California Wilderness Coalition

"The idea of wilderness needs no defense. It only needs more defenders."

– Edward Abbey

 

Comment online for the America's Great Outdoors Initiative.

 

 

Use the following talking points in your comments to address the needs for wilderness and conservation in our state.

 

America’s Great Outdoors Listening Session

Comment Talking Points

During the break out sessions, the following four questions will be asked by a facilitator. Please tell a personal story connected to the overarching themes described below. Talk about existing and/or proposed wilderness areas that you would like to see protected and why.

1. Challenges: What obstacles exist to achieve your goals for conservation, recreation, or reconnecting people to the outdoors?

  • Many of California’s remaining wildlands are threatened by road construction, development, or extractive uses, and so it is important to act quickly before these areas are permanently damaged or destroyed. I urge the Administration to help preserve California’s last remaining wild places by recommending to Congress that they be set aside as wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, national monuments, national parks, or other protective designations.
  • My family and I really enjoy visiting ________ wilderness areas and we like to… (go hiking, hunting, fishing, birdwatching, camping, picnicing, etc.)

Background

  • California’s wildlands provide clean air and water, a home for wildlife, and a place for spiritual renewal.
  • Every year, millions of people use these areas for hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking, horseback riding, skiing, snoeshowing, kayaking, and more. These activities are healthy and inexpensive forms of recreation that can be enjoyed by individuals and families from all different backgrounds.
  • Preserving access to the outdoors is particularly important for youth, many of whom are suffering disproportionately from the negative effects of an increasingly urbanized, sedentary, and unhealthy lifestyle. In these difficult economic times, easy and affordable access to outdoor recreation areas is one of the most important resources that we as a society can provide.
  • Wildlands also provide many economic benefits to local communities. The money brought in by visitors supports local businesses and results in increased property values, higher income levels, and lower unemployment rates.
  • The best way to ensure that the benefits of wildlands are preserved for future generations is to set them aside as protected areas.

2. What works: What are the most effective strategies for conservation, recreation and reconnecting people to the outdoors that you have used?

California Desert Protection Act of 2010

  • By introducing the California Desert Protection Act, Senator Feinstein has found a common sense way of preserving our spectacular desert heritage for our children and grandchildren. The proposal offers a chance to connect and conserve valuable rivers and water sources, migration routes for wildlife, and the recreational and historic trails that support our way of life – while they are still intact.
  • Diverse partners including over 100 cities, chambers of commerce, tribes, businesses, and others have joined together to urge passage of this historic legislation.
  • The California desert boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in the nation, and that has made tourism and recreation an essential part of the local economy. 6.7 million people visit our desert public lands each year and contribute $230 million to the local economies.
  • The CDPA of 2010 will encourage the responsible development of renewable energy resources in appropriate places in the California desert. According to California Energy Commission staff estimates, approximately 128,000 acres of land are needed to meet California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard with solar thermal energy. There are approximately 351,000 acres in the Bureau of Land Management’s Solar Energy Study Areas alone and none of that land will be affected by the Mojave Trails National Monument, the Sand to Snow National Monument or the wilderness designations proposed in the bill.
  • The California Desert Protection Act of 2010 has provisions to expedite renewable energy projects on private land and directs the military to study renewable energy potential on their unused disturbed lands.

Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Wilderness Act of 2009

  • Northern San Diego County and southwestern Riverside County offer truly wild places for outdoor recreation in primitive settings. In contrast, this is one of the fastest growing regions in California. The region’s diverse landscape includes rare year-round flowing rivers, rolling hills covered in chaparral, and pine-covered ridges and mountains. The public lands in this region are refuges for many sensitive, threatened, and endangered plants and animals and act as essential biological corridors for migrating wildlife.
  • Congressman Issa’s legislation will designate wilderness and wild and scenic rivers that will ensure that our children and grandchildren have places to go to experience and learn about nature.

More wilderness and wild rivers in the Los Padres National Forest

  • Local businesses, chambers, tribes and others have come together to encourage additional protections for the southern Los Padres National Forest
  • The Los Padres National Forest is California’s second largest national forest, extending nearly 220 miles across the scenic Coast and Transverse Ranges. Rising from the Pacific Ocean to over 8,800 feet in elevation, the forest provides habitat for 468 species of wildlife including the California condor and the southern steelhead.
  • Global warming, unauthorized off road vehicle use, and oil and gas drilling threaten the solitude, ecology, and tranquility of the southern Los Padres National Forest. The good news is that Congress can protect these wild places by passing Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River Legislation.

