By Victoria Brandon, Redwood Chapter Chair
Redwood Chapter worked for years to ensure the permanent protection of federal lands in the Berryessa Snow Mountain region, and rejoiced when that goal was met last summer by the designation of the BSM national monument. Now it’s time to take the next step to provide the resources needed to maximize good stewardship and recreational value in the region, both inside and outside monument boundaries.
On February 19 Senator Lois Wolk, with co-authors Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymen Bill Dodd and Marc Levine, took a big step towards achieving those objectives by introducing SB 1396, a bill to create an Inner Coast Range Conservancy. California’s ten existing conservancies were established legislatively to protect regional resources of statewide significance. Independent agencies within the California Natural Resources Agency with an independent governance structure and their own funding lines, they provide a coordinated, regional approach to achieve forest resiliency and fuel reduction, water quality and aquatic habitat improvement, invasive species control, and many other on-the-ground projects. Conservancies are non-regulatory, collaborative, state-local partnerships that may work with local governments, nonprofit organizations, private businesses, academic institutions, and other organizations to carry out their mission.
Conservancies such as the Sierra Nevada Conservancy or the Coastal Conservancy are a major conduit for state allocations, bond funds, and grants with a proven track record of advancing environmental preservation and restoration while promoting a thriving local economy– but the northern Inner Coast Range region is unable to take advantage of these benefits, because it lies almost entirely outside the boundaries of existing conservancies. SB 1396 will rectify that omission.
Stretching from Solano County to the Oregon border and centering on the Berryessa Snow Mountain national monument, the northern Inner Coast Range region contains many rural communities committed to sustaining and restoring the region’s exceptional cultural and natural resource values; a strong agricultural and natural resource-based heritage; and a rich Native American cultural history. Its outstanding biodiversity is of global significance, and it includes many large public land areas that are open for recreational use.
Creation of a conservancy will support collaborative efforts to protect, conserve, and restore the region’s physical, cultural, archeological, historical, and biological resources; preserve working landscapes and restore resiliency to natural landscapes; reduce the risk and severity of wildfires; improve water and air quality; increase opportunities for tourism and recreation and enhance public use and enjoyment of public lands. Robust local and regional participation in conservancy governance structure ensures a strong local voice on project development and implementation.
The Sierra Club wants to make this great proposal a reality: it’s good for the land, good for the people, and good for our communities. Please stay tuned for ways you can help.