A movement to keep Empire Mine as a piece of the California State Parks and Recreations Department has had to pick up speed. The timeline to return signed petitions to the Grass Valley Greater Chamber of Commerce has been moved to Monday, April 21st. Empire Mine Park advocate, Virginia Brunini, is the heart of the petition drive and says the April 28th date on the petitions is too far out.
Click here to listen to Virginia Brunini

Brunini needs to have the petitions ready to go to the Assembly in time for the 23rd hearing. With the upcoming Easter weekend she hopes to get as many signatures as possible.
Click here to listen to Virginia Brunini

Brunini is no stranger to saving  Empire Mine State Park.  She led a three week petition drive that collected 7500 signatures in an effort to keep Empire Mine Park open when then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was proposing to close multiple parks.

The is also an online petition available at: ipetitions.com/petition/save-the-empire-mine-state-historic-park

In a hearing last month the Senate Budget Committee moved to sell Empire Mine to a private entity. Brunini’s petition is focused on the attention of Assembly member Brian Dahle who is a vocal supporter of the State Parks within Nevada County including Empire Mine State Park, the South Yuba River State Park at Bridgeport, and Malakoff Diggins State Park.