RUSSIA SAID, "CALIFORNIA DON'T CLOSE IT!'

Looking from the side of a Russian fur trading ship, in 1819, the coast was blocked in by dense fog. If you looked close, you could see, out of the fog a fort,"Fort Ross", a Russian Fort built out of redwood. The blockhouses, with cannon ports, were located at the northwest and southwest corners of the stockade...many, cannons stood guard. Sentries, also, standing guard in the blockhouses.

Although the fort had sentries standing guard, it was not military but a commercial enterprise...taken from "Outpost OF An Empire, Russian Expansion To America," by Stephen Watrous.

There was trade with the Spanish in California for otter pelts to sell at home. In its hay-day, there were Russians, Native Alaskans, and local Americans living in and around the fort.

Because of Fort Ross location in Northern California; because of its history; because of its culture, which still lures in along the coast of California---Russia, today, wants the California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take it off of the list of closing of state parks.

Russian Ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, was sent to California to talk, to California's Governor, about saving the park area from California's budget-park's closings.

While the Russian Ambassador was touring the park area, he said that the park is proof that Russia and the United States have a beautiful shared past history in California. Therefore, we would like the fort to be taken off the Governor's hatchet list.

Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, said that he is open to any idea that Russia can come up with to save "Fort Ross" and the park.

The question is, " How would you save Fort Ross and the park from the Governor's budget-hatchet ?"