California Seeks Input on Using Natural and Working Lands to Achieve Climate and Biodiversity Goals

Published Date:

Virtual regional workshops offer opportunity for Californians to share ideas to protect their communities and special places from climate change

 

SACRAMENTO – The California Natural Resources Agency is announcing nine virtual regional workshops as part of an ongoing effort to advance Governor Gavin Newsom’s goals to protect 30 percent of the State’s land and coastal waters by 2030 and enlist California’s vast network of natural and working lands in the fight against climate change.

California is a world-renowned hotspot for unique fish, wildlife, ecosystems, and special places. In 2020, California committed to protecting 30 percent of its land and coastal waters by 2030 through Governor Newsom’s executive order. The 30 by 30 commitment has been championed internationally and is embraced by more than 50 countries today.

The executive order also elevates the role of natural and working lands as a key pillar of California’s climate change strategy, committing the state to accelerate actions to increase carbon removal and enhance resilience in forests, wetlands, agricultural soils, urban greenspaces and land conservation efforts.

“Nature-based solutions to combat climate change have long been a missing piece of our climate agenda, and we are closing this gap in California,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “The science is clear that our iconic landscapes remove carbon from the atmosphere and protect people and nature from the impacts of climate change — reducing risk of catastrophic wildfire, absorbing floodwater, cooling communities, providing habitat, and more.”

The California Natural Resources Agency is convening the virtual regional workshops to help develop multi-year strategies to achieve the executive order’s goals. The “Pathways to 30 by 30 Strategy” and “Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy” will guide action across California’s diverse landscapes. Through the workshops, the State is seeking to better understand what regional leaders and residents see as opportunities and challenges for communities to achieve 30 by 30 and accelerate nature-based climate solutions. We want your feedback and input on how this impacts your community or neighborhood.

Each virtual workshop will include an overview of the State’s efforts to support nature-based solutions and the 30 by 30 initiative, as well as region-specific topics for input and breakout group exercises. During this public input process, the California Natural Resources Agency will also be exploring what equity means for different regions of the state, learning about different community interpretations of equity, and looking into ways to advance equitable strategies and opportunities.

All meetings are open to the public, regardless of participants’ geographic location. The meetings will be accessible through the Zoom virtual platform, a phone dial-in option and livestreamed on YouTube.  Regional workshop will also include closed captioning, and simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese.

The virtual regional workshops are just one of the ways members of the public, stakeholders and communities can participate in shaping strategies to expand nature-based solutions.  The public will also be invited to take a brief online Input Questionnaire set to be released in advance of the regional workshops.

Topical workshops will be held in the coming months to address statewide issues such as Equity, Climate Change, Biodiversity, Working Lands, and defining Conservation. The public will have an opportunity to provide input and submit comments during those workshops as well.

Input by the public can also be provided through the following options:

Regional Workshops at a Glance & Registration Links

April 20

Sacramento Valley Region

Sacramento, Yolo, Sutter, Yuba, Colusa, Glenn, Butte, Tehama, Shasta, the eastern half of Solano, and western part of Placer counties.

 

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtd--sqDgrG9KSMWKEcLSYI6atC7qFHdvJ

April 21

San Francisco Bay Area Region

San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Sonoma, Napa, and the western half of Solano counties.

 

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIpd-CvqjkoGdf9nu0W9ZGYg47N731Z9ZgO

 

April 27

Central Coast Region

Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties.

 

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIsd-uqrjooEtP8knKfrP8_FQ00W1W80Xha

 

April 28

Sierra Nevada Region

Modoc, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Alpine, Mono, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Inyo, and the eastern parts of Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties

 

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcpduCgpzkiEtLgkYxq-uFMNkvm-b-wIVGa

 

April 29

San Joaquin Valley Region

San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Kings, and the western parts of Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties.

 

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwrcuGpqDooGNIyiD66A8sa3RZQgO3XV1nJ

 

May 4

North Coast Region

Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, Siskiyou, and Del Norte counties.

 

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMufuirpjIjHtKtAevFcYxbqZ8vmJCSBzDW

May 5

Los Angeles Region

Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and the western parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

 

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcuduytqDgqGNWmP4fJ45oAF2k4IrWN3Yxb

 

May 6

Inland Deserts Region

Imperial and the eastern parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvf-CoqT0qGdQp7u5ARhjk5YQ4pRaLI3O1

 

May 11

San Diego Region

San Diego County

Register at:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrd--hrT0jH92Jvt9eqKC0v3ypAXByHhpm

 

*All meeting times are 4-6 p.m.

###