The California Gnatcatcher isn’t a big bird, or a loud bird, but if you listen carefully you’ll probably hear it raising its voice in favor of Proposition 21, the ballot initiative that would create a dependable funding stream for California State Parks. As we’ve mentioned before, California State Parks not only protect critical habitat areas for birds, but they also perform vital conservation work that helps keep our most sensitive species from disappearing. And the endangered California Gnatcatcher is a prime beneficiary of this. At a place like Chino Hills State Park, one of the last bastions of the rare Southern California coastal sage scrub habitat that supports the bird, the role of state parks is truly vital. While the park itself holds off the onslaught of development that has eaten up so much of this habitat, the staff does important monitoring and conservation work that helps support the bird itself. So, if you happen to be walking through Chino Hills State Park in the next couple of days and you hear a little voice advocating for Prop. 21, well, you’ll know what to do. (photo by Glen Tepke)