Senator Ben Allen (D, Santa Monica) has just introduced legislation to support the stewardship and preservation of state parks. SB 1332 creates the Conservation Stewardship Fund for the maintenance and stewardship of lands owned and managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Wildlife Conservation Board, and California’s many state conservancies.
“California’s state parks are our state’s most precious natural treasures. We have recently invested a significant amount in conserving more of our state lands through initiatives like California 30x30, and justifiably so,” said Senator Allen.
“We cannot, however, forget that critical to conservation is continued investment in the maintenance and protection of our parks. To do that, SB 1332 establishes the Conservation Stewardship Fund to administer crucial operations and maintenance dollars from both public and private entities in an effort to enhance public enjoyment while maximizing our conservation goals.”
California’s state parks are rich in biodiversity and offer many important benefits including outdoor recreation, climate change mitigation, water and air purification, and more. As such, these lands play a crucial role in achieving California’s climate goals and several high-priority state initiatives including the 30x30 Initiative, the Outdoors for All Initiative, and the Water Supply Strategy, among others. For many, particularly those in areas that lack locally funded and managed parks, state parks are their only option for outdoor recreation.
California has made significant investments to protect and conserve these lands. However, dedicated resources for stewardship and management are necessary to ensure that they continue to provide important benefits to all Californians despite not having received financing historically. While general obligation bond funding can be used to acquire and protect lands, stewardship and management activities are not eligible for bond funding.
Additionally, the California Department of State Parks and Recreation is grappling with a deferred maintenance backlog totaling more than $1 billion. As the impacts of climate change intensify, management and stewardship of California’s state parks will become increasingly important.
By establishing a dedicated stewardship endowment fund, SB 1332 will help preserve California’s state parks, and the benefits they provide, for generations to come.
“California’s conservation lands provide countless benefits to people and nature, and are critical to reaching our ambitious climate, biodiversity, and outdoor access goals. SB 1332 will allow California to protect its investments in parks and open space, as well as help increase their resilience to climate change.” said Liz Forsburg Pardi, Director of External Affairs and Policy for The Nature Conservancy. “We thank Senator Allen for his leadership on this important legislation and are pleased to support SB 1332.”
Dylan Elliott