3. Federal government role: How can the federal government be a more effective partner in helping to achieve conservation, recreation or reconnecting people to the outdoors?

  • Fully Fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund
  • The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a critical tool for helping Californians protect and care for the places we treasure. Full and dedicated funding of the LWCF is essential to protecting California’s outdoor way of life and maintaining jobs that depend on access to the great outdoors.
  • The LWCF has been critical in the development and preservation of many important recreation areas across the county. Many priceless landscapes in California have been protected through LWCF acquisition, including the Rodman Mountains Wilderness and the Clipper Mountains Wilderness in the California desert, Beauty Mountain in San Diego County, and wild areas in the Los Padres National Forest.
  • (Sportsmen). From catching Rainbow trout in the Lower Sacramento to hunting elk on Grizzly Island, many Californians love to hunt and fish. Full and dedicated funding for the LWCF will ensure adequate wildlife habitat and public access so that future generations of Californians will always have places to hunt and fish.
  • (Small Business). From the spectacular sites of Yosemite Valley, to Mendocino’s rocky coast, California’s natural beauty invites locals, as well as folks from across the globe, to hike, ski, kayak, bike, picnic, or just relax outdoors. Continuing to invest in these areas through full LWCF funding supports local economies and small businesses, retains jobs, and protects quality of life across our communities.

Background

  • The LWCF is a government program that provides funding for the acquisition and expansion of federal and state recreation lands. The program was designed to ensure that all Americans have access to outdoor recreation opportunities.
  • Since its inception in 1965, the LWCF has resulted in the protection of approximately 3 million acres of state lands and more than 4.5 million acres of federal land. Lands acquired through LWCF funding must be permanently maintained for recreation use.
  • Money for the LWCF comes almost entirely from revenue from offshore oil and gas leases. Unfortunately, funding for the LWCF has fluctuated greatly, and although the authorized funding level is currently $900 million, the program usually receives significantly less funding. Furthermore, Congress has frequently appropriated LWCF funds for purposes other than preserving and developing outdoor recreation opportunities.
  • The need for funding for new acquisitions dwarfs the amount currently allocated to this program, however. I urge President Obama to request that Congress fully fund the LWCF program and refrain from appropriating LWCF money for purposes other than increasing access to outdoor recreation.

4. Tools: What additional tools and resources would help your efforts be even more successful?

 

Template Letter

 

Please write a letter expressing your support for wilderness protection! For maximum effectiveness we would like to personally deliver the letters to Administration officials all at once, so please mail your letter to the California Wilderness Coalition at 1212 Broadway Ste 1700, Oakland, CA 94612 or email them to info@calwild.org. A personal letter is always best, but here is a sample letter that you can use as a template, addressed to Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley:

Your Full Name

1234 Address St.

City, State Postal Code

Dear Secretary Salazar and Chair Sutley,

California’s natural landscapes are a priceless national resource, providing clean air and water, abundant opportunities for recreation, and a home for unique and sensitive species. Experiencing these wild lands has been one of the greatest thrills of my life, and I feel passionately that future generations must have the opportunity to enjoy them as well.

[Insert your wilderness story here]

The America’s Great Outdoors Initiative is an important step towards involving all Americans in the effort to conserve this country’s wild places and reconnect with the outdoors. I applaud your and President Obama’s leadership in working to address this critical issue.

I urge you to help preserve California’s last remaining wild places by recommending to Congress that they be set aside as wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, national monuments, national parks or other protective designations. Until Congress acts, we urge you to do all that you can at the administrative level to protect these irreplaceable wild lands. By maintaining these areas in their natural state, you will not only preserve their ecological values but also provide opportunities for local residents and visitors to reconnect with the outdoors through hiking, camping, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, skiing, snowshoeing, and more. These activities are healthy and affordable forms of recreation for youth and their families, even those struggling in the current recession.

[Can talk about your favorite wilderness areas or areas that you would like to see protected. “I have visited/would like to visit…”]

Decisive leadership at the national level is also necessary to ensure that all existing protected areas are managed so that their wild character is preserved. You can help make this happen by developing policies that facilitate the wise stewardship of public lands, helping to ensure sufficient funding for public land management agencies, and demanding thorough scientific input into all decisions affecting public lands.

Thank you for your commitment to preserving America’s natural heritage.

Sincerely,

Your Full Name