NBC BAY AREA —While economists predicted a strong Black Friday shopping day, it’s likely the malls were a little less crowded in California, thanks to the unprecedented move by a San Francisco nonprofit agency dedicated to saving redwood trees.
The Save the Redwoods League offered for the first time free passes to 49 state parks in California. By Friday, all the parks had run out of the freebies, after 5,100 people downloaded the passes since Nov. 18, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Benito.
“We were completely overwhelmed,” Benito said, who forgot to download a pass herself, but was happy to pay a park entrance fee as she too, planned to go hiking with her family. “We’re excited about the enthusiasm.”