Take Action to Rebuild State Parks in the Santa Cruz Mountains

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Assembly Bill 2103 passed the Senate on August 27th! Now, AB 2103 just needs the Governor's signature to help rebuild our fire-damaged parks like Big Basin Redwoods State Park and protect our recovering habitats. Will you urge the Governor to support AB 2103 to rebuild State Parks?

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin of the 28th Assembly District introduced Assembly Bill 2103 (formerly 566) on February 8, 2023, which will allow California State Parks to more effectively work with conservation organizations to protect priority lands and grow Big Basin, Butano, and Año Nuevo State Parks —a region with incredible biodiversity and natural resources recently devastated by the 2020 CZU Fire. On August 27, 2024, it passed the floor of the legislature thanks to you and your fellow supporters reaching ou t to state leadership.

AB 2103 will facilitate the eventual reopening of Big Basin State Park by expediting the process to transfer high priority lands for State Parks within the CZU Fire footprint. Moreover, AB 2103 can help grow these State Parks with high priority lands and thereby allow conservation organization partners to protect more high-conservation-value lands to buttress ecosystems in a time of extreme climate change and help reach the state's 30x30 goals in this critical moment for conservation of redwood forests, watersheds, and recreation lands in the region.

We need you to reach out to Governor Newsom to ask him to sign AB 2103.

Current law makes it difficult for State Parks to act quickly to acquire and protect high-conservation-value lands when they are available. This is stalling plans to rebuild damaged parks and expand them to strengthen landscape connectivity, improve forest health, and enhance climate resiliency in Big Basin, Butano, and Año Nuevo State Parks. Without legislative direction, partnering conservation organizations remain burdened with owning and managing high-conservation-value lands intended for State Park for long periods of time.

AB 2103 will help provide certainty of timely land transfer from acquisition partners to the Department of Parks and Recreation for land parcels that State Parks agrees to acquire. Specifically, this bill would add property acquired for Big Basin Redwoods, Año Nuevo, and Butano State Parks, to the list of exemptions from the Public Works Board process. AB 2103 will allow State Parks to work with conservation organizations more effectively in order to speed up the land acquisition process and permanently protect lands for conservation, cultural, or recreational purposes.

Helping to streamline the acquisition process is a critical role for California's leadership, in their capacity overseeing and supporting agency programs and initiatives, and new legislation can course correct this missing and essential feature of conservation in California. And it could not be more timely. Will you write to California's Governor today and urge him to sign AB 2103?

Urge California's Governor to sign AB 2103 to rebuild State Parks and protect priority lands in the Santa Cruz mountains today!

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Join us in urging California's leadership to act now to protect, restore, and enhance our environment, and build a resilient economy far into the future.

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