides helping visitors discover the beauty of the land. She is a bilingual interpreter for State Parks.
The Central Valley native has walked these grounds before.
“It’s really a full circle moment for me. I was here back in 2015 with River Partners and the Tuolumne River Trust doing restoration work and planting some of the trees that you see in the park now," Manzo said.
She and others will walk visitors through the park, sharing information about its history and biodiversity. State Parks will offer programming in English and Spanish.
“I know how important it is to have these spaces not only for families to visit and have that connection to nature, but also feel a sense of inclusivity," Manzo said.
The $40 million restoration project took 10 years to complete.
Governor Newsom, his wife and other state leaders planted a native valley oak tree Monday afternoon as the park was unveiled.
“San Joaquin Valley, in fact, per capita has the lowest per capita open space and parks of any other region in the state of California. That’s why this is so profound," Governor Gavin Newsom said.
Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta also helped plant the tree, shoveling soil onto the roots after offering remarks at an unveiling event.
“Coming here is like coming home to me,” Huerta said. ”I was raised in Stockton, California, and of course, the rivers, the delta was so much a part of my growing up.”
The park officially opens to the public on June 12. Visitors can hike and picnic there. State Parks told ABC10 more plans are in the works for the future.
California’s Natural Resources Secretary also said the park will help the state in its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.
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