California unveils plans for three new giant parks including historic camp that inspired The Grapes of Wrath

If all goes to plan, the Golden State could be beautified even further by up to three new state parks — and the California State Parks wants Californians’ input on the process.California State Parks recently launched a visioning survey, according to Secret Los Angeles.It’s called the State Parks Forward Survey, after the project’s moniker, and asks state residents for input regarding the three new parks planned for California’s Central Valley — Dust Bowl Camp (Bakersfield, Kern County), San Joaquin River Parkway (covering Fresno and Madera counties) and Feather River Park (Olivehurst, Yuba County).The survey will be available until September 4 and should take 5 to 10 minutes to complete, with respondents able to provide their thoughts on one park or all three.Dust Bowl Camp has a unique tie to American literary history, as the historic migrant camp helped inspire John Steinbeck’s 1939 classic “The Grapes of Wrath,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction the following year.

The park will pay homage to Dust Bowl and farmworker history, though details on exactly how it will do so remain unknown.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story The addition of the three parks would increase the statewide total to a whopping 238 parks, more than any other state (Washington and New York rank behind with approximately 212 and 180 to 215, respectively, though exact numbers depend on classification, according to Safe Guard Surfacing).Gov.Gavin Newsom first announced the project on Earth Day in April.

The initiative will also expand the state’s parkland by approximately 30,000 acres by the end of the decade.“Today, through the State Parks Forward initiative, we’re expanding our parks system with three new state parks, creating new outdoor recrea...