ForestWatch announced that legislation aimed to protect 1 million acres of California public lands has been reintroduced, led by our region’s Heritage Protection Act.
See it all in this interactive map and get a feel for its dynamic scope: https://tinyurl.com/CAactMap
“This legislative package is one of a kind, it is the representation of stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels’ fundamental beliefs and commitment to protecting our public lands.” said Carla Mena, director of Policy at Los Padres ForestWatch.
The bills are intended to increase fire resilience, restore forests and fish habitat, rehabilitate lands impaired by illegal marijuana farms, increase recreation opportunities and permanently protect many of the state’s most spectacular wild places and pristine streams.
"The land areas in these bills have been top Sierra Club land protection priorities for a number of years. Lessening the impacts of climate change, watershed protection and providing outdoor recreation opportunities for thousands of southern Californians give this bill a sense of urgency,” said Jim Hines, the Santa Barbara–Ventura chapter’s vice-chair and conservation director.
"Protecting these lands and waters will also help fulfill the 30 x 30 conservation plan goals,” Hines added.
It would designate nearly 600,000 acres of new wilderness, more than 583 miles of new wild and scenic rivers and expand over 100,000 acres of a national monument. Too, it designates 400 miles of the Condor National Scenic Trail which runs south to north, or vice versa!
The historic legislative package will protect special places in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument for their ecological, cultural, and recreational values. The bill also prohibits future oil drilling in certain places, improves equitable access to the outdoors, and benefits local and statewide economies.
The package has the short nickname of “Public Lands Act”, but its full title is: “The Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (Public) Lands Act.”
It consists of a 3-bill package reintroduced to the House:
- Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, led by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24),
- San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act, led by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), and
- Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act, led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02).
“Thank you, Senator Padilla, for your ongoing leadership to preserve these beloved treasures for our community,” said Supervisor Matt LaVere, Ventura County District 1.