PG&E and the California State Parks Foundation Team Up for Earth Day Restoration...

PG&E and the California State Parks Foundation Team Up for Earth Day
Restoration Work on April 19
Utility Offers Cash Grant and Employee Volunteers for Park Projects

SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric
Company today announced that it is granting $162,000 to the California State
Parks Foundation to help fund restoration and environmental improvement
projects. Additionally, more than 1,000 PG&E employees, retirees and their
families will work alongside community volunteers on Saturday, April 19, to
celebrate Earth Day and help clean up and restore 13 state and community parks
in northern and central California.
2008 marks the seventh consecutive year the utility has partnered with the
California State Parks Foundation on the Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup
program. Over the past seven years, PG&E has granted more than $850,000 to
fund vital maintenance and improvement projects at California's parks with
over 4,000 PG&E employees contributing thousands of volunteer hours on Earth
Day.
"For PG&E, protecting the environment is more than providing some of the
nation's most environmentally responsible energy services and products," said
Peter Darbee, Chairman, CEO and president of PG&E Corporation. "It's also
about giving back to the communities in which we live and work. We are honored
to team up again this year with California State Parks Foundation for the
annual park restoration and cleanup campaign."
At 13 park sites on April 19, PG&E volunteers will plant trees and shrubs,
remove invasive non-native plants, clear trash and debris, and make other
improvements to parks, such as installing an irrigation system. PG&E will also
provide volunteers with free energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs
to help them reduce their carbon footprint. In 2007, nearly 1,300 PG&E
employees and their families volunteered at 16 parks across the state, where
they planted more than 8,000 trees and plants, removed 2,439 bags of trash and
recyclables and restored 12 miles of trails on Earth Day.
Now more than ever, community participation at parks on Earth Day is
important this year due to continuing budget cuts and a variety of threats to
state parks throughout California. The state's 278 parks comprise more than
1.5 million acres of land which needs to be maintained.
"The Earth Day program is critical this year as the state's faces severe
budget challenges," said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California
State Parks Foundation. "Thanks to the ongoing support of PG&E, including the
hard work of over 4,000 employee volunteers, we are able to complete long
delayed projects that otherwise would not be possible."
The California State Parks Foundation celebrates the 11th anniversary year
of the Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup Program on April 19. Since its
inception in 1998, the California State Parks Foundation Earth Day program has
had tremendous impact: 60,000 participants have contributed more than 250,000
volunteer hours worth an estimated $5,000,000 in park maintenance and
improvements. Including this year's grants, the Foundation has awarded more
than $963,000 to state parks throughout California.
On Saturday, April 19, volunteers are needed to join PG&E employees,
retirees and their families, and the California State Parks foundation at the
following 13 locations:

PARK TIME LOCATION ACTIVITY
Eastshore State 10 a.m. - West Frontage Road Non-native plant
Park Noon & University removal at beach and
Alameda County Avenue, trails; shoreline
Berkeley cleanup; trail litter
abatement

Mt. Diablo State 9 a.m. - Shuttle service Exotic plant removal,
Park 1 p.m. provided from Pine native plant
Contra Costa Hollow Middle restoration, fence
County School at 5522 construction, trail
Pine Hollow Road, maintenance
Concord

Millerton Lake 9 a.m. - Millerton Lake, Native plant and tree
State Recreation 1 p.m. south shore restoration, trail
Area Fresno/ entrance at Friant rehabilitation,
County Road vegetation management

Patrick's Point 9 a.m. - 4150 Patrick's Removal of invasive
State Park 1 p.m. Point Drive, species, pruning
Humboldt County Trinidad

Stramler Park 9 a.m. - 3805 Chester Tree planting
Kern County Noon Avenue, off Golden
State Hwy

Samuel P. Taylor 9 a.m. - Off Sir Francis Trail repair and
State Park 1 p.m. Drake past exotic plant
Marin County Lagunitas removal

Folsom Lake State 9 a.m. - 9875 Greenback Installation of
Recreation Area 1 p.m. Lane, off Folsom signage, litter
Sacramento County Blvd. removal and pruning

Golden Gate Park 9 a.m. - Golden Gate Park: Pruning and invasive
San Francisco Noon Speedway Meadow, plant removal,
County Stow Lake and mulching, weeding,
Rhododendron Dell planting, and habitat
restoration

Caswell Memorial 9 a.m. - Austin Road, off Native planting,
State Park 1 p.m. Highway 99 removal of non-native
San Joaquin plant species,
County building and
installation of
information kiosk,
litter removal

Montana de Oro 8:30 a.m. - Los Osos Valley Trail maintenance,
State Park 1 p.m. Road build ADA pathways to
San Luis Obispo existing restroom
County

Natural Bridges 9 a.m. - 2531 West Cliff Litter and invasive,
State Beach 1 p.m. Drive, Santa Cruz non-native plant
Santa Cruz removal, removal of
County non-contributing
structures

Shasta State 9 a.m. - Intersection of Remove non native
Historic Park 1 p.m. Hwy 299 west and plants, pick-up litter
Shasta County Trinity Alley, and trail restoration
Shasta

Putah Creek 9 a.m. - Hwy. 128 past Plant native trees,
Public Access 1 p.m. Winters grasses and shrubs;
Yolo County install irrigation
system, creek cleanup

About Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, is one
of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United
States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and
central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/.
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company

PG&E News Department, +1-415-973-5930; or Kristi Brakken, +1-415-606-7620,
stellabluebrakken@comcast.net, or Erika Pringsheim-Moore, +1-925-284-5069,
epringsheim@earthlink.net, both of California State Parks Foundation