California's Mining And Minerals Museum Gets Reprieve

MARIPOSA, Calif. (AP) — Days before its planned closure, the California Mining and Minerals Museum learned that its doors will stay open for at least a few more weeks.

Kent Gresham, who manages the museum for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, said Friday that the $10 million in new parks funding included in the state budget bought the museum more time to find ways to stay open.

The museum in Mariposa County was one of 70 sites in California's parks system that had been slated for closure due to budget cuts.

On Thursday, the parks department announced that most of the 70 would remain open due to the new funds and the dozens of nonprofits, private companies and others who had agreed to run the parks in the state's stead.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.